SHTF currency

Started by Hoofer, September 30, 2017, 11:48:57 AM

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Hoofer

With power being out for The Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico...   It's probably a closest we can observe from a distance, of a real SHTF scenario.   ...and, I realized, my wallet has ONLY plastic, and we have no cash at home, well, maybe some loose change between the seats, or a quarter that escaped the vacuum.

Just curious, does anyone actually keep some dollar bills for a short term, say a month, in case the ATMs and/or banks were inaccessible?   I've usually kept $60 in twenties in the wallet, for emergency gas refills, but maybe it'd be a good idea to stock those little first aid kits with a few bucks, some singles, fives & tens - like $50 (10 $1, 4 - $5, 2 - $10) in a compartment or not-so-visible place?

Probably a good idea to find a good place in the vehicle(s) to stash a tank-of-gas-refill-cash too!

Just thinking of all those people with Credit/Debit cards - unable to buy anything.  And those folks with gold & silver bars, which I still can't understand how they'd be traded (without a scale and both parties coming to a value assessment, etc).   Silver coins seem to be better.   How do you trade a merchant 1oz of silver for $10 of something?   How do they make change, or do you wind up carrying home excessive 'junk'?

Seems to me, keeping a stash of plain old dollar bills, lots of small ones, would be wise - because if there is something to buy, and the ATMs are down, a plastic card is utterly useless.
All animals are created equal; Some just take longer to cook.   Survival is keeping an eye on those around you...

walkstall

Quote from: Hoofer on September 30, 2017, 11:48:57 AM
With power being out for The Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico...   It's probably a closest we can observe from a distance, of a real SHTF scenario.   ...and, I realized, my wallet has ONLY plastic, and we have no cash at home, well, maybe some loose change between the seats, or a quarter that escaped the vacuum.

Just curious, does anyone actually keep some dollar bills for a short term, say a month, in case the ATMs and/or banks were inaccessible?   I've usually kept $60 in twenties in the wallet, for emergency gas refills, but maybe it'd be a good idea to stock those little first aid kits with a few bucks, some singles, fives & tens - like $50 (10 $1, 4 - $5, 2 - $10) in a compartment or not-so-visible place?

Probably a good idea to find a good place in the vehicle(s) to stash a tank-of-gas-refill-cash too!

Just thinking of all those people with Credit/Debit cards - unable to buy anything.  And those folks with gold & silver bars, which I still can't understand how they'd be traded (without a scale and both parties coming to a value assessment, etc).   Silver coins seem to be better.   How do you trade a merchant 1oz of silver for $10 of something?   How do they make change, or do you wind up carrying home excessive 'junk'?

Seems to me, keeping a stash of plain old dollar bills, lots of small ones, would be wise - because if there is something to buy, and the ATMs are down, a plastic card is utterly useless.

I have just over 800 hundred Susan B. Anthony dollars.  Along with about 300 lbs. of loose change quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies in large coffee cans.   I don't like messing with change when out shopping.  When I get home I just dump it in a can.  Take some to the bank about every 2 or 3 years for them to count for me and put it in savings.
A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.- James Freeman Clarke

Always remember "Feelings Aren't Facts."

Solar

Quote from: walkstall on September 30, 2017, 12:53:49 PM
I have just over 800 hundred Susan B. Anthony dollars.  Along with about 300 lbs. of loose change quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies in large coffee cans.   I don't like messing with change when out shopping.  When I get home I just dump it in a can.  Take some to the bank about every 2 or 3 years for them to count for me and put it in savings.
Same here, though I won't divulge the amount, I too have several hundred pounds of loose change that would be a misery for someone to tote off in a hurry.
I believe, in a long term disaster, 'bartables' (new word I coined) are best, be it gas or vinegar to staples, when SHTF, people will be in desperate need of certain items, best to be prepared in the first place and have extra to barter with.
With a 1000 gallons of diesel, I'm certain it will be worth it's weight in gold, as well as drinking water.
Not everyone has a genset that has enough fuel to run beyond a week, so my solar pump will produce an endless amount of drinking water.
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Hoofer

Quote from: walkstall on September 30, 2017, 12:53:49 PM
I have just over 800 hundred Susan B. Anthony dollars.  Along with about 300 lbs. of loose change quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies in large coffee cans.   I don't like messing with change when out shopping.  When I get home I just dump it in a can.  Take some to the bank about every 2 or 3 years for them to count for me and put it in savings.

