So if the worst happens, what would you give someone who offered you some gold or silver or cash? Would you part with any of your food if you have no idea on when the normal economy will be restored? What would you expect in return if you offered someone else metals or cash in exchange for food?

I'll out my money in food, shelter, and clothing preparations. Metals and cash will be worthless when food starts running low and every body and his brother starts trotting out gold, silver, cash, etc. to barter for something to eat.

-- Hoser (goldi@aol.com), October 26, 1999

Answers

i guess that depends on what rung of the ladder you are on. i am a farmer and rancher that is pretty well prepaired. i also have plenty of grain and cows, also plant a large garden each year. have a large orchard of fruit. i have a diesel gen./trace sw4024/ inverter12 /L-16 batteries . i have a years supply of food, plus. i have 2000/gal diesel, 1500/gal propane, a diesel pickup, 2 diesel tractors. 2000/308, 2000/ 9mm. 1000/30 cal.10,000/22lr ammo, 1000's$ in gold eagles,2000/silver eagles,and 1000's in cash. but you know i have had this for years, it is not because y2k, it is for my peace of mind. i have always lived this way, i am prepaired for most anything, i also have 4 gas masks, i didnt buy them for gas i bought them for grinding corn for feed[dust but now they can be used for smothing else, if need be. so back to your question, yes i would trade for gold and silver. do you have some to trade? cause i have a big pit on the ranch , i will continue to store it in till some day i might use it when things change. bob

-- bob (rcrozier@koyote.com), October 26, 1999.

we have always thought that the small amount of gold we could afford would be for later use, when the systems have stablized, when the depression has bottomed out,

we have always thought that a bag of rice was the first thing to have,

if we are ever able to use our gold it would be for land with wells and fruit trees,

we cannot afford it right now, we have invested in the rice we will need short term,

yes, we have a worst case plan but it relies on the kindness of others, but we will be bringing heirloom seeds, some tools, vitamins and a GI attitude,

I do not think that the American is capable of barter let alone gold trading, paper money will work for a short while because it is familiar,

gold is only after food, clothing and shelter, IMHO, julienne

-- julienne (bootman@value.net), October 26, 1999.

Metals are to be bought with money you cannot put into something useful, IMHO. IF G&S are to be used, it will be a couple of years after the economic fallout (let's hope NOT the other kind) has settled and a somewhat stable situation has arisen. That may be a warlord feudalistic world, but stable enough to live with. Warlords don't want to kill folks that are productive enough to pay tribute now and then.

Kook

-- Y2Kook (Y2Kook@usa.net), October 26, 1999.

Nah, it won't take long to go to coinage. Basically, everybody who prepared will have had differing priorities. So I (for example) will probably have an excess of kerosene that I can sell or barter.

My friend up the road will almost certainly have excess salt. Salt becomes very useful for canning and curing when you go low tech.

Depending on the season, we have farmers who have just about every crop except wheat around here. If we need a box of apples, I'll gladly use silver to buy it.

If there's a financial meltdown, people find a way VERY QUICKLY to use means other than currency to execute transactions.

Jolly

BTW - Around here, there's a restaurant that already takes silver in exchange for lunch. Don't need to tip, either.

-- Jollyprez (jolly@prez.com), October 26, 1999.

If there are no gov. regulations generally most anything that I can produce myself. Some of these will include eggs, from chickens, later chickens, seeds, herbs, good water from my well. I will be setting up a very small home foundry to melt metal and will eventually have molds and will make them for replacement small replacement parts. If it is extended bad time and manufacturing plants shut down I can also set up a kiln make basic pottery items.

People like Microsoft and financial wizards, sell knowledge today so I will "sell" my "Knowledge" about all the things I have learned over the past 25 years on how to do it without money and store bought items, gardening, homesteading info, and some of my creative ideas and items produced with make do brain thought power.

obo

-- Onebyone (susanwater@excite.com), October 26, 1999.

Julienne has the right idea: Food, fuel, clothing, seeds, tools, first. Put your excess capital into precious metals only after you've stocked up on staples and supplies. If Y2k hits as hard as I expect, there's going to be a time when no type of money counts for much. Precious metals and money will become important again as we start to re-build.

-- Not Whistlin' Dixie (not_whistlin_dixie@yahoo.com), October 26, 1999.

"What would you trade for a gold coin?"

Unless it was an insanely inflated trade nothing. I can't eat it, use it for anything, etc, hence no real value to me. If it was food, or a tool or raw material I might be willing to barter but a coin? Nope. Under no circumstances would I accept anything in trade for guns or ammo.

DCK

-- Don Kulha (dkulha@vom.com), October 26, 1999.

What an interesting concept!

You won't accept gold because you can't eat it. I've never thought of things in those terms before, so I just gotta ask you -- how do you prepare dollar bills, dimes, quarters, and pennies before eating them? I can't believe you just consume them au natural, and regardless, I'm having a hard time accepting the notion that *any* means of preparation will result in a *nutritious* meal, palatability notwithstanding.

Me, I'd gladly accept a gold coin for some surplus food, because I know I'll be able to exchange the coin to someone *else* for something *I* need. You know, sort of like "money" -- a store of value used in lieu of direct barter.

But hey, to each his own. Bon appetit!

-- Ron Schwarz (rs@clubvb.com.delete.this), October 27, 1999.