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When Russia was in its economic Troubles in the 1990s, a lot of people kept their money in their Mattresses, then Russia declined the old Currency no longer valid and unless it was in a bank you lost the entire value of the Currency (Some conversions was permitted but was limited).
If you keep thing sin your home keep REAL things. Gold, Silver, Food, Gasoline. Something you can store and sell later. I lean to Gasoline, it will always be in demand the the price is upward. It is volatile and you need an adequate Storage System, but if you are in the Boondocks getting a 500 - 1000 gallon tank may be worth the money. If you heat with oil and use a Diesel Vehicle, home Heating oil would be a better choice. In a push you can use it in the Diesel (It is illegal to do so for it is NOT taxed, but the oil itself is the same).
As to Gold and Silver, unless you have someone that will take it in a pinch, not worth holding. The values are up, but if the situation gets so bad that banks are closed, where would you use the Gold and Silver? Gold and Silver should be part of your plan, but secondary to other savings items.
That brings us to food. Food is expected to go up for at least the next year. More to do with farmer switching to Corn for Ethanol production than anything else. Food is something people need every day (Try to do without for a few week). Thus if things go bad having some food to fall back on will be more valuable than Gold or Silver (You can NOT eat Gold or Silver). I would try to go with food that do NOT need Refrigeration (i.e. stay away from meats). Bread do NOT last long when cook and most people do NOT cook today, so I would stay away from Bread or Flour (Unless you have a secure source of heat AND someone in your house is COOKING Bread today, then Flour is probably your best choice). I would opt for pre-made noodles, These can last a long time and do NOT require much time to cook.
In addition to the Noodle (Or Flour if someone cooks) I would buy canned corn, peas, beans etc. These can be use with the Noodles or other main meal (and can be the main meal themselves). If you have pets, buy food in bulk for them. Cats need meat, thus you must have cat food if you go meatless. If you have a dog, he can go meatless, but you are better off with dry dog food for him. Make sure you have food for the pets in addition to yourself, your spouse and your family. Extra food should be stock for trade. I do not expect a general breakdown in society, look at Russia in the 1990s for an example what will happen, so we can ignore the right wing gun nuts (Such nuts are choice that you will need defend your property, that did NOT occur in Russia in the 1990s, people tend to work together in hard times, and more so if you have food to give your neighbor in exchange for work including working together on a common project like setting up a Garden to provide food for everyone).
Just a comment on keeping money in a Mattress, there are better things to keep at home than your cash.
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