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As well reasoned by several posters here, anyone who thinks hoarding gold for a long term survival type existence is clueless. You can't eat it, drink it, etc. and if there is a major catastrophe (EMP strike, solar flare, etc) people are going to be looking for the 3 B's (bullets, bread and booze) as well as water,toilet paper, etc.
At times of such dire conditions no one will think about trading very valuable consumables and protection for a precious metal.....for what...to sit there and stare at it??....anticipate selling it when/if things ever return to normal vs. having desperately needed provisions for a prolonged survival situation?
I remember an old Twilight Zone episode where a few guys stole a fortune in gold bars and went into some kind of induced hibernation (in order to wake up years later when the gold, they thought, would be even more valuable and their crime/them forgotten about). They woke up and, out of greed & avarice, wound up killing each other with one last guy barely alive crawling across a deserted landscape with a gold bar in his hand begging for water. A futuristic car stops and they reach him just he drops dead but hear his offer to trade the whole gold bar for just a little water. Then one of the people turns the other and says something to the effect that the guy must be nuts since gold had no value anymore and wasn't even worth the trade for water.
In the event of a nuclear fallout...die in your shelter at the speed you have stockpiled for...yes, gold isn't going to get you much.
Gold's value stems from it being small, rare, easy to authenticate and easy to carry. It also has uses, but as technology improved there were lots of other materials that were a lot cheaper. That's why it was first used as money. The value, as in what it will buy you, will likely decrease significantly, but it even enhances trade in the event that two things of unequal value are wanted from one another.
The other thing gold doesn't do is expire. You can't stockpile too much of the other stuff.
Now our place is going to have river access, and much later on we may be able to have a waterwheel. Again, my strategy differs here because I plan on having a relatively large enclave, with 14 buildings so far. So gold definitely fits into the plan. Plus our place isn't going to suck. We already enjoy it in the summer.
If you end up short on something and want to come trade....you may want some gold.
In the event of a nuclear fallout...die in your shelter at the speed you have stockpiled for...yes, gold isn't going to get you much.
Gold's value stems from it being small, rare, easy to authenticate and easy to carry. It also has uses, but as technology improved there were lots of other materials that were a lot cheaper. That's why it was first used as money. The value, as in what it will buy you, will likely decrease significantly, but it even enhances trade in the event that two things of unequal value are wanted from one another.
The other thing gold doesn't do is expire. You can't stockpile too much of the other stuff.
Now our place is going to have river access, and much later on we may be able to have a waterwheel. Again, my strategy differs here because I plan on having a relatively large enclave, with 14 buildings so far. So gold definitely fits into the plan. Plus our place isn't going to suck. We already enjoy it in the summer.
If you end up short on something and want to come trade....you may want some gold.
Not true......you can stockpile either canned or freeze dried emergency supplies which have a shelf life of 25 - 30 years (and will last longer than that as proven by some 50 yr old surplus cans that were found to still be edible...not that tasty, but found to be not harmful or indigestible to humans). Also, ammo, liquor, etc. will not expire in a lifetime.
And....it doesn't have to be the extreme of a nuclear holocaust. A major catastrophe like a solar flare that knocks out the grid for a year is still gonna get people at each others throats after month or so when the non planners start going hungry and look to beg, borrow or steal from those who have planned. In that case (and esp. if in a fairly well populated area) instead of knowing I have gold stockpiled and that said people will have no use for it or those who do have the food, ammo, etc won't want to trade it for a useless at the time metal, I'd rather know I spent my money on buying up emergency supplies & ammo to protect it (and my family) with. Also, if such a thing happens, the markets including the precious metals markets are bound to come crashing down so it might take a long time for it to ever be valued at what is was purchased at or it's value price at the time prior to the catastrophe.
Stock up on what you actually use and rotate your stock
Even non-preppers should look at the shelf-stable stuff you consume in your regular life (Food, drink, TP, cleaners, medical/health stuff, ammo), stock up on that today, and rotate your stock (that is, use up the oldest stuff in your daily life and then re-stock).
Is piling up expensive freeze-dried foods for use in a disaster which probably will not happen in your lifetime that much more sensible than stacking up gold coins that at least have a good chance of retaining resale value?
