In southern Alberta sugar isn't really a problem. It's sugar beet country. All you need are beets, water, and fire. Of course, Taber being corn country, corn liquor would be my preference if one were going to go to the trouble of distilling from scratch. Again, the probability of this fantastic scenario being as remote as it is, I think you are better off stocking up on whatever it is you personally like to consume and focus your prepping efforts on what's most likely to occur. I'm more inclined to prepare for six months of unemployment or longer and the rest of the world carrying on, than the whole world going to hell and having to trade hooch for chickens...

Just sayin'

Antsy

C5,

According to Volume 1 of The Foxfire Book by Eliot WIGGINTON

"HOW THE BEST OF THE BEST WAS MADE
as told by the men who made it
For this section, two men who are reputed to have made some of
the best moonshine to come out of Georgia tell exactly how they did
it. The process for making "pure corn" is the base of the discussion.
Use of sugar in a run to increase the yield is also included, but in
parentheses, as the addition of sugar would not allow the mixture to
be labeled as pure corn whiskey."

Sugar is not needed. Like Yeast, sugar is used to expand the yield of a run, not to make a good shine. Thus, sugar is needed if you are greedy. Of course, they are speaking of pure corn whiskey. Other alcohol may have different recipes.

Mountainman.

Thanks. I stand corrected. A friend of mine in the area brought his still back from Sadi. Ill leave it to an expert. I hear around here, its done just after the pumpkin harvest. The shiners are easy to spot comming out of the Stuperstore with a couple shopping carts of sugar.

Also, good point made above about why bother buying trade items when you could just chose to buy things you need. My only answer off the cuff would be bribes, pay offs and smothing social relations.

Warning: long winded explanation...

Update: As mentioned in my last post I did buy an item for my preps. It is a multi fuel 60,000 btu stove that will allow (with modifications) me to heat my home in a grid down situation so long as I have wood OR a flammable fluid that is not too viscous at my disposal.

Again, the asking price for the item I came for was $250 plus tax. I entered the store and looked at a few items that I was partially interested in while getting some 'small talk' going with an employee. I asked "Are you guy's busy?" with the answer obvious with me being the ONLY customer in the store. The reply from the employee was, "It's always slow this time of year because everyone is broke from Christmas." OK, he gave up the information that sales were down. I added "Yes, it's that time of year. About a week from now is the best time of year to hit retail electronics (and it is!) because they have to try to meet month end sales expectations in a month when everyone is broke." At the end of Jan the bills still have to be paid. The unwitting employee gave that information with only a simple question. I supported his statement regarding 'slow times". HINT: I agree with him and become a 'friend' regarding the current state of the retail economy. Now I have become his buddy 'because' I agree with him.

I browsed around and spotted a pair of camo insulated coveralls that were well priced and interested me for bow hunting. (It can get pretty damn cold while waiting for an ambush.) When the employee offered help I simply stated that I was trying on said coveralls on a shoe change mat to avoid the dirty floor. (Not an insult to the store, it was slightly above freezing and people had tracked in some slush and sand from streets and sidewalks through the day.) Hint: I show respect for the stores product so I must be a decent guy. The coveralls didn't fit and he offered a pair of black coveralls that might. I didn't even try them on explaining "I really want camo coveralls for bow hunting. It's an ambush game." He replied " OK, I get it." and put the black coveralls back.

Hint: I dropped the seed of a 'slow time of year for retail'. and let them (the employee and owner sit on that for a while as I browsed, I still didn't know who was who between them) After some 'browsing' I went to the front counter and the employee asked "Do you have any questions?" My reply was "I have heard about some M 50 Yukon stoves, do you have any?" They are getting quite rare and advertize that they can produce 60,000 BTU's of heat. (I'd be happy with 40,000 BTU's) The employee PROUDLY replied " we have them new in the box and showed me a couple of models along with a 'newer replacement' stove. He also explained that he had seen the M 50 in use in Iraq, but only in videos. I hummed and hawed for a couple of minutes before 'deciding' that the cheaper M 50 was my choice. He priced it at $250 as I already knew it would be. I asked, "Can you massage the price a bit? I think that's a bit rich." His reply was that I would have to ask the owner of the store, but added he 'might be able to drop the GST." I pulled 2 $100's and a $50 from my wallet and said "if I leave $225 on your counter do we have a deal?" HINT: Cash is King (today) and showing your money means you want to make a deal. The employee said "$225 plus tax." I said "$225 cash for the deal." The owner came to the till and did the math getting fumbled as he set up the sale price to include taxes. I joked that the till still thought the price was too high. (with a smile)

Result: I got a $250+ tax on a pretty rare item, new in the box for $225 including 5% tax for about 15 minutes of work. Savings equal $37.50. OK, not a lot of money, but figure 4 x $37.50 = $150 per hour. I very seldom get paid that well. Barter works and can pay handsomely if you learn to play the game.

I have been paid near $500 per hour 30 years ago bartering legal services on repairs that took far less time than I (and the customer) thought it would. It was some of those rare cases where you think 'God is smiling on you!' and everything goes better than planned even though you figured in 'things go wrong time'.

In the case of a repair service barter can be very profitable if everything goes right. It can also go very wrong and you time goes to near minimum wage (or lower!) in a hurry.

If the good's have already been produced (services rendered before hand) and you are trading them you already know the value of your time and materials then have to BARTER your goods and services for what you think is fair or hopefully profit from.

The first example above is a 'barter' I did today. (substitute chickens worth $10 each for cash, could it get bloody??? LOL) While I wish I had done better, 15% off from a retailer TODAY on a 'getting rare item' is far better than nothing. It cost me a few minutes of time along with a bit of thinking. Pretty good pay in my books.

