# Cash on hand



## GypsyJedi (Feb 5, 2019)

I have silver gold and a few grand in cash in my safe. But I’ve been thinking about pulling most of my money in savings account and putting it in the safe What do you all think
Thanks


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## ND_ponyexpress_ (Mar 20, 2016)

I got smart years ago and created an empire fantasy football league.. the pot grows by $600 each year and as I am the commissioner I hold onto the pot.. so sitting with over 3k of other people's money currently... but back to the topic... you do you


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## KUSA (Apr 21, 2016)

GypsyJedi said:


> I have silver gold and a few grand in cash in my safe. But I've been thinking about pulling most of my money in savings account and putting it in the safe What do you all think
> Thanks


Put it all in your safe. BTW, what's yer address?


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## Robie (Jun 2, 2016)

KUSA said:


> Put it all in your safe. BTW, what's yer address?


I'll PM you....LOL


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## Tanya49! (Jun 20, 2020)

How’d you get savings?


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Extra money equals no food or ammo?


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## Piratesailor (Nov 9, 2012)

I think a selective play in the market as well as hard assets is the thing to do. For now and probably the next few years the fed will pump money and the market will go up. Until it doesn’t. Then hard assets will help. Land, silver, gold, etc. will be a hedge. 

But keep in mind that even those commodities have to be handled correctly otherwise they are like a rifle in a safe, unused.. safe queens... and will return you nothing (unless the true SHTF and I’m of the mind that it won’t)


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## stowlin (Apr 25, 2016)

It’s good to have cash on hand, better to have metals, but there is no reason not to have money in an easy to use bank. I use three banks by the way including ally.com which is free, no fees, and works anywhere I can access an atm or the Internet.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I have a couple grand in small spendable denominations in the safe and I just paid the house off, so I am comfortable with that if to goes belly up. I maintain my 401K but if it goes south that will be gone when the grid goes down. (And it will) Cash will be king for a short period of time after. Beyond that, Barter. Keeping hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash in your home? Well, you can always wipe your ass with it. Gold Silver? Never had much confidence in silver and gold if it goes to hell.


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## Piratesailor (Nov 9, 2012)

Prepared One said:


> I have a couple grand in small spendable denominations in the safe and I just paid the house off, so I am comfortable with that if to goes belly up. I maintain my 401K but if it goes south that will be gone when the grid goes down. (And it will) Cash will be king for a short period of time after. Beyond that, Barter. Keeping hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash in your home? Well, you can always wipe your ass with it. Gold Silver? Never had much confidence in silver and gold if it goes to hell.


Paying off the house is a good deal. We will be doing that shortly. I think 401k's will be toast if the poop hits the fan.

Cash will be king for a month, plus or minus a week or two. Junk silver coins will be part of the trade. Gold not so much if at all. Bullet and other commodities such as food or your service would be the normal in a SHTF scenario.

Btw.. grid in Texas is pretty good. It's separate from the rest of the US.. there are three grids.. east, west and Texas. It's easily cut off from the rest and they do practice it. Is it secure? So so... but probably better than most.


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## Elvis (Jun 22, 2018)

I'm broke.
No cash, no gold, no job.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Piratesailor said:


> Paying off the house is a good deal. We will be doing that shortly. I think 401k's will be toast if the poop hits the fan.
> 
> Cash will be king for a month, plus or minus a week or two. Junk silver coins will be part of the trade. Gold not so much if at all. Bullet and other commodities such as food or your service would be the normal in a SHTF scenario.
> 
> Btw.. grid in Texas is pretty good. It's separate from the rest of the US.. there are three grids.. east, west and Texas. It's easily cut off from the rest and they do practice it. Is it secure? So so... but probably better than most.


Agreed. Supposedly, the Texas Grid is independent of the national grid so we should be insulated. But as I understand it, the computers are still linked in order to sell and buy power with the other grids. (TCEQ) Still, at the end of the day, if I am bringing this country to it's knees, be it home grown or foreign, I am bringing down the grid.


