People sometimes forget that the smallest and most convenient storage space is in their own heads. If you find yourself in the midst of a disaster and you need to either build or fix something, having the necessary knowledge and experience in your mind instead of in a book will hugely benefit your ability to survive.
And if there’s something you need from your neighbors but you’re not willing to trade any of your supplies, you could do some work for them in exchange.
But what sort of skills will be the most useful after TEOTWAWKI? Knowing Microsoft Office won’t do you much good, but knowing how to make soap could mean the difference between health and sickness. Or maybe you could trade your soap for more food. The point is, you need to learn a few skills that will be useful in a post-disaster world. I suggest you take up one as a hobby while you still have time.
Here, then, are 20 skills you can trade after TEOTWAWKI, listed in alphabetical order:
1. Animal Husbandry
The ability to raise animals such as chicken for eggs, rabbits for meat, goats for milk, etc. There is a limit to how much meat and dairy people will be able to store, and there will be a huge demand for fresh food.
2. Cleaning
Not just washing your hands, but the ability to wash clothes without a washing machine, make cleaning products to use around the house and keep your home germ free.
3. Clothing
If times are tough, people won’t be able to go out and buy new clothes and shoes any time they need them. They’ll have to fix shoes, patch torn pants, and mend shirts. This is an important skill that has become very rare in modern society.
4. Communication
If the infrastructure breaks down, common means of communication like cell phones and the Internet will be unreliable, if not gone completely. In that case, people who know how to use all kinds of radios, especially HAM radios, will be in high demand.
5. Construction
Especially without power tools. It’s worth knowing how to properly fix roofs, board up windows or build outhouses using only basic hand tools.
6. Cooking
People are going to get sick and tired of eating canned soup and freeze-dried food. If you can cook a tasty meal and dessert without power, people in the neighborhood will thank you with favors or with supplies they don’t need.
7. Dental
Most people live their entire lives without realizing how much misery they would experience if not for the dentist. A perfect example of this is in the movie Cast Away where the main character has to knock out one of his own teeth. Someone who knows how to clean and remove teeth could be a great help.
8. Fire Making
Most people won’t know how to start a fire once they’re lighters run out of fluid. People in your area will be safer and healthier if you can help them get a fire going so they can boil water and cook food.
9. First Aid
People tend to take doctors for granted, but it will quickly become apparent how important they are and why people should learn first aid skills. Without doctors, people will need help sewing up wounds, setting bones, performing CPR, and determining which herbs and medications help with which ailments.
10. Food Storage
Canning, dehydrating, sealing, smoking, etc. Most people don’t know how to store food without a refrigerator. Offer to preserve someone’s leftovers in exchange for help or supplies.
11. Gardening
Yet another skill that has become more rare. Learn to grow fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables, preferably indoors unless you have a secure backyard.
12. Gathering
The main thing here is knowing which naturally-occurring plants in your area have nutritional and/or medicinal value and which ones are useless or poisonous. But you’ll also need a MacGyver-like ability to find and use trash and items that might otherwise be ignored.
13. Gunsmithing
If you’re facing a long-term disaster, people are going to need guns for hunting and self-protection. It will help if you know how to repair guns and reload shells. But only help people you completely trust.
14. Hunting and Fishing
When food supplies get low and gardens fall short, people are going to have to hunt and fish. If you can provide meat for your friends and family, they’ll have time to take care of other necessities.
15. Mechanic
Even if we have a depression worse than the one in the 1930’s, most people are still going to have jobs (remember, unemployment only got up to 25% in the 1930’s), which means they’ll need a way to get to work.
The problem for many people is that they won’t be able to afford to get their cars fixed. If you learn how to work on cars, or any machine for that matter (lawnmowers, generators, etc.), you’ll have a particularly valuable skill.
16. Plumbing
People will still need their sinks and toilets, even more so if they’re washing clothes in the sink. Learn to remove clogs, fix toilets and replace leaky pipes.
17. Security
You can make your home more secure, but after TEOTWAWKI you’re still going to need someone to stand guard when others are busy or sleeping. This person will need to know how to use weapons and be practiced in hand-to-hand combat.
18. Soap and Candle Making
If the disaster goes on for long, soap and candles will be in high demand and a valuable trade item.
19. Teacher
If the schools are closed, it’s still important that children spend time reading and learning. Remember, these are the children that will grow up and rebuild the world.
20. Water Purification
One of the most important skills of all! In the weeks after a major catastrophe, many people will die from dehydration or from drinking unsafe water. It will help a lot if you learn all you can about cleaning and filtering water.
There are several other skills I thought about including in this list such as beekeeping, brewing, and electrical work, but I think the 20 listed above will probably be the most in-demand skills. Here are 12 more rare skills that will come in handy after SHTF.
