A lot of highly opinionated survivalists will tell you that US dollars are nothing but “worthless paper” in a survival situation… that the only things that will have value are bullets, food, and medical supplies.
Chances are they’re using hyperbole. If not, they’re highly misinformed…
That’s because almost all of the most likely SHTF scenarios are relatively short-term and/or regional. In these cases, paper currencies will be used as the most desirable mediums of exchange… not cigarettes, bullets, or even gold coins.
Think of it this way: If a disaster shut down major infrastructure tomorrow, what would you be most comfortable trading?
- If you don’t know how to verify the authenticity of gold or silver coins, you may fear getting ripped off.
- Why would you accept rifle ammo if you only own a shotgun?
- If you have a gas car and generator, why would you trade for diesel fuel?
As you can see from the examples above, bartering requires both parties to have an item that the other party wants. That’s why bartering would only become essential in a medium to long-term disaster scenario.
Bartering is a largely inefficient way to trade goods, which is why it only occurs primarily in situations where there is no other reliable medium of exchange.
Now consider this scenario
A natural disaster knocks out power in your area and your family wants to bug out before forced evacuations, how will you get money? The ATMs aren’t going to be working… If your bank is open, which is highly doubtful, it will be bogged down with extremely long lines until it runs out of cash (banks carry surprisingly little cash these days).
That’s why Cash is so important to your survival plan. It doesn’t matter if you have millions in the bank, if you can’t get them out…
You won’t be able to buy gas along your route… or food.
Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying that inflation doesn’t exist, or that the US government isn’t in serious financial trouble. However, the truth of the matter is that holding at least a few hundred dollars in cash is more likely to be helpful in a crisis than a stockpile of bullets, vodka, or any other bater good.
I tried to place an order but it was not accepted!
The message said you already had an order from me and did not want to “double charge” me!
But then I get this!!!
What is going on?
Please verify that my order went through!
VJG3
I keep $1,000 in cash. 3 in $100’s, 6 in $50’s and 20 in $20 bills. I use this at times for trips, etc., but always replace ASAP.
Got a 5KW generator for $600 after Y2K from someone who thought he would make a bundle selling them and was left with over 400 when nothing happened on 1/1/2000.
This unit has 110/220volts output plus a 12v charging circuit which I use to keep a 12v car battery charged to power an emergency lighting system I fabricated from 12 gauge duplex wire, car dome light bulbs and sockets. It has spacing so that a bulb is over the stove in the kitchen, in front of a large mirror in the den, and also in the hall at the front door also leading to three bedrooms with two baths. We also have several dozen large vigil candles available for “carry around” and other lighting. Also keep at least of 75 gallons of gasoline for generator, lawn mower and car and rotate it out during the year among these uses. Keep 2 litter drink bottles full of water in the freezer at night when the generator is running to keep the “ice box” and a window AC/heating unit running. We move the frozen water bottles to the upper part of the reefer during the day to act as an “ice box” and restrict its opening to “as needed only”.
We here in South Louisiana (Swamp People) know how to survive in our weather and prepare for the unexpected.
VJG#3
Waiting for my $49.00 book! I hope the book has this important data. I appreciate your homework.
This is all good information! I congratulate you on letting everyone know that you will need cash. What are you going to do, if you leave it in the bank, & the electrical is cut off, or everyone has power outages, or even if you can get to your cabin, how can you be sure that you will be able to get any cash of any kind? You can’t be sure, & that is why I am taking most of my money in the bank with me, it is not that much but I will be able to purchase what I need when I need it. Just because they say that the dollar is shrinking, don’t listen to all of that because that will come later. Have the cash, as they have already said, how will you know if gold is what they say it is? How will you be able to barter with booze if someone does not drink, or how are you going to get the gas for your vehicle when you don’t have the money to put into the tank? Use your gun to get gas? Then put your family in harms way? I don’t think so. I am a realist, & therefore I am also a survivalist. Being a Chicagoan I know how to survive, whatever works & you have to survey the situation & use as much force as you see that you need to survive. This is not going to be pretty when it happens, but I will not be unprepared & be dead! You can talk & think all you want to but when it comes to the last ditch effort, & there is no more food on the shelves, & no more medication because the pharmacies have closed or been raided, or the gas lines are too large to get the gas you want & you give them a silver bar to take as money, I doubt if they are going to let you take the gas. Keep enough gas always in your car, truck, motorcycle so that you have at least 3/4 of a tank at all times. I try to gas up every time my gauge is below 3/4 of a tank. Think, use your head, God gave you brains for you to be able to use it for when you really need it. Good Luck!
