Survival Skill #7 Durable and Consumable Goods (Part 7 of 10)

Moving right along...

You've hit the high points of post-disaster survival--currency, water, food, shelter, medical care, and security--and now it is time to move on to the things that make life a great deal more comfortable.  The list is huge (which is why I won't print it here) but consider all of the items in your everyday life that are useful/necessary/nice to have and then consider how you would acquire these items in a post-disaster scenario.  You probably like toilet paper in your bathrooms, gasoline for your cars, tools to make repairs, shoes on your feet, and a myriad other items.  Here are some thoughts on their acquisition:

• Stockpiling ahead of time is one of the most common options (and hopefully you will be able to salvage/keep these items after said disaster).  Here's a list of the most common consumer items people want to have after a disaster.
• Scavenging and looting are, unfortunately, common ways that people acquire items they need after a disaster.  Yes, it's an unpleasant though, but post-major disaster, all bets (and many rules of law) are off.
• Making your own.  I doubt that many people will be able to forge iron in the immediate aftermath of a disaster (long term is another story), but everyone should have some basic fix it skills so you can repair your shoes, repair your clothing, set up a basic latrine, reload your ammo, etc.
• Reusing and re-purposing items.  Some people will look at leaves and magazines and see, well, leaves and  magazines, while others in a desperate situation will see toilet paper.  You get the idea...
• Sharing is another option after a disaster.  With a good group of people around you (friends, neighbors, family members), sharing the goods you need (tools, etc) is another way to acquire the items you need if only temporarily.
• The bartering economy also picks up after a disaster (which is why it is a good idea to stockpile extra items on the above list of items that people most want after a disaster).
• Doing without.  No big surprise here but in the aftermath of a disaster that wipes away a goodly portion of your community/county/state people will be forced to do without many of the items they have become used to in everyday life.  You will quickly determine what is absolutely necessary to have/acquire and what things a "nice to haves".