Letter Re: Buying Storage Food and Precious Metals on a Budget

Jim,
Thanks so much for SurvivalBlog. I’ve been lurking there for around six months now, ever since I started to realize the value of being prepared. It’s a daily stop for me, because I know I’ll learn something new nearly every day.
I read with interest some of the recent writings about preparedness on a budget and investing in metals. I’ve combined the two. I, like many people, don’t have a lot of money to spend on preparedness (good thing, otherwise I might be a mall ninja). But at the same time, I want to prepare for everything at once. So I started preparing food through a link I found through your pages — with the $10 a week food storage. At the same time, I wanted to continue my metals savings.

I had been saving up $40-$60 a month and buying gold coins. When gold went to $1,000 per ounce, I switched to buying silver. Now each month I set aside just $20. I then either head to my local coin shop or use the Internet to buy a silver coin or bullion. I actually get the silver in my hands. I read a recent article on SurvivalBlog that mentioned how to invest in silver and how to obtain certificates or deposits, etc. But I want the silver in my hand. Now I know that if there’s a total meltdown, no one will want coins. But if there’s just a partial meltdown, I know I’ve got something that will be worth trading. If there’s no meltdown, know what? I’ve still got something worth something. And I like that by taking physical possession of it, that I’m assured that no matter what bank fails, I’ve still got it.

There is great value, in my mind, in having the peace of mind to know that I’m prepared. – Ogre