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Having two portapoties each contain about 3 gal of water and can carry the bottom used section to dump in the yard
having also a post hole digger. etc also several 5 gal and 3 gal jugs of water added tablespoonful of bleach to each
for drinking etc. several cans of black beans and vetarian beans eat them with out cooking as needed. plastic and stapler in case windows get broken. other prepers read and consider
We pulled cash out of the bank to save for emergencies, as described in the article. But, my wife keeps tapping into it. Lord only knows how much was spent. All I know is, it has been replaced and spent several times. I should take some of it myself, act like I spent it, then just hide it somewhere.
Prepare Prepare Prepare
Irish maybe put it in a jar dig a hole and put it in the yard. Not many ladies wants to dig up a jar in the yard to get money.
Good advice. All recognize cash but do not know the value of pieces of jewelery for exchange for needs, I know I don’t.
Irish, you can those small waterproof boxes from the sporting goods department in Walmart. stick your cash in there along with a desicant to suck up humidity and carefully bury it in a secluded area such as cemetery.
Good I am still single. The money is for SURVIVAL. She could be your weak link.
My family isn’t much good during good times.
If you have guns or ammo don’t tell anyone if you can. You might trust a friend, but they could tell others and you’d be screwed.
If all else fails – pray out loud. God commands by voice and we are made in his likeness.
May Jesus Bless
Burying is great for everthing and I mean everything just remember to use dessicants. I use contractor bags and my wet dryvac to pull out all air. I double bag with dessicants added than put in either 5 gal buckets with rubber seal inside like your standard 5 gal paint cbucket or old drywall bucket for somethings. Jars are fine for smsll stuff. Remeber some folks got metal detectors so theres smart wsys around that as well when cachaing. Sorry for my spelling.
Same thing happened to me. I tried to place an order but it was not accepted!
The message said you already had an order from me and did not want to “double charge” me!
But then I get an email with this link.
What is going on?
Please verify that my order went through
Mr. Wylie, we apologize for the difficulty you experienced in placing your order. Our system did make note of a duplicate charge, however I will not be able to confirm that you were only charged once until the morning. That is because all payments for today do not appear in our system until the next day. In the meantime I am resending your login and password information in a seperate e-mail. Please let me if you have any additiional questions or problems by calling me directly at 800-370-8660. Best regards, Anthony Sada
Oli,
I ordered a book from you in hard copy, because Juno won’t let me access your site & I could not view any of the articles you posted. Then Juno lost everything a few days ago, so I don’t even know who to contact, & am hoping this is the right place to find out if my book is on the way to me.
Thanks
Judy
My opinion is that (1) it is better to bury cash than to keep it in a home where fire, flood or wind could destroy the home and its contents; and where thieves may burglarize and take it. I live in WI. I could hide cash in a basement; but if my house collapsed in a fire I would risk many hazards trying to dig into a collapsed house to retrieve my cash. If my house flooded, the basement would fill with water, and I would be out of luck. I tried to hide cash in my attic, a fire would burn the upper house and its contents.
On the other hand, (2) attempting to safeguard your belongings by burying cash is not as simple as it may seem. People have been looking for old money caches in the ground, and buried from the mid 1800s onward [in my area], and buried by people long gone for generations. Before there were metal detectors people with my hobby were using homemade tools to find buried money. They used their mind to assess “ground signatures” of human activity that did not make sense in their location. They also searched near yard landmarks (corners of buildings, big tree, under dog house or ornamental rocks).
(3) You have to put a lot of thought into any burial, and depth of container. As soon as you dig in the ground, you disturb it and leave a sign or signature of activity. Where you dug, the ground will sink a bit (over time) and leave a depression, which you must fill later. If you dig a shallow cache, the rain may absorb less into that soil (after you have disturbed it) or the sun my dry that soil location more than the rest of the ground and leave a brown spot (sign or signature). activity near yard (and park) landmarks that became typical places where something valuable may be hidden.
