How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

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dm200
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by dm200 »

haven't done this - BUT if I were to do something like hiding or burying money in the back yard - I think I would use dollar coins - paper currency could fall apart of be eaten by animals.
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Monster99
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by Monster99 »

20 gals of drinking water in the garage - replaced every 3 weeks....
when the zombies attack, we can trade potable water for transportation. :D
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by DesertDiva »

unclescrooge wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 10:23 pm
mpsz wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 6:58 pm $10,000 is far too much in my opinion. Whatever you choose, be prepared to lose it -- whether it's lost because you forget where you put it, you get robbed, your house burns down, or to inflation. Also, small, mixed bills! Not everybody will take a $100 or they may not be able to make change.

I keep a variable amount... never more than $1,000. I've used the cash after freak thunderstorms that knock over a bunch of trees, and after blizzards if there are widespread power outages. Maybe twice in the last 10 years, but I've been glad I had it.

My area is also one of those "one communication link" places. If Comcast is down, I have no internet at home and no businesses can accept credit cards.
You can also lost it to civil asset forefiture, which is basically where the police rob you.
+1 I always smirk when I read articles stating "a large amount of cash was found in the car/house", as if it's a crime to have cash in one's possession. Having too much cash brands you as a potential criminal now... :?

I keep $10-20 in the car and a couple hundred dollars in the house in smaller denominations. More importantly, I keep my gas tank as close to full as possible - I lived through the great blackout of 2003 (eastern US) where no amount of cash or a credit card could buy gas for several days.
Last edited by DesertDiva on Mon Jun 18, 2018 3:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
GoldStar
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by GoldStar »

To evacuate and reside in a safe area I would use a credit card.
sco
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by sco »

Just as a counter point. The BofA ATM's around here run out of cash every Friday thru about Mid Saturday. I assume that this is because of the reduced bank hours, and the desire to have cash for the weekend. I don't go to an ATM to withdraw often, but the line is noticeable on every weekend.
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dm200
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by dm200 »

sco wrote: Tue Jun 19, 2018 12:23 am Just as a counter point. The BofA ATM's around here run out of cash every Friday thru about Mid Saturday. I assume that this is because of the reduced bank hours, and the desire to have cash for the weekend. I don't go to an ATM to withdraw often, but the line is noticeable on every weekend.
Yes - even without any kind of emergency situation, ATMS often ren out of cash. During an emergency - it may be dificult for banks, credit unions and merchants to replenish them.
Kaktus
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by Kaktus »

I keep the equivalent of minimum USD 200 in bills plus some bullion. I think its a realistic and even probable scenario that the ATMs are shut down for a month at some point during my lifetime bcause of mismanaged state finances.
Natural disasters and zombies is not a scenario I count with. Perhaps I should.
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Jimbo9911
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by Jimbo9911 »

Have 8,500 in the gun safe right now. It fluctuates between that and 10,000.
2,200 in hundreds and the rest in 20's, 10's, 5's and 1's.
Also about 2,000 face value in per 1964 silver coins.
Just want to have plenty of options to negotiate before having to break out the guns.
If it becomes necessary to do so.
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by sco »

Jimbo9911 wrote: Tue Jun 19, 2018 9:55 am Have 8,500 in the gun safe right now. It fluctuates between that and 10,000.
2,200 in hundreds and the rest in 20's, 10's, 5's and 1's.
Also about 2,000 face value in per 1964 silver coins.
Just want to have plenty of options to negotiate before having to break out the guns.
If it becomes necessary to do so.
Also comes in handy if you want to make a random weekend purchase with cash :)

Like a cheap used car, ATV, airplane parts, etc..
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VictoriaF
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by VictoriaF »

I usually keep several hundred dollars in cash.

I also keep close to a thousand dollars worth of Euros, Pounds, Canadian Dollars, Swiss Franks, and Czech kronas. I don't want every dollar to work for me; I want to have a safety margin and avoid potential issues. One such an issue is getting cash in a foreign country upon arrival. I don't want to use airport ATMs or other convenient ATMs if I can avoid it. I prefer to go to ATMs that are next to their banks during normal business hours to minimize the possibility of fraud and to get help is the ATM decides to eat my card.

