* Repair/replace garage roof
* split the pile of free firewood (check craigslist for this)
* plant seedlings my wife started this month

Stealth, this is OT, but you need a permit just to purchase a gun?

In NC you can purchase a long gun (rifle shotgun) same day. You fill out a few forms, they call in a background check and either give you a green light or red light so to say. They walk you to the door, and have a nice day.

To purchase a handgun, you must:
Fill out an application.
Answer all the questions.
Provide two notorized letters of recommendation.
Name a LEO who knows you.

After you do that, you take the application to the county sheriff. They can take up to 30 days to approve or deny your application. If they approve, you wait 30 days to get the permit, if they deny, you can appeal with a county judge.

At least that is how I understand it. Will let you know how it works out and will soon ge asking for advice on this forum for my first two pistol purchases.

Oh yeah, you can ask for two permits to purchase from the same application, and it costs $10 to do that.

Putting up more water for the Summer storms season. A serious thunder storm is going to happen and power outage might...

OK so I read the article, and I don't get it. So, if we suddenly have this huge crisis that demands a precious metal based system, all the pre-1965 coins are going to be worth their face value? Silver coins (for example, a 1 oz coin) will be worth what? Same with gold (again, 1 oz). Since silver is something like $13/oz (is this correct?), does that mean life will cruise away from a $20 bill and go towards a $13 coin?

No. They will be worth the value of their silver content, once their values are spread among the trading masses anyway. Current melt values of coins can be found at COINflation.com.


Yes, in a major financial breakdown, things will revert to a more direct barter system, where you barter the intrinsic value of your coins for goods and services. Since Federal Reserve Notes are only paper, they will not be worth squat. The current prices of the precious metals per troy ounce can be found at Kitco.

I don't know about caching precious metals against the possibility of TEOTWAWKI. In a complete, world-wide breakdown of governments and economies, most people will be reduced to subsistence level, which means the market (if you can call it that) will be driven by commodities that aid subsistence - food, water, clothing, tools, seeds, etc. Starving people can't eat silver. For silver to have "value," there must be people who have extra food, etc., to trade for it. I'd rather have the food.

Anyone read the book "Alas, Babylon" as a kid? In that TEOTWAWKI scenario, the beekeeper who had honey to trade was way ahead of the guy with a chest full of gold and jewels. A pound of sugar might be worth a lot more than a pound of gold in such a world.

I only read it 8 times as a kid, and about that many times as an adult (I kinda liked it)

Although I completely agree with Frank and Ray (yes, I've read "Alas Babylon" AND "Pulling Through"), I "hope" that the knowledge and reference books (like: Back To Basics, Fortunes in Formulas, Military tech manuals, medical manuals, equipment, etc) that I keep on hand will prove to be as invaluable as other commodities.

Thanks. I'm glad other brought this up; it's kind of along the lines I was thinking: that market value for metals would be based more on consumer demand, not "well, it was worth this much on the day that the market crashed." Jewels, metals, etc. are nice, but if no one is taking them, it's just extra weight.

That being said, it might be prudent to have a small amount on hand (which can always be sold in the future for some profit).

Which begs the question, what will be the most valuable commodity to stock: salt, sugar, rice, Jack Daniels?