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

Elvis said:


> I'm broke.
> No cash, no gold, no job.


sorry to hear it, but hang in Elvis.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Cash on hand for TEOTWAWKI is one thing, cash on hand for smaller emergencies is another. 

For instance, after the derecho hit last summer, card readers were down. So if you didn't have any cash, you couldn't buy gas, groceries etc.


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## CapitalKane49p (Apr 7, 2020)

Salt, ammo, pepper, soap, flour, maple syrup, honey, booze, lead brass. If you are going to keep cash, keep it in small denominations.

Godspeed.


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## Steve40th (Aug 17, 2016)

Cash on hand is always a good idea. I keep a little int he safe, just in case credit card readers fail. They have, and we do lose power....


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## Elvis (Jun 22, 2018)

Annie said:


> sorry to hear it, but hang in Elvis.


I was joking, that's my standard reply when someone asks to borrow money. 
But thanks for the concern.


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Elvis said:


> I'm broke.
> No cash, no gold, no job.


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## Elvis (Jun 22, 2018)

GypsyJedi said:


> I have silver gold and a few grand in cash in my safe. But I've been thinking about pulling most of my money in savings account and putting it in the safe What do you all think
> Thanks


But as to the original question I think no. I suspect that most of us here are iike you and keep a bit stashed away at the house and possibly an emergency roll hidden in the car but I prep for "just in case". Kind of like insurance. But I'm not living my life in total fear that everything will collapse in less than a week.

But let me add a thought. Many here worry that things will go down super fast, you may be stuck at work or shopping and it's a race to get home, many of us carry GHBs in their vehicles. Having a roll of cash stashed in the car would allow you to possibly make emergency purchases on your way home if the grid or internet was down. I'm not talking $5000 but a few hundred would go a long way towards helping you on the trip home.

My wife never uses cash, But I require her to keep a bit of cash stashed in the car which has saved her butt several times over the years when a store's internet was down and couldn't run a debit card.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

I've got cash stashed all over God's Green Little Half Acre. In my pocket, in my BOB, in my GHB's, in my storage locker, in my phone case, my change jar.......


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## Elvis (Jun 22, 2018)

Imagine a time when federal government is basically gone and your local city or county government ruled. The local government still required you to pay property taxes to fund the area's defense and possibly keeping the water mains working, very basic services but the local government needs to support/pay some employees like police and water department workers. The local government is trying to stay somewhat legal so they require that you either pay your property taxes or work for the city/county 2 days a week to support the local government's needs.

I think that at a minimum any prepper should stash at least enough cash to pay the property taxes for a year.


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## Hemi45 (May 5, 2014)

I like having some cash on hand but I'd hate having all my cash on hand.

Moreover, if SHTF so bad that you need tens of thousands of dollars in cash - you probably have a very limited window of time to spend it before it became worthless.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Hemi45 said:


> I like having some cash on hand but I'd hate having all my cash on hand.
> 
> Moreover, if SHTF so bad that you need tens of thousands of dollars in cash - you probably have a very limited window of time to spend it before it became worthless.


Cash will never be worthless. At least until you wipe your azz with it.


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## Nick (Nov 21, 2020)

I'm surprised at people's thoughts on gold here. Sure in an all out SHTF scenario it would probably be pretty much worthless. But the way the government has been printing $ on top of what the new powers that be plan on spending you would have to think the value of the dollar is going to depreciate quite a bit. If/when that happens gold is going to skyrocket. And even if it didn't gold has always been a good long term investment. That doesn't mean I exchanged every dollar I have for gold but I do like to have a decent stash of it.


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## Wedrownik (Sep 22, 2020)

Oops... Duplicate


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## Wedrownik (Sep 22, 2020)

Cash? Gold? I got extra ammo that I'd be willing to trade along with gas.... Gold will be worthless and so will be cash when things get really ugly...

Some say : why trade ammo? Doesn't that arm your opponent... Yes and no... If the potential opponent knows that I got plenty more and got enough to trade that means that I'm not afraid of assault cause I'll outlast them and outshoot them


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## Wedrownik (Sep 22, 2020)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Cash will never be worthless. At least until you wipe your azz with it.