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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by MikeG62 »

smitcat wrote: Mon Jun 18, 2018 10:56 am Here in the Northeast...
Although the only storm that most folks would recognize is "Sandy" we have had a dozen or so weather related situations over 15 years where cash has been very handy. In most all of these there have been fairly widespread power outages of between 1 and 15 days where banks/ATM's comm lines are down and at the same time there is wind/water/and/or snow of significant levels. In all of these situations cash has been instrumental in our ability to deal with the then current issue.
When we leave this area my thoughts may change but for now this approach has suited us very well.
For this reason I keep $2,500 in a fireproof safe. I lived through Sandy and having cash on hand during that time was comforting. Credit and debit cards are worthless when the power grid is down.
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by cheese_breath »

Monster99 wrote: Mon Jun 18, 2018 2:38 pm 20 gals of drinking water in the garage - replaced every 3 weeks....
when the zombies attack, we can trade potable water for transportation. :D
Just wondering why you replace the water every 3 weeks. Do you expect it to get stale or spoil? Depending on your religious views that water might be anywhere from 6,000 to several million years old.
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
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dm200
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by dm200 »

After reading some of these posts, I am now thinking of increasing my "stash". Probably in fireproof and locked "safe" at home - as well as some in my wallet. Maybe a hundred or so in dollar coins.

As far as "risks" of being accused of something improper or illegal:

[My opinions]

1. The various thresholds for reporting are $3,000 and $10,000

2. Having a large amount on your person or possession might result in civil forfeiture
McDougal
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by McDougal »

Following this thread. I am rethinking our strategy as well after reading this discussion. A few years ago my wife convinced me we need to keep $3K in the safe. I was against it,(we live in a major city, lost interest/inflation, if it's really that bad $$ may not be worth things like water, gas, ammo, etc). Also, it is in the house, what if we can't actually get to the house in a true emergency. If anything, I think I will still keep the 3K, just not all of it in house. Maybe house, car, office, wallet...
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by Swarm Trap »

Maybe I should keep some cash at home, but I don't, and I haven't for most of my adult life. I used to do some coin roll hunting and collect currency, but lost interest in it. Aside from the occasional cash paying customer, I don't handle any cash day to day and don't have a stash of it at home.

If I did have a pile of cash somewhere, I probably wouldn't share that info.
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dm200
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by dm200 »

Swarm Trap wrote: Tue Jun 19, 2018 2:16 pm Maybe I should keep some cash at home, but I don't, and I haven't for most of my adult life. I used to do some coin roll hunting and collect currency, but lost interest in it. Aside from the occasional cash paying customer, I don't handle any cash day to day and don't have a stash of it at home.

If I did have a pile of cash somewhere, I probably wouldn't share that info.
My wife keeps a rolled up $20 bill in something in her purse.
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dm200
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by dm200 »

Of course - the dilemma/tradeoff is that keeping the location of the stash secret from everyone means less possibility if it being stolen - but more possibility of it ever being found is if something happens to you.
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by mbasherp »

Always $20 in the wallet and $250 at home. In the event of a disaster, it's more important to already have what you need (food, water, cooking supplies, protection, etc) rather than near useless cash with the hope to acquire it. We already have the emergency supplies we deem necessary for the events and time frames we've focused on. The specifics always end up being a personal choice, just like an emergency fund.
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Monster99
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by Monster99 »

cheese_breath wrote: Tue Jun 19, 2018 10:26 am
Monster99 wrote: Mon Jun 18, 2018 2:38 pm 20 gals of drinking water in the garage - replaced every 3 weeks....
when the zombies attack, we can trade potable water for transportation. :D
Just wondering why you replace the water every 3 weeks. Do you expect it to get stale or spoil? Depending on your religious views that water might be anywhere from 6,000 to several million years old.
The DW dislikes the taste of the city water that flows from the tap, so drinking water is delivered evey three weeks....
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by sport »

Reading these strategies makes me glad to live in Northeast Ohio. We don't have hurricanes, floods, forest fires, earthquakes, volcanoes, or mud slides. No one ever evacuates. There is a slight possibility of a tornado, but in that case, your stash would disappear along with the rest of your house. The only real threat seems to be a prolonged power outage. We had one of those about 15 years ago. We got by just fine with little cash for a few days.
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by JGoneRiding »

I asked a similar question after harvey/Maria

It was a good thread if you want to look for it

General consensus was some where between none and 1-2k

No need for 10s of thousands.
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by smitcat »

sport wrote: Tue Jun 19, 2018 4:26 pm Reading these strategies makes me glad to live in Northeast Ohio. We don't have hurricanes, floods, forest fires, earthquakes, volcanoes, or mud slides. No one ever evacuates. There is a slight possibility of a tornado, but in that case, your stash would disappear along with the rest of your house. The only real threat seems to be a prolonged power outage. We had one of those about 15 years ago. We got by just fine with little cash for a few days.

