Survival 101: What to expect when bartering after SHTF

Published

2 years ago

October 13, 2023

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Some people are curious about prepping because they want to be more self-sufficient, while others may be considering this lifestyle to ensure their survival during more difficult times.

If you are worried about where to get supplies after your stockpile runs out when SHTF, you can try to learn more about bartering and the basics of trading in a post-collapse world.(h/t toTheOrganicPrepper.com)

The tips and information below come fromSelco Begovic, a man who survived one year inBosnia when his city was blockaded.

Begovic hails fromthe Balkan region, where residents struggled with harsh living conditions from 1992 to 1995. He lived there and survived for a yearin a city without running water, food distribution,electricity, fuel or supply of any goods.

The area also did not have any organized law or government.

While the information below is from an interview conducted in 2018,the topics discussed are still relevant for preppers or those who want to start prepping in 2023. Bartering after city lockdowns

According to Begovic, people started bartering weeks after the city was locked down. He added that ordinary folks only started bartering after several weeks went by because they did not immediately realize the severity of their situation.

As he tried to remember more about that time in his life,Begovic added thatthere were people who did not want to take money for goods. Instead, they asked for valuables like gold, jewelry or weapons for the items that they had wanted to trade with.

Some of these peoplewere smart enough to realize that money was going to become worthless soon.

Even valuables, such as gold and jewelry, were only good in the first period, and you would only benefit from themif you had a connection to the outside world to exchange them for something useful.

Ordinary people needed several weeks to get used to their situation, said Begovic. The process went from buying goods with money to buying goods from people who still accepted money but at outrageous prices, to the moment when money was worthless and people only accepted goods for other items.

While rare,Begovic said you could sometimes find someone who would sell you something for foreign money, but with at least 20 to 50 times higher prices. To illustrate,if a pack of cigarettes costs around 1.50 German Marks outside the war region,Begovic could buy that pack for 40 German Marks.

US dollars and Canadian dollars had even worse value. Thepeople who would accept that money had connections to the outside world, and some of them became millionaires because of that, said Begovic.

The same ratio was for precious metals and jewelry.For small and quick trades, the usual currency people used was cigarettes because of the large percentage of smokers in the area.

Sometimes, people would trade bullets.(Related: SHTF bartering must-haves: 13 Things that will be in demand after an EMP attack.) How to determine the value of trade items and setting terms

Begovic said nothing was fixed. During the lockdown,the value of goods went up and down based on different factors.

If aUnited Nations (UN) food convoy was able to enter the city and a local warlord took it all, which Begovic said happened often, and the majority of the food was canned fish, within that month those types of canned food would be cheaper than the month before.

In other cases, if U.S. airplanes managed to “hit” with airdrops in their area, then meals, ready-to-eat (MREs) were going to be cheaper.

Begovic also said once a rumor was planted by rival groups, such as rumors about “poisoned” cans of cookies, people did not value such items highly anymore.

However, some things did not change value too much during the whole period, such as alcohol, because it was available. The value of other things was a matter of the situation.

If your child was sick andyou needed antibiotics, once you spread the word, you can expect high prices because you gave out that information.Begovic added that usually, peopleknew the value of goods for that week, at least approximately.

The value of things and trading rules “on the ground” were similar to trade rules at normal life flea markets, said Begovic.

Some of those rules on the ground during trading were: If you need something, the price is going to increase. Begovic advised that it’s best not to look like you desperately need something to avoid this. You shouldn’t offer everything you have in “one hand” or on one try. Don’tgo to trade with your best items altogether because you will seem desperate, and you are losing the advantage. Don’t give someone a reason to take the risk of attacking you because you have too many desirable items or too many things with you. Before meeting up with someone,Begovic advised that you should only bring a set amount of food or ammo. If you need more items, do another trade at another time with more of your items. Always remember that people will take chances if they calculate it is a risk worth taking. Do not volunteer information abouthow much of the goods you actually have at home to avoid any incidents. Do nottrade at home, unless you trust the other person completely. This is important, especially if you are trading with someone you don’t know that well. Agreeing to trade at another person’s home might mean that you are at his “playground,” or he is stupid, and you are losing the advantage. Do not take the risk of trading on unknown terrain. Try to choose neutral ground where you can control the situation and give the other person the chance to feel safe, but not safer than you.

Begovic said the mostimportant thing to do is to understand that when SHTF, the only thing that protects you from losing everything is you.

Trade will require careful planning. Start with information about a person who has something you need, then check and double-check that information.

Communicate with him, then send information to let him know that you want to trade. Clearly set the terms about the place and number of people where you’re going to do the trade.

