Monetary Instruments

Author: danielkilburn 2016-02-18 0 Comments

Copyright: urric / 123RF Stock Photo

Money, cash, currency, coin, bills, silver, gold, legal tender, wad, bucks, bread, you get the idea?

Money isn’t the most important thing in life, but it’s reasonably close to oxygen on the “Gotta have it scale. – Zig Ziglar

At some point in the emergency you’re going to need some. So, how much is enough? If you have been proactive and already have a working emergency action plan in place, then you won’t really need much money at all. You’ve already got most everything you need, if on the other hand you’re in the top 70% of the population you’ve not done squat, and need to play catch up real fast, good luck.

In or near a disaster area, it’s quite possible that the electrical infrastructure will be down, so the local ATM won’t be spitting out anything to ease your pain. As you radiate out and away from the affected area, local merchants will probably demand cash, over Debit/Credit Cards, at a certain threshold of distance thing will get back to normal.

But for those of you who have made preparations and still need to spend. How much is enough? If you’re not evacuating the area a few hundred dollars will probably be more than enough. Extra batteries, gas for the generator, not going to take much money.

After the incident, but before systems are restored will be the time that most of your cash will be needed, food, water, etc.

If you’ve evacuated your cash needs will be much higher. Paying for the round trip gas, motel rooms, eating out, etc, will add up real fast. Depending on how many people are relying on you, will decide how much money you’ll need access to.

Regardless of the niche you fall into, safety, and security is paramount. Don’t flash your cash, and keep low denominations. A pocket full of $100.00’s might be comforting, but it can also mean an expensive bag of ice if there is no change to be made. It can also make you a target if there are a  lack of morals floating around. $1’s, $5’s, $10’s, and maybe a couple $20’s should meet most your needs. If more $$ is necessary, think about getting Travelers Checks or Pre-Paid Debit Cards for your bug out kit. And precious metals might be an option to examine under certain situations.

The bottom line is if you have prepared an adequate Emergency Cache you will not need excessive amounts of money at your disposal. You can eat a can of Tuna, you can trade a can of Tune, but you cannot eat a wad of cash or a bar of gold. If you find yourself in a situation where you are bartering cash or coin for food or water. You will not be bargaining from a position of strength.

Till next time

“Be Safe”