I'm not pretending to be 'God's gift' to barter but just trying to show how easy it is, as well as how to practice it in every day life.

Hope that helps,
BTR

my hubby and I are both very shy and not too confident (though we can do well in short visits)...bartering will not be an easy thing for us.

I dont really barter. I judge the value of something before I see a price and then if it comes lower I buy. If it is higher I ask them to see if they will lower it to my level. This only works if it is reasonably close in price for some things. It did work for our car though. Advertised was 9,999 and I paid 7200 taxes in since this is a final offer in my dollar to value thinking. No up and down since once that starts I just walk away. Have lost some things this way but I ALWAYS hit my target price.

lgs, I would suggest you and your hubby make efforts to overcome your shyness in the field of barter in small steps. Start off attempting to barter on smaller/less important items so that you can 'walk away' from the barter attempt if it isn't going well. I'm not suggesting you walk into a non chain retailer and barter like you are attempting to purchase leather goods in a Mexican market square. While I seldom wander into a flea market I think it would be a good place to hone barter skills. Garage sales would be another place to practice barter. Lets face it, most garage sales are an attempt to grab a few dollars AND lighten the load of hauling stuff to a charity or land fill.

Having some idea of the markup that the retailer has is an invaluable tool. Some markups are just insane and others reflect the cost of doing business (keeping the lights on & paying staff). On the 'insane' markup items, the retailer has lots of 'room' to discount. Knowing that beforehand can save you $$$. If we get shifted into a barter economy it's going to be a steep learning curve for a lot of people. Those who learn how to barter before hand will have a distinct advantage.

I wish you well in your efforts.

edited to add: Gravlore you do indeed barter. You simple 'cut to the chase' immediately rather than extend the barter time. If more sheeple did the same I think retailers would lower expectations of profits. I ran into a retailer who undercut his competition by about 35 or 40%. His business didn't have an uber fancy showroom but was still 'pleasant'. After making my purchase with very little barter involved I asked him how he could charge so much less than his competition. His reply was something like "My competition buys their product from the same sources I do. I do have to keep the lights on and drive to and from work, put food on the table and keep a roof over my head, just like them. To do that I have to make a profit but I don't have to make all of that profit from YOU!"

Just a note, if you walk into a 'glitter and glamor' retail establishment, just remember who pays for all of that 'premium shopping experience' in the end.

I just made a mistake. A new member just posted here and when I went to approve it I slipped up and hit disapprove. Now I can't get it back. 😳 If the member would like to repost I won't make the same mistake twice! Sorry guys.

NP ICRCC, I'll repost. I don't remember the exact wording but...

➡ What were you planning to get in trade for your wine. The container itself might be more valuable since it can be reused.

ICRCC,

I was using the "god" ray gun and accidentally zapped him on the disappear setting..........ooops!!

I am sure the new member will re-post. 🙂

Cheers,

Mountainman.

Good point GPS! I'll be certain to ask for a substantial container deposit, say $3 deposit (in today's currency) for the 750ml bottle with a refund/exchange on the next purchase. (Kinda like a car battery, just lighter to carry...) LOL

You would have to find a unique bottle if you wanted to collect a deposit. You'll have people bring bottles back for deposit of the same type of bottles. If you were using 1L Pepsi bottles, I have a ton of them in my basement I'd like to trade for $3 each ❗

I don`t know if it would be considered a `luxury`item, but I am planning to grow opium poppies. They are beautiful, and legal to grow and if my supply of pain killers is suspended I wouldn`t mind crossing into the illegal side of using to help my pain. As long as things go well in the world I will just enjoy the pretty blooms.

Almost 50 years ago my mother also enjoyed the "pretty blooms" as well. One day a RCMP drove up our 200 yard driveway to inform my mother that the poppies were illegal. I would double check the legality of the plants. Regardless, raw opium would straddle two groups as a trade product. For one group it would become a luxury recreational good and the other group would regard it as a needed medication. Lets be honest, as ones mobility goes down ones chances of survival in harsh times also diminishes. Recovery from a severe injury is quicker without the added stress of severe pain as well.

That said in a full blown SHTF scenario most law enforcement officers (at least those with a conscience) would turn a blind eye to someone 'growing their meds'. I'm sure they would have bigger fish to fry. My question is, "How can you hide/protect your crop of meds well enough to avoid 'the wrong people' from harvesting the crop when it's producing?".

Just wondering?
BTR

As this topic progresses it has become apparent to me that in the future after a SHTF scenario, I had better add an addictions counseling manual to my gear. With the amount of wine, beer, mead, liquor and opiates being discussed it is best to be prepared for those times when a 12 step program is required!!! 🙂

For those too serious to smile once and awhile, chill....alcohol is the hallmark of a civilization. Of course, if is wasn't for whiskey the Scots and the Irish would rule the world. But that takes time away from enjoying a wee nip of the blessed nectar.

Cheers,

Mountainman.

ROTFLMAO! Well put Mountainman! Rest assured there will be people with addictions going through withdrawal during SHTF times. (stay way the hell clear of me on my 3rd day without smokes! I could kill badgers with my bare hands for entertainment on the 3rd day. 😆 ) I am learning to grow tobacco for both myself and as a trade item in SHTF. (so far, I'm not too pleased but it was the first crop)

I don't recall who but someone said something to the effect of "Sex, drugs and booze will always have a market." and I agree with that statement.

For some reason I don't think the 12 step program would have a huge following post SHTF. 😉