Have you heard the one about two guys going through the forest? One touch guy and one poor guy... Both of them have to take a crap so they separate but stay within voice distance.... At one point the poor guy yells to the other: got any TP? Rich guy goes: just waste a dollar..... They finish up and meet back up. The rich guy notices that the poor guy is kinda... Let's say unclean on his hands.... So he inquires what went wrong, wasn't a dollar enough?.... Poor guy explains in a shy voice.... I was 3 cents short....


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## 65mustang (Apr 4, 2020)

Tanya49! said:


> How'd you get savings?


"Stimulus" money I guess.


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## jeffh (Apr 6, 2020)

GypsyJedi said:


> I have silver gold and a few grand in cash in my safe. But I've been thinking about pulling most of my money in savings account and putting it in the safe What do you all think
> Thanks


We all know that cash will be useless in a long term SHTF event. With that said, I think a few grand in the safe is a good idea for short term emergencies, but beyond that, look to investing if you have the cash just laying in a savings account earning nothing. Money market accounts in places like Vanguard earn a decent amount and you don't have to pick stocks or even know anything about the market.

If we're wrong and S doesn't HTF, a investment account will make your later years easier.


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## ND_ponyexpress_ (Mar 20, 2016)

If I am trying to make my way home at beginning of a total SHTF scenario... and I really need something (gas, medicine, etc.) it may be much easier to procure if I am able to "over pay" by a bunch... "I will give you $500 for 5 gallons of gas"... unless we meet a like-minded (not a dumbass) the greed may likely take over.... 3 days-2 weeks later, less likely to be successful. I have cash on hand for that first 1-2 days..


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## 65mustang (Apr 4, 2020)

CapitalKane49p said:


> Salt, ammo, pepper, soap, flour, maple syrup, honey, booze, lead brass. If you are going to keep cash, keep it in small denominations.
> 
> Godspeed.


Cigarettes, Liquor, Ammo , Ass-wipe.


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## StratMaster (Dec 26, 2017)

Wedrownik said:


> Cash? Gold? I got extra ammo that I'd be willing to trade along with gas.... Gold will be worthless and so will be cash when things get really ugly...
> 
> Some say : why trade ammo? Doesn't that arm your opponent... Yes and no... If the potential opponent knows that I got plenty more and got enough to trade that means that I'm not afraid of assault cause I'll outlast them and outshoot them


Gold doesn't become "worthless" when things "get ugly". Things have gotten ugly an uncountable number of times over the last several thousand years, and gold ALWAYS becomes the standard once again. Every time. Without a single exception. It merely becomes a non useful immediate commodity during that period of strife. Paper DOLLARS will become worthless, never to recover. Gold will always come back, as it is true money. Gold is a HEDGE... to protect your purchasing power during these times, though you may not be able to use it immediately. When those hard times end, you can either be holding worthless paper or gold. It's a no-brainer.


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## Steve40th (Aug 17, 2016)

I was in Western Asia recently. They had real money, that is now worthless. Iraq, etc. One of them was amazing. real money. 1 Trillion dollar bill, for Zimbabwe.
So, that is a scary thing that could happen anywhere when shtf.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

Did any of you think that survivalist "tools" will become more coveted than gold or coins?

Imagine how valuable common tools will become for well-water? I have a hammer here that is designed for nailing shingles. My roof won't leak and any children taken in will not suffer from chills or chest colds. Suppose "Mad Max's" automobile pulls up on seven cylinders? Gee, I have lots of mechanic's tool--thank you, Harley-Davidson.

A man that can make thinks will never go hungry in this brave new world. This is why I keep "my hobby."


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## stevekozak (Oct 4, 2015)

The Tourist said:


> Did any of you think that survivalist "tools" will become more coveted than gold or coins?
> 
> Imagine how valuable common tools will become for well-water? I have a hammer here that is designed for nailing shingles. My roof won't leak and any children taken in will not suffer from chills or chest colds. Suppose "Mad Max's" automobile pulls up on seven cylinders? Gee, I have lots of mechanic's tool--thank you, Harley-Davidson.
> 
> A man that can make thinks will never go hungry in this brave new world. This is why I keep "my hobby."


