I always have cash on hand because I never know when I will come across a great deal for prepper supplies. Check Craigslist and garage sales - you may be surprised how much you find and how much you will save as a result.

If the SHTF, credit card debt will be uncollectible. I would be the last to tell you to run them suckers up when crash is imminent!

Another item I have read in different books , be it fiction or fact .. if SHTF , and if YOU can , go buy all the extra stuff ,,,, BUT first use a credit card or checks some may still take it ,,, then go to PAPER FRN ,s same all silver for a later recover time etc...FRN are Federal RES. dollars. after paper money is trash

You can take 'hardship' loans against your 401K. It's a gamble though: if society limps along for the next 40 years you really hamstring your retirement nest egg. I put the minimum amount into my 401K in order to get the employer match. If everything collapses and all the digital 1s and 0s are wiped out then retirement will be the least of my worries.

I was talking to someone last weekend that may have a good idea for some. It was a young man in his 30s worried about the banking issues he feels are coming this fall. He had a pay cut forced on him at his work and was worrying how he and his wife (her work hrs had been cut) were going to make ends meet let alone be able to put any money aside for savings. What he decided to do was withdraw half his and his wifes money from their 401k savings accounts at each of their companies. I know nothing about 401k regs! But he said he could legally do that and had 5 years to pay it back but in the meantime he now has a cash savings in his hand. He said if things go bad, he wont have to pay it back and will have that initial cushion. If all continues as is...they will have to give the money back since they cannot afford the payments in their current situation.

and NOW is the time to grab some extra cans food , look for big box store sales, pre holyday but the stuff you eat every day. and some extra for trade items ,,, cans of food will be like GOLD coins.

Amen to that advice. My bug out bag has a small stack of cash in a ziplock bag. Not oodles (I am a married man with kids after all!) but enough to (hopefully) get us through the first week of uncertainty. While most people are still in shock I hope to be able to bribe a pharmacist to part with a vial or three of insulin.

Want to add read reports (many now) about Sept. 15 , about stuff hitting the fan. so wanted to add the tip have some cash on hand for what ever hits.. Most people will still be in the Fog . They will take cash for days to even weeks.. and use credit/debit card on days one or two. you can even grab some last minute stuff, look for AMMO, and can foods first then dry foods etc. medical items will also not be grabbed at first...and the dates could be off some Sept. to Mid OCT. so kept that in mind... THINK MURPHY's LAW what ever can go wrong , can and will.