By David McComas
Romantics like to say that love makes the world go round. No. It’s money. Money makes the world go round. Try going without it. You can, but it is difficult.
If the planet has some kind of apocalypse, money as we know it will become useless. One hundred dollar bills won’t even be good for toilet paper. It will get down to trading tangible goods and services for whatever you want. Precious metals are nice and shiny, but you can’t eat gold coins and you can’t make soup with silver bullion.
Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. For a localized disaster like a tornado or flood that knocks out the power of your city, or a major hurricane that knocks the power out of four or five states, you will not be able to use your credit or debit card, because the power is out. For the stores that are open, they will have signs saying, “Cash Only.” You better have the right change too, because they might be using a drawer or tackle box instead of a cash register that is more computer than anything else. Be sure to check their math.
I used to keep a one hundred dollar bill tucked away in a hidden area of my wallet. It felt good and reassuring. What if I’m in the ditch on a dark country road and need a tow truck, but my cell phone doesn’t have any bars? There are no homes in sight to ask for a land line. Along comes Joe Bob with his beater 4X4 truck. He can get me out for a twenty. All I have is a five and a hundred. He won’t do it for less and he can’t make change. There goes the hundred. He might have only seven teeth left at the age of thirty, but that doesn’t mean he’s stupid when it comes to money.
I started saving one dollar bills. One or two, sometimes three at a time. Sporadically. They are in an envelope in my sock drawer. I have over $200 in there, in two separate envelopes, one hundred each. Plus some loose bills that will soon be in another envelope. That will buy some food and/or prescriptions. Maybe some gas.
I also save coins. Even pennies. Back when I was younger, saving pocket change paid the rent twice, during hard times. Rolls of dimes and quarters can come in handy.
I’ve been saving shiny pennies for the grand children of my grand nephew. By that time, money probably won’t be used and the coins I leave them will be collector items. It doesn’t cost me much to save pennies and hopefully, it will be a good thing for them. Money won’t do me any good in my casket.
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