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AR15.COM
1/7/2010 11:34:40 PM EDT
How much cash do you keep on hand, "just in case"?  By cash I mean legal tender, not you hoard of silver and gold coins.

Not for SHFT-TEOTWAKI, I mean something more like short term problems like the big power outage a few years back.

What is your rationale for the amount?

I keep $200, but I am thinking that is not enough.  Probably 1 week worth of gas and groceries, + some for medical supplies or unexpected expenses, in case of a short term SHTF.

1/7/2010 11:43:08 PM EDT
[#1]
Cash and ammo are a lot alike, and both can help keep you safe.  You want your money working for you, but its smart to keep a good chunk ready for emergencies if you can.   Depends on what you're doing though.
1/7/2010 11:54:48 PM EDT
[#2]
At a very minimum, I keep 1-2 months worth of expenses in cash on hand. Voted for >$2k. Not only can it save your ass in a pinch, but it lets you swoop up good deals that may come your way that you would otherwise miss without cash on hand.
1/7/2010 11:56:42 PM EDT
[#3]
Do you miss the interest you could be earning (right now, admittedly not much) if you keep >$2000 in cash?  Back in the day, 4% would lose you $80/year.
1/8/2010 12:04:14 AM EDT
[#4]



Quoted:


Do you miss the interest you could be earning (right now, admittedly not much) if you keep >$2000 in cash?  Back in the day, 4% would lose you $80/year.


I don't. The problems that were solved by having that cash on hand, far exceeded the value in interest that could have been paid to me. I also don't keep all my eggs in one basket. I keep funds spread across high yield savings (or what they call high yield these days), checking accounts, and the safe.



 
1/8/2010 12:52:01 AM EDT
[#5]
Not enough.
1/8/2010 1:29:12 AM EDT
[#6]
3 Months Expenses.
1/8/2010 4:54:11 AM EDT
[#7]

1/8/2010 5:08:31 AM EDT
[#8]
$400 in the safe, I decided on that amount because our home owners insurance only covers $400 in cash in the case of theft or fire. Didn't make sense to have $2,000 sitting in a safe uninsured, we have an alarm and the safe is heavy and huge, but everything else is in it well insured.
1/8/2010 5:57:34 AM EDT
[#9]



i keep about $10K in the safe typically. i've recently run into some issues that have taken a piece out of that (paid off a medical bill, put new transmission in my jeep, and then had the transfer case go about 2 weeks later...), but i'll re-supply as needed.


1/10/2010 7:35:07 AM EDT
[#10]
Quoted:



i keep about $10K in the safe typically. i've recently run into some issues that have taken a piece out of that (paid off a medical bill, put new transmission in my jeep, and then had the transfer case go about 2 weeks later...), but i'll re-supply as needed.




Wow.  $10k is a lot of money to keep around.

Even if you have a safe, I would  be nervous keeping more in cash than I could comfortably lose if my house was broken into.  Based on that, $2-$3 would be my limit.