Usually, there would be rumors or information about who was safe to trade with. Begovic said there was also information about people who like to scam others during a trade.

If you completed a beneficial and fair trade with someone, remember him as a safe trader for future trade. The restis a matter of trust and your skills.

If you live in a nice town,Begovic said you might have access toa market where people can freely exchange their goods.

However, he never witnessed anything like that in Bosnia because a market like that requires an efficientsystem to back it. Bartering when SHTF is a high-risk situation because it is about resources, and there is no law or system in place to protect you and others. Skills vs. items

In the long run, Begovic said skills were more valuable because you can not “spend” your skills.

If you had medical skills, you could expect that over time, people would know about them through the word on the street. After SHTF, you will have different opportunities to get something for that skill.

After an SHTF event, skills for repairing would be valuable, along with technical skills. Begovic added that skills were safer to trade because if someone attacks or kills you, they still can’t take away your skills.

If you raise animalson your homestead, you can trade eggs, dairy or meat for other items that you need. With a home garden, you can trade fruits and vegetables for other pantry staples like flour or cooking oil.

Before SHTF, learn the basics of bartering so you can find more supplies before your stockpile runs out.

Watch the video below for tips on how to color-coordinate your pantry.

This video is fromThe Urban Prepper channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories:

Prepping for collapse, famine and nuclear war: 12 Tips that will help you be more resilient when SHTF.

Staying under the radar: Tips for efficient stealth prepping.

Prepper skills: How to barter effectively after SHTF.

Surces include:

TheOrganicPrepper.com

SHTFSchool.com

SurvivalFrog.com

Brighteon.com
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Sports

Little League, big dreams: Mets, Mariners players as Little Leaguers

Published

2 hours ago

August 15, 2025

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Little League, big dreams: Mets, Mariners players as Little Leaguers

Aug 15, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

The 2025 Little League World Series is underway, with some of the best young players around the country competing in Williamsport — all with the hopes of eventually making it to the major leagues one day.

And a few of them will make it … as evidenced by all the Little League alumni in Major League Baseball today.

This year’s MLB Little League Classic between the the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets will feature a number of MLB players who have played little league baseball in one way or another, either with local teams in their home countries or with Little League specifically. In fact, Seattle manager Dan Wilson played in the 1981 Little League Baseball World Series with Barrington (Illinois) Little League.

As the Mariners and Mets face off at historic Bowman Field in Williamsport on Aug. 17 — which you can watch on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast at 7 p.m. ET — let’s take a look at “then” and “now” photos of notable players on each team that played little league.

More: Little League World Series: Results, schedules, more

Watch every game: LLBWS

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso played for Tampa Bay Little League in Tampa Bay, Florida.

J.P. Crawford, SS, Seattle Mariners

Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford played for Lakewood Little League in Lakewood, California.

Edwin Diaz, RP, New York Mets

Mets reliever Edwin Diaz played for Miguel Luzunaris Little League in Humacao, Puerto Rico.

George Kirby, SP, Seattle Mariners

Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby played for Rye Little League in Rye, New York.

Francisco Lindor, SS, New York Mets

Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor played little league baseball in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Jeff McNeil, 2B, New York Mets

Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil played for Goleta Valley South Little League in Santa Barbara, California.

Cal Raleigh, C, Seattle Mariners

Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh played for Great Smokies Little League in Sylva, North Carolina.

Julio Rodriguez, CF, Seattle Mariners

Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez played little league baseball in Loma de Cabrera, Dominican Republic.

Kodai Senga, SP, New York Mets

Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga played little league baseball in Gamagōri, Japan.

Juan Soto, RF, New York Mets

Mets right fielder Juan Soto played for Banco Central Little League in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Bryan Woo, SP, Seattle Mariners

Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo played for Alameda Little League in Alameda, California.

All childhood photos courtesy of the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners.

Business

Trump’s son-in-law Kushner takes stake in UK lender OakNorth

Published

2 hours ago

August 15, 2025

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Trump's son-in-law Kushner takes stake in UK lender OakNorth

The private equity firm set up by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, is to take a stake in OakNorth, the British-based lender which has set its sights on a rapid expansion in the US.

Sky News has learnt that Affinity Partners, which has amassed billions of dollars in assets under management, has signed a deal to acquire an 8% stake in OakNorth.

The deal is expected to be concluded in the coming weeks, industry sources said on Friday.

Mr Kushner established Affinity Partners in 2021 after leaving his role as an adviser to President Trump during his first term in the White House.

He is married to Ivanka, the president’s daughter.

Affinity manages money for a range of investors including the sovereign wealth funds of Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Insiders said that Affinity Partners was buying the OakNorth stake from an unidentified existing investor in the digital bank.