Flooding in NE Ohio April 2018.....
https://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.s ... _on_n.html
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by sport »

smitcat wrote: Tue Jun 19, 2018 4:40 pm
sport wrote: Tue Jun 19, 2018 4:26 pm Reading these strategies makes me glad to live in Northeast Ohio. We don't have hurricanes, floods, forest fires, earthquakes, volcanoes, or mud slides. No one ever evacuates. There is a slight possibility of a tornado, but in that case, your stash would disappear along with the rest of your house. The only real threat seems to be a prolonged power outage. We had one of those about 15 years ago. We got by just fine with little cash for a few days.

Flooding in NE Ohio April 2018.....
https://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.s ... _on_n.html
Of course. However, that type of flooding is localized and of short duration. No one was evacuating. Perhaps some people who choose to live next to a river have occasional problems. But there is no need to opt for such a location. There was no need for thousands of dollars in greenbacks.
Last edited by sport on Tue Jun 19, 2018 4:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by Broken Man 1999 »

Gill wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 5:59 pm
The Wizard wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 4:43 pm In Florida, it's best to have 8 or 10 red (or yellow) five-gallon containers of fuel for your car at home.
When times get tough, merely having lots of cash won't help in this department...
Never heard that before, and I’ve lived in Florida much of my life. Sounds like a potential disaster to me. We just try to keep the cars full during hurricane season.
Gill
Yep! I certainly don't want a lot of gas cans around my house. We simply fill our van up with fuel before we hunker down. And each hurricane season we make sure our LP tank is full should we need to run the generator.

We might grab a couple of cases of water; our pantry holds enough food to keep us fed for weeks, though we would be cooking the frozen food as it thaws first if we didn't have power. My biggest fear during hurricanes is not having ice to keep our adult beverages cold.

OP, for years we would go to an ATM and pull out a few hundred dollars. For the last few years we haven't done that, even.

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smitcat
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by smitcat »

sport wrote: Tue Jun 19, 2018 4:49 pm
smitcat wrote: Tue Jun 19, 2018 4:40 pm
sport wrote: Tue Jun 19, 2018 4:26 pm Reading these strategies makes me glad to live in Northeast Ohio. We don't have hurricanes, floods, forest fires, earthquakes, volcanoes, or mud slides. No one ever evacuates. There is a slight possibility of a tornado, but in that case, your stash would disappear along with the rest of your house. The only real threat seems to be a prolonged power outage. We had one of those about 15 years ago. We got by just fine with little cash for a few days.

Flooding in NE Ohio April 2018.....
https://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.s ... _on_n.html
Of course. However, that type of flooding is localized and of short duration. No one was evacuating. Perhaps some people who choose to live next to a river have occasional problems. But there is no need to opt for such a location. There was no need for thousands of dollars in greenbacks.
We have also never been evacuated - but there is a large number of possibilities between a full on evacuation crisis and needing some help for a while due to a lower scale event. I figure the lesson learned is that if it were predictable then it might be avoidable and there is no reason to believe it is never going to happen.

Had a neighbor who moved from here to Boone county NC just last year and said they would never have a weather related incident again due to their new location. Less than a year later a major flood and landslide hit them - they did have emergency money put aside as old habits die hard and it came it real handy
NextMil
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by NextMil »

$1k dedicated in the safe, and approximately another $1k+/- in envelopes for monthly spending. Nothing over a $20 bill. Plus two different debit cards with an increased withdrawal limit.
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by LeeMKE »

I don't keep much cash at home. DH on the other hand likes to have a stash of cash. That came to a halt when he opened his strong box in front of a young man of hoodlum propensities at our house.

