Earthquakes and wildfires here, but yeah.
Hmmm, I have a grand or so on hand, but it’s all in change. I need to roll up all the coins in that water bottle.
Total collapse of the financial system? I don’t have high hopes for how long I’ll live.
I’m Argentinian, I have already survived that and can survive it again easily.
(It helps if you don’t trust banks, the government, or anything other than the almighty dollar (but only the ones with the big Benjamin Franklin face)).
What’s currently worrying me is that the dollar may not be so sure for long, giving (gestures around) everything that’s happening.
I’m torn between selling my dollars to accelerate the pace I’m fixing up my house (“Investing in bricks” we call it) or use them to buy Euros, Renminbi, Yens or some other more reliable currency.
If one person stops paying their rent/mortgage, it’s relatively easy for the banks/landlords to evict them. But if everyone was unable to pay their rent, all at the same time? There aren’t enough bailiffs in the world to evict everyone.
I usually have few hundred dollars lying around, but I don’t think we would survive very long. IF the power stayed on, we likely have enough food in the freezer to go for a month or so. If the power fails, we are toast.
I’m assuming more than a temporary glitch, so long-term ability to contribute to a local community in exchange for goods you need is important.
As I mentioned earlier, old age and infirmity would limit what I could do, but unless I completely lose my physical mobility and my marbles, I could contribute. I can babysit children, teach them to read, cook for large groups (or teach cooking), do light gardening, perform any kind of administrative/record-keeping tasks that the local society decides is important, take care of livestock/pets, clean houses … I’m not saying I’d enjoy all of those tasks, but I could do them in exchange for being part of a tight-knit local community that took care of its own.