Same here.  A Tin can with a metal lid & slot in it.  We used a big glass pickle bottle for awhile, until it broke.  When I was a waiter, fresh out of high school, I threw *ALL* my tip money smaller than a $10 bill into it.   It got so full of coins, $1's & $5's the bill started getting mangled from them.  It can add up to a pretty nice surprise!

But, I'm really thinking of actually preparing, for an extended outage - like a backup generator for a power outage.

It just sort of hit me the other day, when we needed to get some feed (grain) for the livestock & birds, and the local guy takes CA$H, not checks, cards, gold, silver or diesel...   We've as a method of trading, have largely gone away from 'bartables' - kinda like that term, it's meaning is immediately evident.  In my part of the country, I can count the number of times I've seen a Susan B Anthony on one hand, but half-dollars are more common, but again, not like a quarter.  People just don't use something that looks like a quarter as a dollar.  For those thinking of the dollar collapsing, and suddenly everyone is trading little bars of silver or gold - I've never, ever, ever heard of anyone accepting payment that way.   And I'd be a fool to trade ammunition for *anything* - just shoot me and take ALL my food, will ya... hope you really LIKE green beans!

Still going with the tank-of-gas-cash, like I've done for +4 decades, it's got me home several times, before there were ATMs and card readers on gas pumps.  Just makes sense to have an option besides an "electronic payment" as the only method.  Even the Truckers, "quarters-in-a-sock", multi-use, defense & payment... LOL, is better than getting caught in a debilitating snow-storm at a gas station in Nebraska, without a *cent*.  (it has happened to me before, no cash, no out-of-town-checks accepted, and Diners Club wasn't heard of).  It sucked getting stranded on a Friday, the banks didn't open till Monday (nor did the roads), and I didn't have cash to buy a soda, or money to push the VW into gas station garage to thaw out a frozen gas line.  That's where I came up with the tank-of-gash-cash idea, $20 grew to $40 (Jimmy Carter), to $60 (Bush).

For the vehicles, it makes sense.  At home... meh, maybe not.
All animals are created equal; Some just take longer to cook.   Survival is keeping an eye on those around you...

walkstall

Quote from: Hoofer on October 01, 2017, 07:12:13 AM
Same here.  A Tin can with a metal lid & slot in it.  We used a big glass pickle bottle for awhile, until it broke.  When I was a waiter, fresh out of high school, I threw *ALL* my tip money smaller than a $10 bill into it.   It got so full of coins, $1's & $5's the bill started getting mangled from them.  It can add up to a pretty nice surprise!

But, I'm really thinking of actually preparing, for an extended outage - like a backup generator for a power outage.

It just sort of hit me the other day, when we needed to get some feed (grain) for the livestock & birds, and the local guy takes CA$H, not checks, cards, gold, silver or diesel...   We've as a method of trading, have largely gone away from 'bartables' - kinda like that term, it's meaning is immediately evident.  In my part of the country, I can count the number of times I've seen a Susan B Anthony on one hand, but half-dollars are more common, but again, not like a quarter.  People just don't use something that looks like a quarter as a dollar.  For those thinking of the dollar collapsing, and suddenly everyone is trading little bars of silver or gold - I've never, ever, ever heard of anyone accepting payment that way.   And I'd be a fool to trade ammunition for *anything* - just shoot me and take ALL my food, will ya... hope you really LIKE green beans!

Still going with the tank-of-gas-cash, like I've done for +4 decades, it's got me home several times, before there were ATMs and card readers on gas pumps.  Just makes sense to have an option besides an "electronic payment" as the only method.  Even the Truckers, "quarters-in-a-sock", multi-use, defense & payment... LOL, is better than getting caught in a debilitating snow-storm at a gas station in Nebraska, without a *cent*.  (it has happened to me before, no cash, no out-of-town-checks accepted, and Diners Club wasn't heard of).  It sucked getting stranded on a Friday, the banks didn't open till Monday (nor did the roads), and I didn't have cash to buy a soda, or money to push the VW into gas station garage to thaw out a frozen gas line.  That's where I came up with the tank-of-gash-cash idea, $20 grew to $40 (Jimmy Carter), to $60 (Bush).