I'm not interested in becoming a target of burglary because someone has (or is rumored to have) a stash of cash hidden at home.

Seems to me, the odds of burglary are greater than zombie invasion.
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by GCD »

Starting when we lived in California we kept a backpack of supplies in each car so we could get back home or to a rendezvous point to hook up with other family members. Part of that bag was $200 cash in 5s and 1s for gas or other necessities when credit card readers might be down. $200 is inconsequential if stolen, but enough to fill your tank 2-3 times and get you hundreds of miles from home even in bad traffic. Once you get out of the immediate impact area your credit cards and bank account should carry you.

If moving 500 miles from home doesn't get you into a safe area where credit cards function then you should be storing guns, ammo, freeze dried food and body armor instead of cash.
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by smitcat »

LeeMKE wrote: Tue Jun 19, 2018 9:35 pm I don't keep much cash at home. DH on the other hand likes to have a stash of cash. That came to a halt when he opened his strong box in front of a young man of hoodlum propensities at our house.

I'm not interested in becoming a target of burglary because someone has (or is rumored to have) a stash of cash hidden at home.

Seems to me, the odds of burglary are greater than zombie invasion.
I believe that you become a burglary target when someone 'thinks' that you have some easily attainable valuables and that they have easy access to them. Electronics and jewelry are often the triggers that give the sense of a target , whether or not your home is an easy target for petty theft is something you can often check by contacting the local PO.
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Toons
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by Toons »

Right now my spouse and I have about 100 in cash....and
some change in a bowl.





:happy
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djpeteski
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by djpeteski »

Between 1k and 2k. We have never used it for an emergency, but we can use it to pay people who do services for us. Its very handy and we get a good rate when they know they will be handed cash.
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by CurlyDave »

Smorgasbord wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 3:23 pm ...Unless you are running from the law and need to stay hidden, why would ATMs and banks not be available at the safe area?
Depending on the size of a disaster, you may find that this is not really true.

ATMs do not print the money they dispense, it is stored inside them, in limited amounts. 200,000 or more people fleeing a natural disaster can easily overwhelm the reserves of all the ATMs in a area. Not to mention the length of the lines to use the machines.
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by pkay »

We have a fire/water proof safe in the home where we keep our important documents and about $300 in cash in case of emergency.
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by jebmke »

pkay wrote: Wed Jun 20, 2018 8:52 am We have a fire/water proof safe in the home where we keep our important documents and about $300 in cash in case of emergency.
The safe may be fireproof but I am not sure the contents are. The money is inconsequential but the docs may not be. A friend of mine returned from vacation to find his house burned to the ground. The "fireproof" safe was intact and contained some ash (paper) and a slab of mixed metal (gold and silver) speckled with gemstones that used to be his wife's jewelry.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by smitcat »

CurlyDave wrote: Wed Jun 20, 2018 8:40 am
Smorgasbord wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 3:23 pm ...Unless you are running from the law and need to stay hidden, why would ATMs and banks not be available at the safe area?
Depending on the size of a disaster, you may find that this is not really true.

ATMs do not print the money they dispense, it is stored inside them, in limited amounts. 200,000 or more people fleeing a natural disaster can easily overwhelm the reserves of all the ATMs in a area. Not to mention the length of the lines to use the machines.
Yes - those reasons plus these:
- power outage = no ATM
- folks that fill these often do not fill them prior to expected weather issues
- When the banks close due to weather those are not filled as well
- pulling cash during a disaster has a higher risk then typical
- you may not easily be able to get to the machine that works
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by jebmke »

^ the trick is to not flee toward a disaster area but rather away.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by magazinewriter »

The Wizard wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 4:43 pm In Florida, it's best to have 8 or 10 red (or yellow) five-gallon containers of fuel for your car at home.
When times get tough, merely having lots of cash won't help in this department...
The other thing I learned last year during Irma is that it is good to have a number of $1 and $5 bills for the stores that are open using a generator but the credit/debit machine doesn’t work. I now try to keep $30 in $1 bills on hand.
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queso
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by queso »