I always make as many thinks as I can. Sometimes to my detriment. :vs_wave:


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

stevekozak said:


> I always make as many thinks as I can. Sometimes to my detriment. :vs_wave:


Ha, ha, I know the feeling! My "hobby" used to include just about any device I read about in "Argosy" magazine. I was sharpening a knife one night and foolishly agreed to sharpen a friend's. Worst mistake I ever made.


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## robert242245 (Jan 20, 2021)

When SHTF none of that will help you. Tobacco, alcohol, and general survival equipment like ammo med supplies and weapons will be the most valuable commodity. Cash will be nothing but fancy paper, and gold shiny metal.


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## rt66paul (Jan 20, 2021)

Cash is nice as are trade and barter items, but skills will also be in demand as well as drugs for medical reasons, including painkillers. If you are young and can take some veterinary courses, you could be far ahead. Learn how to stitch and drain cuts and wounds, how to recognize infection, pull an abscessed tooth, set a bone, get an IV started - you will have the knowledge to treat humans in a pinch. Learn how to tan leather, how to butcher meat, sew clothes, make shoes(we have enough used shoes in the US for 30 years, but repairing them and making them would be a great skill to pass on if we do fall into chaos and become third world(at least in some pockets of the country).
Irrigation systems, septic systems(that are safe, not necessarily to code). Learning about water drainage, building siting for the land, area and type of weather, how to train and use work animals, and how to plant and rotate crops.
You can't eat bullets, it is good to be prepared, but you still have to live in some type of society, since going it alone is a lot tougher.


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## Michael_Js (Dec 4, 2013)

rt66paul said:


> Cash is nice as are trade and barter items, but skills will also be in demand as well as drugs for medical reasons, including painkillers. If you are young and can take some veterinary courses, you could be far ahead. Learn how to stitch and drain cuts and wounds, how to recognize infection, pull an abscessed tooth, set a bone, get an IV started - you will have the knowledge to treat humans in a pinch. Learn how to tan leather, how to butcher meat, sew clothes, make shoes(we have enough used shoes in the US for 30 years, but repairing them and making them would be a great skill to pass on if we do fall into chaos and become third world(at least in some pockets of the country).
> Irrigation systems, septic systems(that are safe, not necessarily to code). Learning about water drainage, building siting for the land, area and type of weather, how to train and use work animals, and how to plant and rotate crops.
> You can't eat bullets, it is good to be prepared, but you still have to live in some type of society, since going it alone is a lot tougher.


Welcome? First post...Check out the new member forum! 

Peace,
Michael J.


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## T-Man 1066 (Jan 3, 2016)

Being able to repair things will be invaluable. As we have evolved into a throw-away society, most people don't have the skills to fix a ham sandwich anymore, much less fix anything that breaks.


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

GypsyJedi said:


> I have silver gold and a few grand in cash in my safe. But I've been thinking about pulling most of my money in savings account and putting it in the safe What do you all think
> Thanks


As long as you have a "safe" safe I'd say go for it. It's not like you are earning anything on interest these days anyway.


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## LetsGo (Feb 16, 2021)

I suspect there is a bunch of ways the SHTF can hit. I think booze will be a big bartering item. The part that scares me about that is, once the acholic needs more and is out of anything you would barter for or even if you are out, will he actually believe you - I'd think an addicted person would be kind of dangerous to barter with in the long run. And in a SHTF time, I think I will want to stay very sober.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

LetsGo said:


> I suspect there is a bunch of ways the SHTF can hit. I think booze will be a big bartering item. The part that scares me about that is, once the acholic needs more and is out of anything you would barter for or even if you are out, will he actually believe you - I'd think an addicted person would be kind of dangerous to barter with in the long run. And in a SHTF time, I think I will want to stay very sober.


I thought about pints for barter but decided against it for that very reason.


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