Ron williams says
September 6, 2018 at 4:50 pmCobbling, tanningand general leatherwork.
Micheal says
September 27, 2017 at 5:43 pmCandle making, you might need to know how to raise bees.
Zsolt says
October 29, 2018 at 2:15 amThe candle is made of solid flammable material, wax, tallow or paraffin.
Steve says
December 29, 2016 at 5:33 pmI just wanted to say that there are some excellent points here. I’d strongly recommend that you get your FCC ham license. It’s not hard at all. It costs about 15 bucks. Get FIRST AID training! It free and there will be a time when you use those skills. Whether you roll up on an auto accident or your child chokes on something, or falls out of a tree. you will use first aid at some point! The only other thing I can say is self defense or weapon training. Let’s face it, we prep every day for life in general. Whether it’s groceries for the week, new clothes for the upcoming season, or virtually any pro active act. To me, prepping is simply “having a plan with a contingency plan”. Training for anything…. first aid, self defense, your job, only makes you better at that task and comfortable performing the task.
Miranda Spier says
September 20, 2015 at 7:47 amCanning and preserving food. When 50 tomato plants go ripe at the same time, one person can’t do it all.
Johnctee says
May 15, 2016 at 8:28 amOne person can’t eat it all either. Get help for part of the end product
Glenn Werry says
September 5, 2015 at 6:04 amAcupuncture, herbalism, martial arts, architecture/structural engineering…
DesertMadness says
May 12, 2015 at 5:11 pmDogs for companionship, security and other tasks should not be overlooked. Dogs are the best nighttime perimeter guards. They don’t need to be large “killer” breeds either. A 50 pound terrier is a great guard dog. If necessary, they can fend for themselves but are better partners if they are treated as family (pack).
Nocternus says
February 4, 2015 at 7:50 amLearn to cut hair. A pair if scissors and a comb weigh next to nothing cost very little and in a colapse scenario will put many a warm meal in front of you.
Michael Mixon says
February 4, 2015 at 5:16 amThe right tools can be a great substitute for skills. Those smart enough to get prepared and procure essential backup tools will have a huge barter advantage over those with skills alone! We have manual backups for our corded tools which rely on the grid. We found one that will serve as the backup to our well pump, but also has barter value for assisting neighbors, etc. It is called the Emergency Well Tube. Here is a link to the website if interested, http://www.emergencywelltube.com.
Johnctee says
May 15, 2016 at 8:31 amIf you have the money and can afford to buy tools to give away that’s fine not everyone can afford to do that. It doesn’t make them any less smart than you just not as rich as you.
Steve says
December 29, 2016 at 5:39 pmThere are no tools that can take the place of skills. If you have the skills, you can make the tools. Save your money. Live life.
Pat says
February 4, 2015 at 12:58 amKnitting and crocheting for those gloves, hat, scarves and blankets we will need to keep warm. Then add spinning for the yarn, shearing and carding to get the fibers.
michael s says
December 27, 2014 at 2:12 pmAnd, not so much a skill, but, a service, the ability to recharge phones, tablets, other small electronics and cordless tools.
1 dollar per charge doesn’t seem exorbitant.
PostHoleDigger says
December 27, 2014 at 2:42 pmUnless, of course one paper dollar is worthless
Heretic2011 says
December 27, 2014 at 3:58 pmI’ll charge your device for one silver dime.
Scott says
January 6, 2015 at 2:51 amWhat if the disaster is nuclear? The blast would fry every electronic with an EMP? The electric grids would fry. No satellites nor phones
Matt Heritage says
April 19, 2015 at 7:15 amWhat if it’s not nuclear? What if squirrels had machine guns? Good lord….
Johnctee says
May 15, 2016 at 8:39 amBut what if it is and your squirrels have no ammo? Good Lord…..
You act like the possibility doesn’t exist. For poor stupid people like you that won’t make because their only skill is sarcasm I just hope it’s a quick death.
Vickie says
May 15, 2016 at 1:48 pmWho said anything about a nuclear attack? What if it’s biological, chemical, or financial? What if it’s a series of floods, tornadoes, or earthquakes, all within a few weeks of each other? The fact is, no one knows what it will be. Be ready for anything. Vi
Johnctee says
May 15, 2016 at 8:36 amThat’s hilarious!!! You will take your $20 solar charger and charge people $1 to charge their useless phones because there will be no towers operating and even if there were no one would ever be smart enough to buy their own $20 solar charger.
