My favourite bartering item I am storing!

I'm not storing these, but I reckon cheap reading glasses will be worth a fortune, if you can't see anything up close you are in trouble.

How do you get them here in Oz, lol.  I had a package stopped myself. 

I have managed to collect 4 lots of prescription antibiotics of the last few years! My mum had 2 lots that were going out of date and hubby had a couple of chest issues that needed them but it cleaered up by itself! The last lot was recent and the doc said "Do you want antibiotics and Hubby said do you think I need them and he said No! Hubby just said why dont you just write a script and if I need them I can get them! Voila a new pack of Antibiotics

I imported some for my fish. I believe the trick is only order one lot a time. Cost more in postage that way of course

You can sort of get them here.... www.ebay.com.au/itm/Blue-Planet-Aquaricycline-Tablets-25pk-/131896341630?hash=item1eb5a2747e:g:D6gAAOSwwpdW2rDQ

This is tetracycline, kinda useful but lots of pathogens have developed resistance by now. The better bet is Fishmox (amoxicillin) but almost impossible to find here. Whenever I go overseas I do a "drug run", buy 2 bottles AND I declare it on the customs form when getting in (I always go thru the red side), usually I show them ("I got them for my fish tank, only to see antibiotics on the form, I am not sure if I can bring it in") and they just let me go, at worst they will remove it, but since I have declared it on the form, they are not going do much anyway.

My parents do the same when they travel, they are against prepping but dad is an retired medical professional born during WW2 and my grandfather's first wife died (many years before WW2) from something small that could have been cured by antibiotics, so my Dad always thinks of Antibiotics as gold.

Another trick is to ask you GP for a script because you are going to some third world country for holiday blah blah blah, many will say no but I found one or two that will. I have also stocked up by getting doctors to write me a script whenever I have flu (and sore throat as secondary infection), I always go on and on about how I need to get better soon and I need to be at work because my staff is counting on me (which is true, I have not taken a day off this year), basically bug the crap outta them until they give in.... then there is one more trick, but this one is dirty and I don't wanna use it, once you have gotta a script for the sore throat (usually they give you 20x 500mg amoxycillin), wait a few days to get better but not completely, go to the doctor and claimed you have take the med for 2 days, felt better and stop taking it, now it is getting sore again. You are supposed to finish the course of antibiotics and kill off everything there is, if you stop in the middle, you have basically killed off most bacteria on your body but not the stuff that caused the infection, now they have nothing to compete with and possibly develop resistance. The GP will freak out, give you a long lecture and then give you a script for a much higher dose/duration. This trick is so dirty that I won't do it myself (I have enough stock) but it should work.

Now, 500mg x 20 amoxycillin costed me $9.95 last year (another chemist charged $16.95 a few months before), it is cheaper than fish tank stuff.....  




 

Ever tried Excedrin? It includes paracetamol, aspirin and caffeine. Great for migraines!

When the SHTF and caffeine dries up this could help to ease the pain...

vacuum sealed teabags. By the hundreds.

How about these ideas that have high value in small size:
- Single serve coffee sachets
- Cigarettes - at a $1 each right now these would have to be like gold when everyone's stressed out and going cold turkey!
- Batteries - useful to keep and to barter.
- And personal products maybe? eg condoms (who wants to complicate things even more with a pregnancy!)