That's what I've found. That's why it's essential to have more than you need of certain things. You can barter with them.
I bought a bunch of coffee, but now that a few years have passed, the coffee is beyond its recommended usage date and probably isn't as good so we're starting to use it. It's not an ideal item, though I know good coffee would be HIGHLY valued a few months after it became unavailable.
I bought liquor for the same reason. Since it will last forever, I have several thousand dollars worth. Some of it was pricey - $100 per bottle - but I bought a lot of really cheap liquor too. I used to be concerned that the bottles might freeze and shatter in NH's minus-20 degree winters, but years have passed and I haven't always had a space heater running, so I've gradually stopped worrying.
I think ammunition will be excellent for bartering, and there is no single type that is more useful than .22. It's cheap. Like all ammunition, it lasts forever if it's stored in a dry place. Everyone has a .22 handgun or rifle. It's perfect for shooting vermin and small game, but is powerful enough to deter predators of any size. It doesn't attract a lot of attention when it's fired. So get and hoard a LOT of .22 ammo, especially if you can find it for $20/brick or so, which I think you still can sometimes at Wal-Mart, though I notice 500 round bricks are scarce.
We'll be growing far more food than we can eat, so canning is going to be a must. Hopefully, we'll get good at it and have 20 years or more set aside in short order. Then we can barter with it, too.
Our current property is on a fairly busy road (one car every minute or so, during the day.) The new property has a major road (Three or four cars every minute or so, during the day. Big enough that it's classed as a "Rte".) and a general store just a few hundred yards away. So I may approach the store's owner with the idea of setting up a vegetable stand in his parking lot. I don't how that will go over, but if he's amenable and the town doesn't mind then it would give us a good CASH income in the summer and fall.
So many plans. I'll probably never get around to ten percent of 'em.
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