For the vehicles, it makes sense.  At home... meh, maybe not.

My first year of pulling a 30' 5th wheel, I almost running out of diesel on a Sunday.  I had a 5+ gal can of diesel in the back of the truck as back up and I used that up also.  The next week I had a 100 gal. diesel tank put in the back of the pick up.  No way in hell was I going to have that feeling again.  Will I make it to the next town and will they have a place open that had diesel.
A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.- James Freeman Clarke

Always remember "Feelings Aren't Facts."

Hoofer

Quote from: walkstall on October 01, 2017, 08:00:28 AM
My first year of pulling a 30' 5th wheel, I almost running out of diesel on a Sunday.  I had a 5+ gal can of diesel in the back of the truck as back up and I used that up also.  The next week I had a 100 gal. diesel tank put in the back of the pick up.  No way in hell was I going to have that feeling again.  Will I make it to the next town and will they have a place open that had diesel.

Absolutely a good move, adding that extra tank.   Back in the '70s, every outfit I've ever worked for what had Diesel Pickups, had a second tank added, and either had a manual valve, or had it wired into the gas gauge.   You'd run off one tank until it was empty, and keep your eyes open for the next place to refill.  Where I live, out east, finding fuel is easy, but travelling out west, in those rural areas, I'd have a secondary tank installed.  It's one thing to exit the Interstate and pay 10-20 cents a gallon more for 20 gallons, but when it comes to 120 gallons, a little drive into might translate into a nice savings on fuel.

Wifey and I were looking for a good money hiding place in the truck yesterday (gas truck), she was with me on a few of those money short trips... wondered why we quit doing it.  I guess we got so reliant on Debit/Credit card convenience, we forgot what it's like to pull into a gas station when their card reader was down "Sorry, cash only" signs on the door.
All animals are created equal; Some just take longer to cook.   Survival is keeping an eye on those around you...

Solar

Quote from: Hoofer on October 02, 2017, 06:07:26 AM
Absolutely a good move, adding that extra tank.   Back in the '70s, every outfit I've ever worked for what had Diesel Pickups, had a second tank added, and either had a manual valve, or had it wired into the gas gauge.   You'd run off one tank until it was empty, and keep your eyes open for the next place to refill.  Where I live, out east, finding fuel is easy, but travelling out west, in those rural areas, I'd have a secondary tank installed.  It's one thing to exit the Interstate and pay 10-20 cents a gallon more for 20 gallons, but when it comes to 120 gallons, a little drive into might translate into a nice savings on fuel.

Wifey and I were looking for a good money hiding place in the truck yesterday (gas truck), she was with me on a few of those money short trips... wondered why we quit doing it.  I guess we got so reliant on Debit/Credit card convenience, we forgot what it's like to pull into a gas station when their card reader was down "Sorry, cash only" signs on the door.
My most favorite places to hide money, is an empty WD-40 can, and hollowed out bar of soap and placed back in its original package.
Though, don't forget to use it occasionally, or you'll do what I did, and discover a bunch of wet $20.00 bills a few years later, oh, and mark the WD with a shot of orange marking paint, so you don't toss the can one day. :laugh:
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Hoofer

Quote from: Solar on October 02, 2017, 06:19:33 AM
My most favorite places to hide money, is an empty WD-40 can, and hollowed out bar of soap and placed back in its original package.
Though, don't forget to use it occasionally, or you'll do what I did, and discover a bunch of wet $20.00 bills a few years later, oh, and mark the WD with a shot of orange marking paint, so you don't toss the can one day. :laugh:

I like the WD-40 can, but one of the kids would just toss it...

We were looking at the overhead, flip down Eye Glasses holder.   I was thinking the liner could be pulled out, bills added, and reinserted.
We never use the flip down mirror on the passenger side, but, the one time someone flips that thing open, it'd be gone.
All animals are created equal; Some just take longer to cook.   Survival is keeping an eye on those around you...

