Do you stack Gold/Silver as part of your preps?

[ChickenLittle]

I hear two differnt mindsets on this. Some think it is a waste to do so as if SHTF you will not be able to eat or drink it.

I think that while that may be true, if SHTF is related to economic issues your stack of metal will be a tangible good that will be a store of value as the country begins to rebuild. No matter what the new form of currency may be you will be able to trade metal for it. Stocks, bonds, dollars etc could all go to zero.

There is also precident that it is a valuable item to have to bribe your way through check points, or buy your freedom if they are rounding you up like they did the Jewish.

Thoughts??

 

[realisticdude]

i tried to bring this subject up last week... after SHTF, lets say a recovery era starts , bartering at a farmers market/ flea market for supplies , what good are gold /silver coins going to be? how would you know the price of gold if there is no bank/ internet access. Where is the best place for a prepper with heightened awareness and distrust for most establishments to purchase gold/ silver ?

 

[ChickenLittle]

Your definition of SHTF is an important consideration. sounds like your describing a world completly void of governmental rule and standardization. IMO in a coutry as developed as ours if it did get that bad it would be very temporary. Even in that situation you would need a medium of exchange though. Otherwise if you need a pair of shoes but do not have anything the guy selling shoes needs you would have to run all over town trying to transact trades to get your hands on what the shoe salesman wants. If he is willing to accept a certain medium of exchange like silver then you can give him the silver for the shoes and he can use it to go get what he wants. how they would value an ounce of metal, I don't know.

I think that if the dollar crashes Uncle sam will have a new currency waiting in the wings ready to ship out to the banks. Maybe it will be gold back or maybe it will be another version of fiat. In hyper inflation you could end up with a new $1 with Obama's face on it. They will allow you to trade your old bills in for the new ones but it may take $50,000 washingtons to get $1 Obama. Metal on the other hand is a commodity and has tangible value. Commodity vs. commodity value should be a bit more stable then fiat currency. rightnow you could buy around 30lbs of rice for one ounce of silver. I think that will be true in the new world as well not matter if it is obama cash or whatever.

If Metal is in a bubble I could be wrong. A house is a commodity and the housing bubble caused a lot of people to loss a lot of value in their housing investments. Other commodities could offer you the same security but non are as convienient, nonperishable, and easy to store. You could store a warehouse full of toilet paper if you want and it may hold it's value as well as metal as the dollar devalues but it takes up a lot more space, is a lot more fragile, and you will need a really big BOB if you plan to take your wealth with you when you leave.

To purchase gold/silver off the record you can go to coin shops, coin shows, pawn shops, craigs list, and sometimes those "we buy gold" places will give you a good deal if you buy with cash in hand rather then them have to send it in to the refinery. Always pay cash and your off the books. If you decide later to sell at a coin shop they will take down some of your info with the sale incase it turns out to be stolen. Precious metal forums always have buy/sell/trade sections.

 

[rudyc]

i have a bit of silver coins and a little bit of gold that i have in case i need them in the future. these are items that i have because i am starting to collect them.

but i will not use them as bartering in shtf scenario. if i spend 2,000 bucks on a few gold pieces. and when shtf hits and i am hungry, people out there will trade just about anything for a burger. is a burger really worth a piece of gold?

maybe our money is not worth any thing when shtf, but gold is gold. people love gold, gold will aways be valuable to many people. silver too.

but i find it easier to trade some alcohol or smokes for food. maybe some clothing. hard labor. other types of food for food.

 

[old_anorak]

I don't keep much of it around. I can't see trading anything for it if shtf, I would trade for things that I could use. I must be one of the rare women that doesn't like jewelry.

 

[ElGuapo]

Of course, gold and silver is a very popular item, but bullets I think are a potential currency.. just like gold and silver are useless in the desert if you need water...the way its going ammo is harder to get in Kalifornia.

 

[act5860]

I personally think having some precious metals is a good thing. If tshtf is financial collapse, you have something with tangible value. When recovery starts, you have something to start over with. I would definitly not plan on using it for barter, you'd never get anything like it's value for what you're getting.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.---Thomas Jefferson

 

[ubduomk]

If I could I would, in fact I was going to but I just discovered instead of getting a $1000 tax refund i owe the IRS $1000! My tax rate somehow doubled from last year, but i only made 5% more, this isn't right!

 

[Dani]

If I could I would, in fact I was going to but I just discovered instead of getting a $1000 tax refund i owe the IRS $1000! My tax rate somehow doubled from last year, but i only made 5% more, this isn't right!

Obama adopted Bush tax cuts for his previous election. They expired this year, which is why your taxes went up.

 

[Dani]

I don't keep much of it around. I can't see trading anything for it if shtf, I would trade for things that I could use. I must be one of the rare women that doesn't like jewelry.

I'm with you. I can trade with food and water, something that can substain a life

 

[ubduomk]

Obama adopted Bush tax cuts for his previous election. They expired this year, which is why your taxes went up.

why didn't he renew them?

 

[Fordrocks1986]

It's all on the person if you ask me I would not take it for trade I have extra ammo coffee and tabbaco for trade and gold or silver is nothing but useless metal to me. Just my 2 cents

 

[realisticdude]

It's all on the person if you ask me I would not take it for trade I have extra ammo coffee and tabbaco for trade and gold or silver is nothing but useless metal to me. Just my 2 cents

if a family is financially secure and has their prep down 100% then i could see maybe putting back a few thousand in coin for the rebuild, and Im sure there will be a rebuild after it all goes down. But that being said, Ive never talked to any prepper who thought they had a 100% prep.

