[markwell]

During the '85 flood here in the Alleghenies our county was a wreck, was cut off from the outside and had no power for quite some time. Cash was king at any of the few emporiums we have, be it for gas. groceries or whatever. Having a stash of bills up to $20s proved to be a very smart move. Also, the good news was, that being such a small community, you were as good to go as your past credit history; which everyone knows; whether you like it or not.

 

[Spirit_Phantom]

Some good reading for this posting some good versions and some not so good versions of the end of the modern way of life. At first yes cash will be good along with a horde of silver and gold. Now to the nitty gritty as time goes on it is going to be ammo, guns, and food will be the main way of getting what you need to survive. But the survivors who last the longest will be the ones who has the most lets say your using ammo for barter there are two ways to barter with ammo
1 - the person your trading with agrees with the amount of bullets for said items.
2 - You decide to trade in bullets for the items by the bullets coming out of the end of the barrel you leave with the items and the other human or humans are laying in the dirt. Version 2 most likely after a year or two after the collapse.
But even thru it does look real bleak for mankind right now too many boneheads have a finger on the button and stupid or crazy enough to do it. Lets hope good brain power wins over something stupid and what is in the future is life for all not death.

 

[Old Grumpy]

If you want a real clue to what is needed, just watch the Mad Max series. I'll be investing is studded collars, loin cloths, dirt bikes, and chainmail shirts. Axes made from bicycle sprockets, crossbows, and spears will also come in handy.

Grumpy

 

[Che]

Exactly. Who's going to make change on my 1/4 Oz Gold Canadian Maple Leaf Coin?

Actually, if you look back in time, coins were cut.

Yes, "pieces of eight".

The Spanish dollar coin was worth eight reales and could be physically cut into eight pieces, or "bits," to make change -- hence the colloquial name "pieces of eight." The dollar coin could also be cut into quarters, and "two bits" became American slang for a quarter dollar, or 25 cents.

 

[DarkLord]

Unless you're expecting something cataclysmic, cash is still going to be better than things like precious metals. Precious metals are very difficult to trade in an unregulated market, which is the whole reason paper currency exists. So unless you're near stone age, but not quite stone age, its not much of a use to anyone. You can diversify into different currencies, but even that is not all that advantageous. If US currency fails, other currencies will fail, and the currencies that don't fail...how do you predict which will become the best currency...too much crystal ball there for me.

Regardless of what happens, people still need the basics, and as long as people have the need, markets will be created to fill the need. We saw this during the pandemic...Not even a worldwide shutdown could stop the worldwide supply chain. Hurt is a good deal, but everyone still got the vast majority of their stuff.

If you're of the post nuke mindset, food and medicine will be worth more than any metal or precious stone.

 

[Reddog81]

There's no great answer. I have at least small amounts of just about everything listed so far (other than Old Grumpy's studded collars...). I think having a diverse selection will be better than all your eggs in one basket. $2,000 in cash, $2,000 in Gold, $2,000 in silver, 20,000 rounds of .22lr, a generator, a months supply of fuel, food and water is probably going to get you a lot further than $10,000 of any one thing.

 

[Swift1]

Yeah, I'm sure Mrs. Smith manning the "self-checkout" at Kroger is going to be cutting coins and weighing gold to pay for your milk and bread....lol. But then again if we're facing an EMP none of those self-checkouts are gonna be working anyway.

If Kroger is still running, likely the World as we know it hasn't ended, though it dropped a class point or two.

 

[USARV72]

Have been at this “ game” of prepping for many, many years. There are or were a few excellent publications regarding practical prepping, “ The Mother Earth News” is one and “ Foxfire” books another.
Having cash on hand is a must, many in the know say nothing over 20 bills. Many place will not accept $100 bills or $50 bills nowadays so imagine what will happen if there is a “ crash”. Vacuum sealing cash is easy and protects from mostiure. Sealing $1000 to $3000 at a time in $5,$10 and $20 is easy.
Ready to fix food of normal types is the best. Mountain House has been around a long time. Freeze dried is the best type as it last over 20 years. Might be expensive now but individual meals are sold in bags at wally world, Academy Sports, Sportsmans Warehouse and many other places. Buy a few every payday. Many so called survival foods consists of food most of us laugh at, so buy real food.
Medical supplies will always be Very Valuable. Bandages of all types and sizes are a Must. Splints and inflatable casts are also good to have. Many over the counter cremes, lotions and 91% alcohol and hydrogen peroxide are a must. Remember to store Expiable items so they can be replaced easily. Regardless of what is printed on prescription Meds regarding expiration date is a joke. Many last well after these dates. (Pays to have a Md in the extended family.)Cold hard truth is many, many of us will pass due to lack of prescription Meds. There are many lists of over the counter items to stock up on.
Practical emergency electrical power will be a MUST. Honda and several others mfg. quiet generators in many voltages. Gas storage is the next challenge but there are many excellent fuel preservatives, check wally world and auto parts stores. Diesel will be the best if one can find practitcal ones as diesel fuel lasts much longer than gas. Radios of several different types so many freqs. can be listened to, including CB. All electrical equipment should be stored in an EMP proof closure, period. Army type field phones will be very valuable as one just needs a couple D batteries and the phone wire. These can be found on fleabay or military shows, Army Navy stores. Rechargeable batteries of all sizes are a Must. Make sure to keep a check on expiration dates on regular batteries. Depending on location heating may be needed so wood burning stove(s) are a must. Buying the right wood stove is very important as some you can cook on. Kerosene heaters are another item to have with many extra mantles.
Guns and Ammo, think we should know about this but must be Very Careful trading either in a SHTF situation. Pretty sure there are many articles in magazines regarding this. Most say 22 RF will be the best trading items. A 22 will take care of many situations.

