Keeping Cash On Hand--A Lesson Learned

[jonas parker]

Shamelessly stolen from James Rawles' www.survivalblog.com . :p

Permalink: http://www.survivalblog.com/2009/06/letter_re_keeping_cash_on_hand.html

Keeping Cash On Hand--A Lesson Learned

Dear Jim,
I didn't need a major nationwide SHTF moment to learn a lesson this week. (Why didn't I listen to your advice before this happened!)
On the 15th, someone intercepted my new debit card before it reached my mailbox and cleaned out my checking account at a gas station in another state at 3:00 AM. I didn't have much in there, as it went into overdraft, but it was all I had and I needed it to get to the end of the month. When the bank called at 10:00 AM, I assured them it wasn't me who overdrew the account. I was told it would take 10 business days (two weeks) before they could straighten it out. In the meantime, I am locked out of my checking account and the savings account as there wasn't enough to cover the overdrafts plus fees and my credit card through the bank is frozen. Even if someone gave me a check (loan) to cover my family over the next two weeks, the bank won't let me cash it.
The lesson? Keep cash on hand at home!

Well, at least I learned it this month, and not later in the year when it's possible bank holidays may occur! As panicked as I was on the 15th, I don't know how our friends will get through it if it happens to them! (notice-they offered checks, since they didn't have cash on hand, either)

I am happy to say that other then being penniless at the moment, I was prepared with a deep larder and enough gasoline stored to keep the car going. No one starved and we made all our appointments although there was an awkward moment with a pay-now co-payment. (if only I had started the nickel collection!) One more week to go before this gets straightened out, but we will be okay. I'm actually grateful we're going through this now so lessons learned have the chance to be applied later when it will really count. (Cash-cash-cash-cash!) - A.C.

[rydeon]

Always wise to keep about £2000 or so at home. I've got a police approved gun-cabinet at home and that doubles up as my own ATM machine when times are hard :)

[jakemaverick]

rydeon, good for you...how do i get one of them? I'm in the UK!!! or even a bank account for thatmatter so i can actually earn some money to put in it.....

[rydeon]

rydeon, good for you...how do i get one of them? I'm in the UK!!! or even a bank account for thatmatter so i can actually earn some money to put in it.....

http://www.thesafeshop.co.uk/Categories/rifle-safes/price-200-to-499/1.html

http://www.ablesafe.co.uk/products/4-5-rifle-vault-premier.html

Don't get one that's too heavy as you'll likely need to hoof it up a set of stairs (unless the ground floor is your thing).

[jakemaverick]

thnx for the reply rydeon, but doesn't really help me!!!

Try reading my story, if u can spare the time......not allowed access to money anymore!!!!

wish is was dead by now.....

[Ian2day]

I use to keep cash at home and then the grifters found out and fleaced that from me too! Now I just smile and feed them a vegimite sandwich...:D

[windeyaho]

I went throught the Cedars fire in CA that burned all the way to the ocean. It divided my household - some at work were on lockdown- no choice, the walls came down and that was it, others could not get home due to road closures and I couldn't get out for the same reason. A week of no work, no income and no way out.

The cell towers on the mountain melted but the service I was using managed to keep going through the 1 or 2 that were left. The only communication WAS by cell phone (landlines were burned out) and one local radio station who had a reporter actually living in the area and who refused to leave - he kept on reporting (after telling his family to get out) via his cell phone and using a laptop (recharging on a generator).

Fire personnel were using bull horns up and down the roads (backcountry area) mistakenly calling for an evac of my area - they mixed up the name of our local road with another that was closer to the fire area. It took most of the day, but I had the whole back of my camper shell filled with necessities for all of us and actual requests from my family members. Like the tearful request of my niece to grab her jewelry box because all of her momentos of everything were in it. I also found room for her favorite stuffed toy that her dad had just given her for her birthday.

I had discs to restore computers because there was no room to take everyone's desk tops, I had clothes, I had outdoor survival supplies (inc. medical stuff), extra food, special momentos that each family member wanted and PHOTOS. I had supplies for the cat (dummy me didn't have a carrier then - do NOW, so I made a place for her in the cab next to me with a towel on the seat and plenty of room to grab her before she did anything stupid), extra gasoline, all my movies (MY special momentos), water and $500 in cash. The truck, even with a hi-rise tow package, was setting low on the tires.

As I waited, nothing happened, no one came up the hill to the ranch house door. I was feeding the cat from the stores on the truck and I hardly slept. When I did it was fully clothed in the recliner by the front door (the 22's were handy in case of looters). We were on a well so with the electricity being out, there was no water except what was in jugs. Washing and cooking were kept at a minimum. Nobody cared how dirty they were, they were all looking after animals and taking care of their own problems.

Later on in the next day, I walked down to the neighbors as I saw them coming in with trailer after trailer of horses and asked how the progress was going. They were doing animal rescue and were out IN the situation, to the point of having flames licking their trailers. They said the gas stations were drying up and cash was the only way to go. They didn't have enough gas left to do more than one more run to save a few more animals and they couldn't use their credit cards for gas any longer. Due to the electricity being down, they couldn't use ATMs and the banks weren't functioning. The only reason they could get any gas at all was farmers hauling in manual pumps and some stations having their own generators. Eventually there was NO gasoline to be had unless you could get out of the area 100 miles away.

It took 3 days of waiting to find out that the whole evac scare for our area was a mix up. The fire was close enough for ashes, smoke and bits of vegetation to rain down on us but it went the back way into the hills and bypassed us. After it was all over, I told my family that it was time to get out. Too much vegetation had been overgrown near us and between the fire marshalls handing out fines if you didn't clear and the EPA fining you if you DID, we were stuck. I told them that the next wildfire would take out the ranch. Three years later the Witchcreek fire did exactly that and it also took part of the town. We had all left by that time. What sets my insides churning is that I hiked that whole area daily, 14miles of trails on the weekends, and I knew the flora and the fauna intimately. . . . . a whole lot of animals got burned up in that one.:mad: