The difference in wants and needs, and a place for trade.

So, in prepping, there is a lot of wants and needs. Most of the fancy gear out their makes you want it, and is useful, but not a necessity. Especially when you are a family with younger children, you needs differ. I live in the North Eastern US, cold winters, farm able summers and we enjoy all 4 seasons. This comes at a great benefit and a cost. The cost becomes that of staying warm in the winter. Most houses have been updated to natural gas for heat instead of coal 70 years ago. My house was designed for coal, up to having a bricked off section in the basement and a coal window.

We have acknowledged that when the power goes out, so does the gas heat. We have planned around this by getting a little propane heater that uses the little 1 pound tanks. We even got the 20 pound to 1 pound adapter so we can use other tanks in an emergency. This, again, is a longer term, yet not long term solution. So what is one to do?

I did an interesting trade. I had an antenna for my ham radio that I did not use. I also loaned a radio to a friend, and traded the antenna for a wood burning stove. This becomes a tertiary heat source, especially with winter coming. I do not plan on installing it. I plan on getting the parts for it to hook up. We own our home, however, this is not our final resting place. This is true, but I am also a prepper, so I will plan for worst case scenario.

Never shy away from the possibility of a good trade. I have acquired so many things from trades. Craigslist and other sites like that are awesome for potential trades. Especially if there is a barter section, you never know what you can find. Just like talking to friends. They do not need to be completely in your circle of trust for your prepper group or whatever. They just need to be aware of what you are looking for. Always keep an eye out, as things will always be available, but it is up to you to try to find them.