In that case you would often need gold, not cash.

Beans and bullets are better than gold in a SHTF scenario. As are Bic lighters.

I'm partial to clipper lighters, myself. There not as reliable, but they're completely reusable. (gas refill port, removable flint stalk)

By the time the infrastructure and economy is fucked enough by disaster that currency is worthless, the gold will be worthless as well.

I always tell rich people that ill buy everything they own for this can of beans here. You might not want to buy it now but eventually you will take the deal.

What are you going to do, cut up your gold into tiny bits to give to people? Gonna keep a scale with you and weigh it out exactly based on the market rate? It seems pretty useless for spending on supplies and food if you ask me.

You keep the gold in the form of relatively small coins, not large bars.

> It seems pretty useless for spending on supplies and food if you ask me.

Seem pretty useful to me. At least historically, you can generally exchange gold for goods even in a total disaster scenario. You won't be weighing anything out or getting change, of course. You'll be seriously overpaying by the standards of a functioning economy. But nonetheless, you'll be able to engage in enough commerce to help you survive.

That said, I don't keep gold around. I do keep cash -- but if things have devolved to the point where cash isn't useful, then I'll have much larger problems than figuring out how to buy stuff.

> What are you going to do, cut up your gold into tiny bits to give to people?

You could carry some Goldbacks: https://www.goldback.com/