Well said Nuggethoarder.

You can't eat gold. Nor can you eat paper money. Nor the figures on your computer printout representing what you "have" in the bank. Or the real estate you may be holding (unless it's under cultivation).

But there is a hierarchy to one's safety net.

Stored food, good neighbors, tools and materials for home repair, defense firearms, some barter goods, books of how to do things for oneself (home repair, gardening) should come first.

THEN hold some of the precious metals to preserve some of your earned wealth against loss of value in the paper money and the figures on the printout that no one will honor.

Gold having value seems absurd from a logic standpoint.
But from an empirical and historical standpoint - it works.

It cost a bottle of whiskey and an ounce of gold to get on a flight out of Saigon when it fell. Argentinians were trading gold rings as barter when their crisis occurred (after the govt seized their 401k-equivalent holdings BTW).

These are uncertain times. We are all struggling to figure out what the best strategy for future survival is.