 

[longarm]

Needles and thread; hypodermic needles; hypos; antibiotics; antihistimines - All sorta' **** to trade around once the cash is tinder.

 

[ether]

Let's say I want to have $10,000 in ready funds available not in a bank. What is the best/ safest form to have that money in? Is there anything better than just paper currency? Just thinking out loud here...

If you don't mind trying to "be your own bank", you could buy metals and diversify between gold and silver...silver for smaller trades. But there are obvious risks with that, too, which is why folks keep most their money in banks. Have some metals, find a good hiding place for it, and don't EVER tell anyone about it or that you even have any whatsoever.

And don't get me started on bitcoin. It's only currency...not money. And it's a very volatile one at that, and it has no more intrinsic value than a paper dollar...probably less. And just like the paper dollar, the only thing backing it is confidence that someone else wants it as much or more than you did.

 

[lonerider1013]

I see the point of gold or other precious metal for long term 'storage' of money's value, but not for daily purchases, even in a worst case of longterm social disruption (or need for black market to dodge digital currency/tracing). Keep in mind in the modern world (post industrial revolution) gold coins were a lot smaller than the pirate treasure coins people think of. They were tiny, because normal every day purchases like a few days or even weeks worth of food don't cost a year's pay.

Barter would be cumbersome, except for deals agreed upon in advance (imagine showing up to get your car fixed with five chickens, without first finding out if the mechanic wants chickens?).

I imagine silver or even copper might be used as coinage, for everyday things, if it became necessary, as the value is less than gold.

But as with all money, even improvised currency would require a sort of agreement that X is worth X.
Bottom line, money is a feature of a society that still has some rules.

 

[Old Grey Hare]

once the cash is tinder.

Continental Dollars, buttwipe isntead of currency. I hope the greenback doesn't get there.

 

[ether]

During the '85 flood here in the Alleghenies our county was a wreck, was cut off from the outside and had no power for quite some time. Cash was king at any of the few emporiums we have, be it for gas. groceries or whatever. Having a stash of bills up to $20s proved to be a very smart move. Also, the good news was, that being such a small community, you were as good to go as your past credit history; which everyone knows; whether you like it or not.

Yes, and always have SOME cash for the short term. It will still be the most liquid currency if the banks and ATMs close.

The gov't and banking insiders watching the banks grind to a halt before 0 hour in 2008 weren't desperately begging their loved ones to call their gold brokers. They were desperate, but they were telling them to go to every ATM machine and pull out as much cash as possible. But what's left after that?

 

[HD1911]

If we focus on a non apocalyptic scene, gold works. With the devalue of other forms of curreny, gold will always hold value in a civilized society. Paper can get to be literally worthless if government continues on its path. This is what i assumed the OP was asking.

If it goes tho sh!t, buy ammo with your gold if you can time it right. Guns and ammo will get you very far in survival mode.

 

[Swift1]

When I was in England several times back in the early seventies, taxes were very bad and impacted everything. I made English friends across classes and saw a lot of barter. Electrical work for loan of a car, drinking for how many weeks to landscape the back garden of a pub, etc. etc, Services as well as goods. As late as the '50's Dad had a couple of patients who paid with stuff because they were short of money. Many of us have skills or training that our neighbors do not have and vice versa. Key is to have neighbors!

 

[OpticGard]

Let's say I want to have $10,000 in ready funds available not in a bank. What is the best/ safest form to have that money in? Is there anything better than just paper currency? Just thinking out loud here...

Try Bonds?

 

[PaulWVa]

We're talking SHTF/EOTWAWKI scenarios here, not a minor blip like a weather event or earthquake.

We are? I must have missed that part. I thought we were talking about what to keep at home as currency and back-up savings. I missed the whole end of the world plan...

 

[HD1911]

Depening on the stage of the apocalypse, goods will be laying around and avaible at mass. It will come down to food and shelter.

AND 1911s!!!!

 

[Navy Toad]

I live on a lake and have 240lbs of dried beans, 300lbs of rice, and plenty of ammo. Not sure I’ll survive, but I’ll be good for a few months. Beyond that…….

 

[longarm]