10 Non-Food Items That will be in Short Supply After TEOTWAWKI

TEOTWAWKI

The following is a list of ten non-food items that are currently inexpensive and easy to get, but will be in demand after TEOTWAWKI.

Matches – You cannot have enough of these.  They are cheap and easy to get. Stock all you can they will be a good trade item and a real convenience.  You can start a fire without them but it takes more effort.

Cloth diapers – Today it seems like everybody use splastic throwaways.  When these run out you will need cloth diapers.

Water filters – Most families do not own a good quality water filter.  If you have extras they will be very valuable.  Bad water will kill large numbers of people.

Nails and screws – After TEOTWAWKI you will have to keep your property repaired and you won’t be able to run to the store.  Stock up on nails and screws now.  Make sure you have enough lying around while you still can.

Batteries – These will disappear fast, I recommend that you have good quality rechargeable batteries like the Enloop’s and the equipment to recharge them. A review of the Eneloop NiMH Batteries 

Tape – All kinds of tape including duct, masking, electric. These have many uses.  Duct tape is great for repairing equipment and even for medical uses like making splints.

Books – Both fiction and nonfiction.  Nonfiction for educating your children and to use for reference.  Fiction books will provide some entertainment, even if you just sit down as a family and read a chapter or two in the evening.  If you are religious don’t forget the scriptures.

See also  Are Preppers Crazy or Is It Crazy to Not Prep?

Sewing supplies – Your clothes won’t last forever.  They will need to be repaired or replaced.

Canning supplies – A good stock of canning supplies will help you preserve food that you are able to grow or hunt.  Especially stock up on canning lids.

Blankets – Over my years in law enforcement I got to serve many search warrants and I was always amazed at how few blankets were in many homes.  Often there was only an electric blanket.  Blankets may be a good trade item.

These are just a few items that came to mind today.  As you know there are many more and we all have different priorities on what is most important.  But for me and my family these are important ones.

Howard

 

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11 thoughts on “10 Non-Food Items That will be in Short Supply After TEOTWAWKI”

  1. Rarely have I *needed* wooden matches, even in the wilderness. Book matches are good for everyday use and super cheap. Find them in the kitchen utensils aisle at W**mart.

    1. Last winter it got quite cold for central Florida. One day I was talking to a neighbor about the weather and they commented on how cold they were at night. I said that I had wool blankets for the cold amd they said that they had thrown all theirs out when they moved here. Most people here have a warm weather metality. Sandels, shorts and t shirts. many dpn’t even have light jackets let alone heavy jackets and gloves or hats. Beats me how people can so stupid.

  2. Armed GrandPappy

    Ammunition: All ready made (factory) ammo will be one of the first things to disappear. If you can afford it. Purchase the equipement and supplies to make your own. If kept cool and dry, gunpowder is still good decades later. Making your own ammo is cheaper than buying it and relatively simple to do. You will need a press, dies for your specific caliber, the correct powder. (there are lots of books on which powder to use and their ballistic performance) Primers, brass, bullets, a scale, and a way to clean your brass after each use. That is the basics. You don’t need to go overboard on a press and a scale as a beam scale will suffice. Every company that makes the equipment (RCBS, Pacific, Lee, etc.)have “starter kits” that will have everything you will need for basic reloading. And ammo will be very valuable as trade items. Just be careful to not get shot with your own product!

  3. A good pair of vice grips will be indispensable after teotwawki. Vice grips are the only truly universal tool in the world. Heck, I can’t go a day without them now when things are good..

  4. I always look for tools at garage sales. I also buy extra vice grips and channel locks whenever I can. Bought a set of drill bits and some screw drivers when ever I can. I look for tools at every garage sale I get a chance to go to.

  5. blankets. i just bought 4 emergency blankets for around $5 on ebay.
    the dollar store has many great items if you really look: books, medicine, first aid, sewing, tools and tape. each time i go to the grocery ill spend just a few dollars on canned food, that way i know i always have fresh supply.

  6. A few other items may include…
    Garden tools and handle replacement for them, Socks and gloves, Sneakers and boots, lamp oil and wicks, trash bags and aluminum foil, pet food, Heirloom seeds, Toilet paper, soaps, shampoo.

  7. Bic Lighters.Darn things last forever,you can light them with wet hands.And you get a lot of lights in a very small package.Matches are old tech.

  8. The requirement of retreat medical supplies, needs to closely resemble an EMT medical kit for quick fix, and then also contain the other items found in the hospital emergency room… for advanced care. This would include pain meds (NorCo etc) sedatives, And something to render a patient unconscious.
    O2 is a must (step one in your search). You can obtain a good used O2 machine from an elderly widow… cheap. It runs on 110, so have a generator and fuel on hand or….install a solar unit with battery and converter (Tanks are bulky, heavy, and short lived). You can serve several patients with O2 by joining plastic tubing that is sold at the tropical fish store.
    Attempt to recruit a medical doctor/surgeon, a surgical nurse, a paramedic/EMT/Battlefield Medic etc. And or, at a minimum… know where these people are located locally, so that you can pull them into your retreat WTSHTF? If you lack the knowledge and ability to treat someone who has been shot… “game over”.

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