Wendy Janzen says
December 27, 2014 at 1:26 pmTo communication I would add handwriting. If the intermess goes down, there will be no pming, texting, or blog posts. Knowing how to communicate using pencil and paper also seems to be becoming a lost art, especially now that schools no longer teach script.
Lisa says
February 4, 2015 at 10:00 amI agree! Schools no longer teach penmanship so the handwriting of most people is horrible!
Bruster6 says
December 27, 2014 at 11:09 amAnd……….Blacksmithing.
Betty says
March 12, 2018 at 7:37 pmBest idea yet!
grayfozx114 says
December 27, 2014 at 6:52 amOne of the most overlooked skills, in my opinion, is trapping, as in catching animals such as beaver, muskrats, basically any furbearer, with steel leg hold traps. Traps and trapping have gotten a bad rap in the last few years, unwarranted in my opinion. Learn to set traps properly and you have a device that is clandestine, one which works 24-7, one which gives you the chance to catch animals which are difficult to hunt, often nearly impossible to see, and which are usually overlooked by most hunter gatherers. You will be accessing a source of food and materials which can be used for clothing, shelter, and warmth. It requires a little work to learn the art, traps are inexpensive and connecting to the outdoors is priceless….
gordon D. says
September 25, 2017 at 4:57 pmYes your so right to the trapping idea.Cause I a trapper,hunter,and lot of other trades.Sorta like ‘jack of a lot of trades and master at looking for more’. 😉
Don Miguel says
July 3, 2012 at 6:44 pmAfter reading various fictional accounts (Patriots, Grid Down, One Second After or even going back to Lucifer’s Hammer) describing various system failures that are likely to abound, I think you need to move several more skills to the top 20 displacing skills like cleaning, fire making, and water purification (skills that everyone will have to have to some degree). Given the very high rate of die-off that seems likely, we will need burial skills (not necessarily morticians). Communication skills, especially HAM operators, are likely to be in extremely high demand – unless you contemplate a full-blown EMP disaster and even then. One of the prospects that scares me is the imposition of martial law or rule of man (legit or otherwise) without any balancing of rules of law. Surviving the first year will certainly require fighting or security skills from a large part of the surviving population, but at some point the survivors will need to push for a rule of law. Who will defend the needy? Who will prosecute the accused (not necessarily guilty…)? Who will judge? What about property rights? The guy with the biggest gun wins all? If Mr. Big Gun kicks the widow and her children out of her house, who steps in to save the widow? The stranger on the white horse?
Johnctee says
May 15, 2016 at 8:50 amIf you are looking for Mr Nice Guy there just won’t be many at all. Most will be trying to take care of themselves and there family and possibly friends. There won’t be many if ANY white knights running around saving damsels in distress.
I’m thinking as far as morticians that will become a family thing again. Dig a hole, throw them in, fill the hole. Crude yes but the alternative is worse.
I’m doubting seriously if I am going to base any of my plans on fiction writing
Jeremiah Thompson says
January 14, 2012 at 9:51 pmi would say definitely add beekeeping to the list. honey has sooo many uses, and it would also give you some control over pollinating your crops.
Cara says
March 21, 2018 at 6:27 pmHoneybee-keeping is a time-consuming and expensive commitment and not something I would recommend as part of a list of a couple dozen skills to dabble in. Mason bees are cheaper, and easier to keep, and although they won’t give you wax or honey, they’ll pollinate the crops much better. They’re also native so they’re much hardier and their ability to survive without a ton of babysitting would save you a lot of time and stress in a SHTF scenario where you’re trying to juggle many different tasks that need to get done. All you need is a cheap bee house, flowers for them to eat/pollinate, a small consistent source of mud nearby, a day in fall to remove the cocoons from the house and clean everything and store the cocoons for winter, and a day in spring to set the cocoons out so they find their house when they emerge. In many areas you don’t even need to buy any bees as they will arrive out of the blue from nature or the “colony” of a neighbour (they are technically solitary bees but happily nest near many other mason bees). If properly cared for the bees propagate easily and you may want to put up a second or even third bee house for second year of keeping mason bees, assuming you have enough crops to support them.
aukxsona says
January 28, 2011 at 1:46 pmPsychology… really? With all the guns around, most will blow themselves up before any psychologist gets a chance to try and help. Useless in my book.
papa bear says
January 18, 2011 at 3:16 pmOne skill I would like to know is leatherwork. I mean from skinning to tanning to harness, belt and boot making. Leather has a long history in the world, not only for shoes and boots, but for drive belts for early machines. Leather can be made from the hides of both domestic and wild animals.
Azratt says
January 18, 2011 at 1:55 pmI have 10 of the twenty skills….Hummmm
Johnctee says
May 15, 2016 at 8:40 amWell aren’t you special…..Hummmm?