If you know of people who have what you may need, having some really viable trade goods could be a good idea.

For instance, remember back to Katrina when that outfit (the name is long gone) in NOLA was online and giving blow-by-blow accounts of what was going on? They had a diesel generator, fuel, food, water, etc. But they underestimated the toilet facilities, and apparently all the toilets in the area were backing up due to the high water.

I'll bet those guys would have traded some diesel fuel (at least in the beginning or near the end, when they got more) for a stack of 5-gallon plastic buckets, a load of sawdust and a cheap ($10) clip-on toilet seat.

Sometimes, when there's trouble, people need simple things that they just overlooked, like having no matches in the house during a snowstorm. Or apple pies. Or chocolate chip cookies.

Sue