Very hard question to answer as I find the necessary preparations for emergencies/disasters vary widely depending on what you are planning for. I think the universal best emergency preparedness items are water, food, medical supplies, high quality functional outdoor clothing (quick drying hiking stuff, GoreTex jackets, etc.), a good knife and lots of ammunition. I keep some cash around as well, but in a real emergency I don't know how useful it will be since it depends on the emergency and whether or not you can weather said emergency in place or if you need to leave your home. If the emergency is bad enough you could obtain what you needed to survive using your knife and/or ammunition. The corollary to that is that if you had all the cash in the world someone with a good knife and/or a lot of ammunition could render you broke in a matter of seconds. :happy

The emergency preparedness rabbit hole is almost as deep as the personal finance one. Good luck should you choose to venture further.
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by Capsu78 »

We keep $3000 (nothing larger than $20's) in a fire resistant safe because we have 2 thirty something kids, with children who live close by. If we had an ATM disruption, this would cover all 3 households for a spell.
I also have some silver dimes and my wife has "keep away from her fritter away spouse" stashes as well.
goodlifer
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by goodlifer »

I live in an area that would appear to have very little threats except a possible tornado, but I have been in enough emergencies to know that thinking that it won't happen to me is just foolish. I didn't live anywhere near water and suddenly the street in front of us collapsed and flooded everyone's basement. Tree roots destroyed the sewer. A tree fell on a neighbor's house and they had to leave in a hurry. They also got robbed after they fled, but the guys were caught. It was other neighbors. A family member's house burned down on Thanksgiving due to a chimney fire. Our municipal water supply was tainted twice, from goose poop of all things (so they said), and there was a run on bottled water for miles around us. We were without power for days due to lightening strikes. A train derailed nearby, which made me think "what if it had hazardous chemicals". I'm sure I can think of more.

We like the outdoors, so we already have the camping supplies, kayaks, tri-fuel generator, etc. I keep extra water in the basement ever since the first contamination. I keep a couple of Mr Buddy type heaters, a tarp to block off a room, and some kerosene since our furnace broke during record cold and no one would come out to look at it. I keep a small solar charger for my phone and USB powered fans (because our power went out during a summer storm). I buy huge supplies of things that don't spoil (like tp and hygiene things) just because I like to take advantage of a good deal. We have extra gas and propane because sometimes we get lazy or forgetful and there suddenly isn't gas to mow the yard or propane to grill. So I feel like I don't need to keep a large amount of cash, and a shocking amount of people do not understand the value of precious metals. I tried to trade a silver dollar for a $20 item and both the husband and wife couldn't understand that it was not a dollar. I think that if you are down to trading precious metals for goods, the only people that will know the value are preppers, and they probably don't need your silver.

The only time I expect to need cash is if I am traveling and either my credit card is declined or there is no power. In that case, I bring an extra $1,000 with me because hotels expect a cash deposit, usually $500, plus the cost of the room up front. But I don't travel with that amount on any given day. That's just begging to be robbed or confiscated by the police around here.
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dm200
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by dm200 »

magazinewriter wrote: Wed Jun 20, 2018 9:05 am
The Wizard wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 4:43 pm In Florida, it's best to have 8 or 10 red (or yellow) five-gallon containers of fuel for your car at home.
When times get tough, merely having lots of cash won't help in this department...
The other thing I learned last year during Irma is that it is good to have a number of $1 and $5 bills for the stores that are open using a generator but the credit/debit machine doesn’t work. I now try to keep $30 in $1 bills on hand.
Yes - good idea. Dollar coins can work well also - and are more durable ;)

I suppose a few rolls of quarters could help if you needed to use a Laundromat - in some circumstances.
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by mtn biker »

I was in PAP Haiti during the big earthquake, so I've been in the disaster situation. It took $600 cash to get on a flight to DR, not exactly a bribe, but it felt that way. Without the cash we would have been there more than two days, but would have been fine.

I keep a couple thousand in the safe on average, but it comes and goes. I don't really let it get under $1000 though. It's nice to have cash for graduation cards and other things without needing to run to the bank, and my wife hates going to the ATM at the last minute, so I just like some cash.

I really don't think more than about $1000 is necessary, after that it is just diminishing returns. Sure, there might be an extreme case that $10,000 might help, but that is so absolutely rare I am comfortable not wasting the profit that much value would generate in the market.
Brad888
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by Brad888 »

I went through this last year with Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Two weeks without law and order, 6 weeks without electricity and 5 weeks without running water. What you need to do is a proper risk assessment for your area and make plans on how to respond to each different risk. Those plans will dictate how much money you'll need. Take into account that evacuations are often free, but as soon as you're in a safe zone, you're on your own. Don't count on debit cards, unless you evacuate. Cards and ATM's need power.