Solar

Quote from: Hoofer on October 02, 2017, 07:15:19 AM
I like the WD-40 can, but one of the kids would just toss it...

We were looking at the overhead, flip down Eye Glasses holder.   I was thinking the liner could be pulled out, bills added, and reinserted.
We never use the flip down mirror on the passenger side, but, the one time someone flips that thing open, it'd be gone.
I like the WD and soap because it can withstand a lot of heat. You can actually fill it with cement, while leaving a tube in the center for cash, might possibly withstand a car fire, and if the Bills are intact, the bank can issue new ones as long as they can retain enough to work with.
I lost a Fiver in my last trade in, a Toyota SR Pickup by leaving it in the sunglass holder.
If being ripped off wasn't bad enough, I unknowingly gave them a $5. tip. :lol:

Oh yeah, that Toyota truck was a piece of shit truck, two years old and full of bugs, mostly electrical.

Oh, and if you have a truck, a can of WD in the back of the truck is a great place for a hide a key too, just glue it in the middle of the forward portion of the bed floor, right below the rear window, that way no one is apt to just reach in and grab it by accident, you could glue a few Bud cans to it for camo. :biggrin:
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Hoofer

So, here's a real live example.  Today, while vacationing with Wifey at OBX (outer banks, NC), Verizon cellular went down for several hours.

We pull into a bait & tackle shop, the guy behind the counter says, 'everything is down, including cellular - it's cash only until they get it fixed.'  Because I had cash, I walked out with *most* the bait I needed.  Another guy wasn't so fortunate, all he had was plastic.  On to the next bait shop, same deal.  Popped into an adjacent store, paid with cash, walked out - a couple is standing there, waiting for the 'system to get fixed'.

The outage was over several hours, when it did come back, my phone started popping 'n pinging with text messages, emails and voice mails... too bad, I was back to fishing.

I don't know, or care how widespread the outage was for us, if it was partial, or the whole island - I really don't care, for that short period of time, Cash was King.
All animals are created equal; Some just take longer to cook.   Survival is keeping an eye on those around you...

walkstall

Quote from: Hoofer on October 04, 2017, 05:28:43 PM
So, here's a real live example.  Today, while vacationing with Wifey at OBX (outer banks, NC), Verizon cellular went down for several hours.

We pull into a bait & tackle shop, the guy behind the counter says, 'everything is down, including cellular - it's cash only until they get it fixed.'  Because I had cash, I walked out with *most* the bait I needed.  Another guy wasn't so fortunate, all he had was plastic.  On to the next bait shop, same deal.  Popped into an adjacent store, paid with cash, walked out - a couple is standing there, waiting for the 'system to get fixed'.

The outage was over several hours, when it did come back, my phone started popping 'n pinging with text messages, emails and voice mails... too bad, I was back to fishing.

I don't know, or care how widespread the outage was for us, if it was partial, or the whole island - I really don't care, for that short period of time, Cash was King.



:lol:
Did you ask for a discount for paying cash?
A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.- James Freeman Clarke

Always remember "Feelings Aren't Facts."

Ms.Independence

With Irma headed straight for us one of the first things we did was go to the bank and take out some extra cash and filled several gas cans and the gas caddy for the generator and loaded it up in the back of our truck.  The extra gas definitely came in handy as many of the gas stations in the area were hit and gas was definitely scarce for several days ... we would have been stuck on the other coast for at least a week for sure.
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another...Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

Hoofer

#12
Quote from: walkstall on October 04, 2017, 06:09:58 PM


:lol:
Did you ask for a discount for paying cash?

Why YES!!!   and got 10% off on two Diawa Saltist BG 20H Bait caster reels.
Actually got them CHEAPER at a little tackle shop than a Bass Pro!

Cash is still King!

End of the season, they don't want to hang on to inventory, so I walked in and said, "What's the cash price on two of them?"
(this was before the Verizon outage).   Granted the guy probably thought he'd get me on spooling up line - but... I already had 50# braid, several 500m spools of it - one quick transaction and I was on my way.
All animals are created equal; Some just take longer to cook.   Survival is keeping an eye on those around you...