How to set up cash for emergencies?
It’s OK. I’ll just grab my wallet in an emergency.
My kids also need cash, right?
How many wallets do I need??
Do you usually carry some cash in your bag? Or in your wallet? You have a wallet, right?
Nowadays, many people worry about forgetting their cellphone, and having to go back to home to pick it up. It’s strange. If I forget my cellphone, I feel like I left a part of myself behind. People don’t worry so much about their wallets, at least, not as much as they used to. But I want to say that your wallet is important too.
When I was a teenager, before going out, I used to check whether or not my wallet was in my bag.
How about pockets? What is main purpose of the pockets in your pants?? What do you put in them?
Think back twenty, thirty years ago. Did you know anyone whose pockets were always full of coins and crumpled bills? Could you hear the sound of change rattling in their pockets? Here’s another question: did you ever find coins in the bottom of the laundry machine ? Or wet bills? When I found wet bills, I would sometimes stick them on the window to dry.
I think many kids do not have these memories,
because they don’t need to carry money in their pockets.
Please do not forget that we might have a blackout during or after a major disaster. When that happens real, palpable, cold, hard, cash money will come in very handy!
Check my previous post, #98, about why you need to prepare cash for emergencies.
How to store emergency cash
1. Keep some cash in your wallet, all the time.
ATM’s will not work in a power outage. Electric vending machines will also not work.
2. Keep Some bills in your phone case or keychain.
3. Each emergency bag should have a little bit of cash in a waterproof bag or plastic pouch.
Put one in your kids’ school bags, too!
4. Get a safe, or make your own temporary, DIY safe box.
If you want to store cash in your home, buy a safe, or make your own. Wrap your cash in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and then put it into a metal box or tin.
I will talk about getting a safe, in a future post.
5. Use an old thermos.
Not sure why, but nobody steals thermoses from people’s homes. So, it’s a good place to put money. Keep it in the kitchen, car or garage.
Other info
▪︎ Don’t bother with 1¢ or 5¢ coins. Stick with larger, more commonly used coins, like 25¢ and 10¢ coins.
If you’re in Japan, 10 yen, 100 yen and 500 yen coins are good.
▪︎ In a blackout, many stores will not let customers in. When the power is out, many grocery stores will not let people shop, because the cashiers don’t know the prices of things, and because credit cards won’t work. Everything is barcodes, scanners, and credit cards these days. If they want to stay open without power, someone needs to check the prices, they need to calculate prices the old fashioned way, and everybody will need cash.
Can you imagine: someone getting a shopping cart full of items at a store without electricity?
How long would it take them to check out at the register? And think of how long the line would get!
▪︎ Stores in affected areas will set a limit on the number of items each customer can purchase. Things will be hard enough after a disaster. They will be even harder without cash.
In the aftermath of a big disaster, every house will have its own unique situation. In earthquakes and fires, for example, even neighboring houses will suffer different amounts of damage. It’s unpredictable. But a small amount of preparation will go a long way. Don’t rely too much on electricity, and prepare real money for emergencies. You’ll be glad you did.
See you next time.
Remember, “Protect your life by yourself” （自分の命は自分で守る). You need to survive first, and then you need your emergency supply. No matter how well you prepared your emergency supplies, if you die, then all of your preparations will have been for nothing. First and foremost, keep your health up all the time. Build your stamina so that if you need to, you can evacuate as quickly as possible. Stay healthy
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