Even non-preppers should look at the shelf-stable stuff you consume in your regular life (Food, drink, TP, cleaners, medical/health stuff, ammo), stock up on that today, and rotate your stock (that is, use up the oldest stuff in your daily life and then re-stock).
Is piling up expensive freeze-dried foods for use in a disaster which probably will not happen in your lifetime that much more sensible than stacking up gold coins that at least have a good chance of retaining resale value?
A 6 month basic supply of freeze dried emergency rations for a family of 4 can be found for $2000.....a full year's supply for $4000:
So...being able to plan for & survive a long term survival situation for the price of 2 - 3 ozs of gold I think is a no brainer......will it be needed??...who knows? It's basically an insurance policy - Same thing as life, auto, health insurance but you pay for that don't you without the potential for needing it? I'd rather have it and not need it than desperately need it and not have it. Would you suggest people give up one or more of those and buy gold instead?
If you like bourbon, instead of freeze dried Chicken, build a back catalog of +80 proof
Forget gold, if you have extra space, find the best price and keep a year's supply of toilet paper in a rodent-proof closet. Write the purchase date on the package and use up the oldest stuff first.
Quote:
Originally Posted by luckyram
So...being able to plan for & survive a long term survival situation for the price of 2 - 3 ozs of gold I think is a no brainer......will it be needed??...who knows? It's basically an insurance policy - Same thing as life, auto, health insurance but you pay for that don't you without the potential for needing it? I'd rather have it and not need it than desperately need it and not have it. Would you suggest people give up one or more of those and buy gold instead?
Neither is a good investment, both gold and freeze dried food are less likely to pay out than an insurance policy. If you like bourbon, you'd be better served building up a back catalog of +80 proof mid-grade hooch than a stash of freeze dried Chicken a la King.
I'm not saying don't store food! Just that there's more utility in looking at what you actually eat and extending your storage out to the edge of the "best used by" shelf life -- instead of keeping a month's worth of dry brown rice on hand, buy in bulk and store +6 months supply in the freezer, rotate your stock regularly. Don't store so much of any one thing that you end up with degraded (poor flavor, poor texture, etc) that you will just end up throwing away.
Similarly, if you heat your home with wood/oil/propane/pellets/etc, you'd be better off investing the $2K in expanded fuel storage and loading up during seasonally low prices.
Forget gold, if you have extra space, find the best price and keep a year's supply of toilet paper in a rodent-proof closet. Write the purchase date on the package and use up the oldest stuff first.
Neither is a good investment, both gold and freeze dried food are less likely to pay out than an insurance policy. If you like bourbon, you'd be better served building up a back catalog of +80 proof mid-grade hooch than a stash of freeze dried Chicken a la King.
I'm not saying don't store food! Just that there's more utility in looking at what you actually eat and extending your storage out to the edge of the "best used by" shelf life -- instead of keeping a month's worth of dry brown rice on hand, buy in bulk and store +6 months supply in the freezer, rotate your stock regularly. Don't store so much of any one thing that you end up with degraded (poor flavor, poor texture, etc) that you will just end up throwing away.
Similarly, if you heat your home with wood/oil/propane/pellets/etc, you'd be better off investing the $2K in expanded fuel storage and loading up during seasonally low prices.
I don't see emergency freeze dried/canned food as an investment though.....I see it as insurance. And for me it would not be the only thing I'd turn to.....I'd hunt rabbits, squirrels, etc. and fish and forage for edibles and use emergency rations to supplement that if needed or until that was no longer feasible. Also, many of the freeze dried foods are not meats but things like rice, beans, pasta, oats ,etc which will last many years and still be fairly tasty even at the end of their shelf life.
I agree about the TP and other stuff but disagree about buying & freezing supplies.....the first thing that'll spoil in any electrical grid failure is frozen stuff....also, all that previous 6 month freezer supply of brown rice will start to go bad especially in hot & humid conditions. I assume you know there is a huge difference in freezer stored and freeze dried supplies.....freeze dried supplies are in hermetically sealed foil bags that never need refrigeration or subsequent freezing - they only need to be stored in containers in a cool dry place.
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Stock up on what you actually use and rotate your stock
If you like bourbon, instead of freeze dried Chicken, build a back catalog of +80 proof
