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Other than metals, what items could a person buy, physically hold and retain future value?

I googled inflation for ideas. First off, buying staple food and consumer good (toilet paper,soap,etc.) items on sale that keep for long-term storage is a very good start. Don't have to be of prepper mind to practice that. It just helps save $$ that can used to buy other things.

It is tangential to your OP, but look into how interest rates have an effect on things. We are a major low for interest rates and it is bizarre IMHO. I believe it can not go too long like that simply because the market will demand more rent to be paid on money being loaned eventually. There are no safe investments in theory as an investment can lose money from what I have seen. After a while, getting 1 or 2% on your money that is parked in supposedly safe places like bonds or a CD will not cut it. It takes a lot of principal to generate a nice income supplement with those rates. Meanwhile, inflation causes a cash burn on common items. I do not even remember what things should cost on the basic grocery shelf vs. what they cost 10 years ago. I strive to just buy less items and keep my grocery bill down. The thing is that gasoline did some price jumps the past 9 years or so and that has gotten to a dismal increased out-of-pocket expense each week that detracts from me buying other things with the money. And that is one common consumption item that I can do without. The other is coffee. I guess I find it a bargain to pay $5 now for a can of coffee when I see Starbucks 12 oz bags of coffee go for $9

ammunition, and lots of it. Specifically .223/ 5.56

Thank your Uncle Obama

I would love to see a 30 year price on the cost of .223 rounds.

Land. And Ammo. And, if I had a time machine, about a thousand AR-15 magazines just before the Sandy Hook massacre--500+% markup on Ebay and other places. Just sayin'.

A large plastic barrel of black peppercorns will keep pace with inflation. No insects will bother it, and it will keep forever.

Is there an after market for peppercorns? Or would it just be for personal consumption?

Enclosed trailers. I bought a used 16-footer to move with, promoted it to garden shed duty, and it's still worth a grand more than I paid for it. After another move, I may sell it.

$nack-Money wrote:ammunition, and lots of it. Specifically .223/ 5.56

Thank your Aunty Feinstein

Fixed that for you.

Engineer wrote:Enclosed trailers. I bought a used 16-footer to move with, promoted it to garden shed duty, and it's still worth a grand more than I paid for it. After another move, I may sell it.

Hm, interesting. I would not have expected that.

Could gasoline be stockpiled in this way? I've often thought about the idea of stocking up on gas in the winter time and using it throughout the year for personal consumption. It seems like it's always lower during the winter. The only thing is, I don't know if gas can go bad. Does anyone know? If I let a 55gal drum of gas sit for a couple years, would the gas go bad some day?

gas does go bad, but you can put a stabilizer in it. Diesel will go bad as well, just not as fast.

creshka46 wrote:Could gasoline be stockpiled in this way? I've often thought about the idea of stocking up on gas in the winter time and using it throughout the year for personal consumption. It seems like it's always lower during the winter. The only thing is, I don't know if gas can go bad. Does anyone know? If I let a 55gal drum of gas sit for a couple years, would the gas go bad some day?

Even with stabilizers, gas is a perishable item. Plus you don't want to get into the environmental regulations and legal liability in storing a crap-load of gas on your property.

Medicine and medical supplies.
Good farm land.
Ammo. Lots and lots of ammo.
All parts of ammo for reloading. Take primers for .223. Good luck finding them now.
Good shoes and boots.
Wine.
Whiskey historically does very well in inflationary times. In times of panic and/or famine, it's worth it's weight in gold.
Sugar, rice, other staples.
Tobacco, maybe? It is not near as popular as it used to be.

creshka46 wrote:Could gasoline be stockpiled in this way? I've often thought about the idea of stocking up on gas in the winter time and using it throughout the year for personal consumption. It seems like it's always lower during the winter. The only thing is, I don't know if gas can go bad. Does anyone know? If I let a 55gal drum of gas sit for a couple years, would the gas go bad some day?

PM Engineer. He will tell you how to do it.

Gas goes bad when the volatile chemicals evaporate, or when moisture gets sucked in from the surrounding air. You can keep it good for quite a while in a plastic, nonvented container in a cool place with steady temperatures.

It's not much different than keeping your good booze from evaporating...keep the lid on tight, and it'll stay good for a while.

kwebb70 wrote:Other than metals, what items could a person buy, physically hold and retain future value?

S.W.A.G. =
Silver
Wine
Art
Gold


Old and rare to semi-rare musical instuments. Farmland within a 50 mile radius of a large metrupolitan area. All of these items will retain their future value.

Engineer wrote:Gas goes bad when the volatile chemicals evaporate, or when moisture gets sucked in from the surrounding air. You can keep it good for quite a while in a plastic, nonvented container in a cool place with steady temperatures.

It's not much different than keeping your good booze from evaporating...keep the lid on tight, and it'll stay good for a while.

Good to know, thanks.

Hi all-

Dont forget bottled water and water purifiers. I bought my dad (well, all of us really) a nice water purifier for christmas- not that we use it regularly, but just to have.
I know they're overpriced and not the healthiest, but I love MRE's and I've started stocking up on them as well as freeze-dried food. At most places that sell bulk MREs they still boil down to about $4 per meal, a helluva lot cheaper than a meal anywhere else.

wags

- Insulation and new windows for the house could save a lot in future heating/cooling bills.
- Light bulbs.
- Batteries. They should last at least five years.
- Flash lights and a few radios; battery powered and wind up.
- Driveway salt for those of us in the North. Wait until the early Spring when it is on sale.
- Hand tools. You should have a spare of anything you use on a regular basis. Flea markets are a great place to look for these.
- Nails, screws, bolts. . .etc. I gotten at least a handful of screws/nails from the bank coin machine.

Engineer wrote:Gas goes bad when the volatile chemicals evaporate, or when moisture gets sucked in from the surrounding air. You can keep it good for quite a while in a plastic, nonvented container in a cool place with steady temperatures.

It's not much different than keeping your good booze from evaporating...keep the lid on tight, and it'll stay good for a while.

Is it the same for motor oil?

Don't worry about motor oil. It will last MUCH longer than gas.

Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay wrote:<snip>
Wine.
Whiskey historically does very well in inflationary times. In times of panic and/or famine, it's worth it's weight in gold.

+1

Or a set of homebrew equipment and a still. It's pretty easy to build a still out of a used beer keg. There are a couple of companies that manufacture a special clamp just for attaching a column to the opening on a stainless steel keg.

Plus this equipment will serve you well in the interim between now and the hard times.