Also, (4) today there are lots of tools, costing from $300-$2500, that can reveal something buried in the ground (but not what the item is).
SO, (5) if you bury anything safely you must employ several disguise strategies: (A) Against metal detectors, “salt” your ground with galvanized washers to frustrate metal detector users (but realize that this too leaves a sign or signature of human activity for some reason); (B) it is probably best to dig in a location under shrubbery, because (a) metal detecting people tend to avoid shrubs); and (b) shading will avoid brown spots. Old farmers tended to bury in a location visible from the bedroom window. Use motion detector lamps on your home in that yard vicinity. BEST PROTECTION: Put a dated note in your container that “this cache” is your bank and you are still alive; and ask any finder to please not take your items. Most metal detector operators are honest and will not take what looks like a modern cache-bank that they may stumble upon; and especially if the cache contains survival items, but not criminal looking items (drugs).
So again, you may have to experiment with cache burial issues. You may also want to tell your living heirs about where your cache is located, should something unfortunate happen to you. .
I was wondering where you would store 75 gallons of gasolene and are they all in 5 gallon containers???
Thanks a bunch for offering these extra tips…been taking copious notes upon arrival here a few minutes ago.
Cheers!
Leigh
10-23-13
I just signed up for all this, and I am reading everything. So many awesome ideas of what others are doing. This may be a first run for many. Just one reply to IRA, by the way that is the name of my deceased oldest brother, but rethink the water thing. You will kill yourself if you use that much bleach. Even to a gallon it takes a drop or two. Just get you some xylitol powder. Buy at health food store, or even Wal-Mart now. It is a type of sugar. No calories, and they are putting it in everything now– tooth paste, gum, food, sweets, and drinks. The research went like this. Give a child a piece of gum with it in it. It kills all germs in mouth for two weeks–just one piece. It is sweet, lifts your spirits, if you make some cookies, and can kill germs!
Radar – about burying money… good thoughts, HOWEVER, THE BEST IDEA MAY BE TO USE PVC PIPE THREADED BOTH ENDS, WITH SCREW ON ENDS. INSERT YOUR MONEY OR WHAT EVER. AND SCREW TIGHT. IT CAN BE TOTALLY WATERPROOF. GOOD FOR MEDS TOO. KEEP A PICTURE OF AREA WITH X MARKED ON IT. USE POST HOLE DIGGER TO BURY. HOW DEEP– YOU’LL FIND WHEN NEEDED– IF ALIVE. I’VE HAD PEOPLE ASK WHY DO THAT AND LEAVE IT FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO FIND.
I SAY… IF I’M GONE I HOPE IT BLESSES THEM IN THEIR TIME OF NEED. WE MUST KEEP FAITH DURING SUCH A HORIFIC TIME AS NO MAN HAS EVER SEEN. TAKE TIME TO SPREAD KINDNESS AND CONCERN AFTER WE ARE GONE. I DO NOT WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE WHAT I HAVE. BUT WHEN I AM GON GOD SPEED! I’M GONE TO A BETTER PLACE ANYWAY! I BELIEVE THAT WITH EVERY FIBER IN MY SPIRIT AND BEING. WE ALL DIE. JUST A MATTER WHEN. THE PEACE COMES WHEN WE KNOW WE HAVE DONE OUR BEST AND LEFT THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE. .
The only thing about that sweetener is that it will poison your animals
What is some advice to get my elderly family members on board with prepping. They are from the “Greatest Generation” but are very comfortable with their modern routine and started chatting to strangers about my prep activities. Feeling betrayed by blood. Don’t want them to be my weak links.
As for the CASH: Keep some in SMALL BILLS and in coins in case the only food available is in a vending machine. If the SHTF and you are near a vending machine – BUY – BUY – BUY – There may not be another chance to get food or drink for you and your family.
Also, if you are in a small shop, during a crisis, they may not have enough change to give you if you give a large bill. Keep some smalls and coins with you!
WHERE CANI
BUY A SOLAR GENERATOR AT