I had about two months of expenses worth of cash in the house, with about $200 in singles and $1000 in tens and twenties and a bucket of coins. I used only a fraction of this, since nothing was open. September 2017 had my highest savings rate ever.

You would do better to focus on water, solar chargers and solar lamps, toilet paper and a bunch of canned food. And coffee. I didn't spend a day without having coffee. Keeps the spirit up.
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dm200
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by dm200 »

mtn biker wrote: Wed Jun 20, 2018 10:57 am I was in PAP Haiti during the big earthquake, so I've been in the disaster situation. It took $600 cash to get on a flight to DR, not exactly a bribe, but it felt that way. Without the cash we would have been there more than two days, but would have been fine.
I keep a couple thousand in the safe on average, but it comes and goes. I don't really let it get under $1000 though. It's nice to have cash for graduation cards and other things without needing to run to the bank, and my wife hates going to the ATM at the last minute, so I just like some cash.
I really don't think more than about $1000 is necessary, after that it is just diminishing returns. Sure, there might be an extreme case that $10,000 might help, but that is so absolutely rare I am comfortable not wasting the profit that much value would generate in the market.
Yes - US Dollars are great in Haiti - if in such places - if may be impossible to get change - so you need "exact change" for almost anything.
PJmillennial
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by PJmillennial »

I always have at least one paychecks worth of cash at home for our own take on the envelope budget system plus cash from buying and selling things on craigslist. Maybe 4K at a time. I keep it stored in a secure place with some guns so I'm not terribly worried about theft of fire. It's gives me some sense of security to be able to scratch together a reasonable amount of money in an emergency. The only problem is not spending it on thin mints when the girl scouts come around...

Neighbors here look out for each other so I would never have to bribe or pay my way out of a sketchy situation.
GlacierRunner
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by GlacierRunner »

$50. Spouse and I are off the road system in Alaska so there is nowhere nearby to evacuate to. We know that if there is a disaster, we do not qualify for priority evacuation by air or boat. We have enough supplies to survive independently for at least 3 months. It wouldn't be pleasant, but we could do it. Our supplies include:
multiple water purification methods - filtration (3), chemical
shelf stable foods - predominantly rice and beans, but some corn, flour, sugar, dehydrated veggies
various camp stoves and fuel sources - butane, propane, wood, alcohol
various outdoor gear/equipment - tents/sleeping bags, water gear, tools/knives

If we needed to evacuate locally to a friend's house, we do have our 7-day food kit to make sure we can feed ourselves with MREs during the initial emergency.
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Pobre
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by Pobre »

"The Northeast blackout of 2003 was a widespread power outage that occurred throughout parts of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and the Canadian province of Ontario on Thursday, August 14, 2003, just after 4:10 p.m. EDT.

Some power was restored by 11 p.m. Most did not get their power back until two days later. In other areas it took nearly a week or two for power to be restored. At the time, it was the world's second most widespread blackout in history, after the 1999 Southern Brazil blackout. The outage, which was much more widespread than the Northeast Blackout of 1965, affected an estimated 10 million people in Ontario and 45 million people in eight U.S. states."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast ... ut_of_2003
AlwaysWannaLearn
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by AlwaysWannaLearn »

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Last edited by AlwaysWannaLearn on Thu Jul 19, 2018 6:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.
JBTX
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by JBTX »

Gill wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 5:59 pm
The Wizard wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 4:43 pm In Florida, it's best to have 8 or 10 red (or yellow) five-gallon containers of fuel for your car at home.
When times get tough, merely having lots of cash won't help in this department...
Never heard that before, and I’ve lived in Florida much of my life. Sounds like a potential disaster to me. We just try to keep the cars full during hurricane season.
Gill
And you have 50 gallons of 10% ethanol gas you should use within 90 days or else the ethanol takes on water and the gas starts to separate (or something like that)
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FOGU
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Re: How much (green) cash at home for emergency ?

Post by FOGU »

At least $5k in greebacks in easy access at all times. At least.
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