Hardware store Supplies to Stock Up on

Hey Fernando,
Read your book and have been following your blog ever since. My question relates to certain hardware that would be prudent to accumulate. I currently work for a company that will give me 75 to 90% off on many items. They carry hundreds of thousands of items and the employee discount is their cost plus 5%. Although some items would simply be nice to have for around the house, I could see how a bag of screws, nuts, or bolts made in China that once cost a few bucks could become substantially more expensive in the event of a currency collapse or embargo.
Which items became hard to get in Argentina post collapse, and what would you suggest stocking up on?
Regards,
Brian

Hi!

When it comes to stocking up gear I suggest to take it easy, even more so when thinking about items “that would be prudent to accumulate”. Remember that a nice amount of savings is probably your most useful tool when things go wrong. Money is more likely to come in handy for the most common problems people have to deal with in today’s world.

When first getting started focus on the basics. You need food and water. Go for food that has a long shelf life, requires no refrigeration and requires little or no cooking (plenty of canned food and pasta). Saving up some water is as simple as it gets but you’d be surprised by how many people haven’t got a single extra bottle stored for emergency use. Don’t forget to have means of cooking that food and means of purifying more water. You want to have a gun for defense too, a good first aid kit, a few flashlights and plenty of batteries.

I don’t believe in stocking up on supplies for bartering after the end of the world, but if you have a nice discount like you seem to have these would be my suggestions:

1)Get a good set of quality hand tools  (hammer, saw, wrench and screwdrivers set), power tools (drill, saw, grinder). Disaster or not, you’ll still use these. In the case of Argentina, after the economic collapse good tools became very expensive because of the devaluation. When it comes to tools, pay once, cry once. I’ve bought enough “junk” brands to know better by now.

                           DEWALT 18-Volt XRP 6 Tool Combo Kit with Impact Driver

2)Buy a generator and a kerosene heater. If its just for staying warm, kero heaters are far more fuel efficient for keeping you warm than running a generator, well suited for blackouts and storms in cold locations. If possible, get some jerry cans for fuel storage and food grade containers for storing water.

 

Champion Power Equipment 42436 1500-Watt Portable Generator

3)Get assorted nails, screws and washers. These should be cheap enough and you use them anyway. Plastic sheets and duct tape have a number of uses, from closing windows when the glass was damaged to tarps for damaged roofs. 

4) Cleaning supplies. Stock up on things like soap, laundry detergent and bleach. Powder detergent is usually cheaper and more concentrated than liquid ones. In the case of bleach, stock up on bleach tablets for long term storage. Liquid bleach loses potency quickly. 

5)I would buy some respirators, face masks, disposable plastic coveralls, gloves and more duct tape. These could be used in case of a pandemic, NBC attack or when repainting the house or sanding the garden furniture. A good face mask to get is the fold flat respirator. For respirators, get those that use 40mm canisters.

FerFAL