 

[ChickenLittle]

It's all on the person if you ask me I would not take it for trade I have extra ammo coffee and tabbaco for trade and gold or silver is nothing but useless metal to me. Just my 2 cents

I see you are prepping for a shark attack. In that situation it WOULD be worthless metal.

If you invision a life after zombies, then metal will, in my opinion, play a vital role in preserving any wealth you have. In a police state it could also buy your way through check points to safety.

 

[Fordrocks1986]

I see you are prepping for a shark attack. In that situation it WOULD be worthless metal.

If you invision a life after zombies, then metal will, in my opinion, play a vital role in preserving any wealth you have. In a police state it could also buy your way through check points to safety.

Vary vary true I've never looked at it that way I always just figured that in that kinda situation I would be shooting it out with said check point or just make my way around it. I think it's all up to the person I'm going to be bugging out and that will be one less thing me and my wife would have to carry now if we were going to bug in and it was a giant EMP and no civil unrest happened I can see the use of money but if its a 1776 situation it's going to be all out war and who's to say gold and silver will be the next currency that's why I won't put my money in it I would rather have something I could use and that other people would want. I'm not saying its a bad prep but who do you know is going to be willing to triad for it. In a police state it could work but if that happens the people have the right to take over the government and gold would be the last thing on my mined

 

[Fordrocks1986]

And sharks are my biggest fear I know there out to eat me so I'm prepping for those punks I think colt said all I would have to do is stay away from the ocean and I would be good but I think there planing an attack on me ;-)

 

[ChickenLittle]

evolution man. I've seen fish with legs...how long can it be before the sharks start walking up the beach as well? They always say your crazy until it really happens!

 

[Fordrocks1986]

Lol that's what I'm thinking its only a matter of time before they start come after us have you ever seen the otherguys with Will Ferrell and Mark wahlberg where they talk about the tuna going and hunting loin using kelp to breathe they could just do that.

 

[Fordrocks1986]

 

[ChickenLittle]

No, I need to see that movie.

I mostly post between tasks at work so I can not watch the video clips that get posted

 

[Fordrocks1986]

You need to watch it. It's only 2 minutes long so so funny

 

[Mightypugs]

It's all on the person if you ask me I would not take it for trade I have extra ammo coffee and tabbaco for trade and gold or silver is nothing but useless metal to me. Just my 2 cents

I'm creating a seed bank as I really think that will be a huge barter item. Although gold and silver will be a commodity to trade with eventually but in reading history, it will be a long time coming before it's a viable option after everything takes a crap. Oh and I stock up on a lot of toilet paper and paper towels. My husband thinks I'm crazy and that I should leave the "hygiene" stuff to the leaves.

 

[old_anorak]

Fordrocks, if you can find it, look for Saturday Night Live's Land Shark skit from back in the '70s. You will find you have good reason to be afraid... very afraid.

Originally I was just going to post 'Hey remember the Land Shark from Saturday Night Live?' , but then I realized that you are just a few months older than my oldest daughter and probably wouldn't have a clue.

Dear God, I'm old.

 

[old_anorak]

One thing that we are planning to use for barter is horses. We raise a few each year and could step that up with additional mares. What really works for us is that we do all of our own training, we teach them to be used under saddle and in harness. If gas is hard to come by or non-existent, what would someone trade for a nice 4 year old gelding that is broke to ride and drive? We've already used horses as barter items, traded a mare in foal for a car for our oldest daughter.

 

[Mightypugs]

Fordrocks, if you can find it, look for Saturday Night Live's Land Shark skit from back in the '70s. You will find you have good reason to be afraid... very afraid.

Originally I was just going to post 'Hey remember the Land Shark from Saturday Night Live?' , but then I realized that you are just a few months older than my oldest daughter and probably wouldn't have a clue.

Dear God, I'm old.

You're only as old as your body tells you that you are! Yeah, that doesn't work for me most days either. lol

 

[old_anorak]

Mercy, if I go by that rule, I ought to be in the ground and decayed some days! LOL

 

[Mightypugs]

lmao!

 

[HarrySachs]

I personally dont think the economy will get that bad. The government seems to be
good at creating fake money. With that said, i do not get economy. I understand
the basics of it, but after that, it seems like a bunch of made up rules that are
created when its convienent for certain groups.
So that being said, If things become so bad that we need to rely on our preps,
Gold and silver will probably be useless. I do agree that people put value on
shiny things, but them people probably dont prep, because if they did, they would
rather have a bottle of water than a gold coin, i know i would. In fact its most
likely ill stay far away from people as possible, and be SUPER selective if and
when i talk to anyone.

 

[old_anorak]

That sounds like a good idea Harry. I don't want to be around a lot of unprepared people when the balloon goes up.

 

[jeepgirl]

Of course, gold and silver is a very popular item, but bullets I think are a potential currency.. just like gold and silver are useless in the desert if you need water...the way its going ammo is harder to get in Kalifornia.

It's getting hard everywhere..Walmart has you limited to 3 boxes and the shelves are just about empty all of the time.