The valuation at which the transaction was taking place was unclear, although OakNorth was valued at $2.8bn in its most recent funding round in 2019.

OakNorth, which was founded by Rishi Khosla, is targeting substantial loan growth in the US in the coming years.

Earlier this year, it agreed to buy Community Unity Bank (CUB), which is based in Birmingham, Michigan, in an all-share deal.

The transaction is awaiting regulatory approval.

OakNorth began lending in the US in 2023 and has since made roughly $1.3bn of loans.

The bank is chaired by the former City watchdog chair Lord Turner, and is among a group of digital-only British banks which are expected to explore stock market listings in the next few years.

Monzo, Revolut and Starling Bank are all likely to float by the end of 2028, although London is far from certain to be the destination for all of them.

Similarly, OakNorth’s ambition to grow its US presence means it is likely to be advised by bankers that New York is a more logical listing venue for the business.

Launched in 2015, the bank is among a group of lenders founded after the 2008 financial crisis.

Its UK clients include F1 Arcade and Ultimate Performance, both of which have themselves expanded into the US market.

Its existing backers include the giant Japanese investor SoftBank, GIC, the Singaporean state fund, and Toscafund, the London-based asset management firm.

Since its launch, OakNorth has lent around £12.5bn and boasts an industry-leading loan default ratio.

Last year, it paid out just over £30m to shareholders in its maiden dividend payment.

OakNorth has been growing rapidly, saying this year that it had recorded pre-tax profits of £214.8m in 2024, up from £187.3m the previous year.

It made more than £2.1bn of new loans last year.

On Friday, a spokesperson for OakNorth declined to comment.

World

Ukraine vows to continue drone attacks until there’s a peace deal

Published

2 hours ago

August 15, 2025

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Ukraine vows to continue drone attacks until there's a peace deal

Ukraine says there will be no let-up in its punishing long-range drone attacks on Russia until Moscow agrees to peace.

The warning comes ahead of Vladimir Putin meeting Donald Trump in Alaska.

Ukraine war latest: Trump prepares for summit with Putin

It was made in a rare interview with one of the key commanders of Ukraine’s drone forces.

We met in an undisclosed location in woods outside Kyiv. Brigadier General Yuriy Shchygol is a wanted man.

There is a quiet, understated but steely resolve about this man hunted by Russia. His eyes are piercing and he speaks with precision and determination.

His drone units have done billions of dollars of damage to Russia’s economy and their range and potency is increasing exponentially.

“Operations”, he said euphemistically, “will develop if Russia refuses a just peace and stays on Ukrainian territory”.

“Initially, we had a few drones a month, capable of striking targets 100 to 250 kilometres away. Today, we have drones capable of flying 3,000 to 4,000 kilometres, and that’s not the limit, it’s constrained only by fuel supply, which can be increased”.

His teams had just carried off one of their most complicated and most devastating strikes yet. A massive fire was raging in an oil refinery in Volgograd, or Stalingrad as it was once called.

“If the refinery is completely destroyed, it will be one of the largest operations conducted,” Brigadier General Shchygol said. “There have been other major targets too, in Saratov and Akhtubinsk. Those refineries are now either non-operational or functioning at only 5% of capacity.”

Oil is potentially Vladimir Putin’s Achilles heel. So much of his economy and war effort is dependent on it. Donald Trump could cripple Russia tomorrow if he sanctioned it but so has appeared reluctant to do so, a source of constant frustration for the Ukrainians.

Military activity on both sides has increased as diplomacy has picked up pace.

In another long-range attack, Ukraine says it hit the port of Olya in Russia’s Astrakhan region, striking a ship loaded with drone parts and ammunition sent from Iran.

But on the ground, Russian forces have made a surprise advance of more than 15km into Ukrainian territory.

Ukraine says the intrusion can be contained, but it adds to fears about its ability to hold back the Russians along the 1000-mile frontline.

Russia launches almost nightly drone attacks on Ukraine’s cities, killing civilians and striking residential targets.

General Yuriy says Ukraine picks targets that hurt Russia’s war effort, and it is constantly honing its capability.

“Each operation”, he says, “uses multiple types of drones simultaneously, some fly higher, others lower. That is our technical edge.”

How satisfying, I asked, was it to watch so much enemy infrastructure go up in smoke? He answered with detached professionalism.

“It does not bring me pleasure, war can never be a source of enjoyment. Each of us has tasks we could fulfil in peacetime. But this is war; it doesn’t bring satisfaction. However, it benefits the state and harms our enemy.”

Whatever happens in Alaska, General Yuriy and his teams will continue pioneering drone warfare, hitting Vladimir Putin’s economy where it hurts most.