How Much Cash To Keep In The House for Emergencies

@roddiesho, don't recommend keeping any cash at home.  Won't that be a safety risk?  The cash in your wallet should be enough to get you the little unexpected things.

One of the benefits of not keeping cash handy is that this will not encourage impulse buying.  Planned buying is much more helpful as this will allow people to ask "do I really need this?".

However, there is a delicate balance between impulse buying and buying to keep feeling happy.  I am not against buying to keep feeling happy and my gut feeling is to keep that cash amount in your wallet so that it becomes a conscious action to know how much you need to keep feeling happy (by knowing how many times you go to the ATM for instance....).

I find that things that make you happy tend to not be related to how much you spend on but how much you value them.

11/26/23. I keep R$1000 socked away for emergencies, and  R$50-100 in my wallet.  We used to keep more, but Pix has made cash pretty much obsolete for small purchases.  In the North, where coins and low denomination bills are in chronic short supply, Pix has been a godsend for small merchants, for whom making change was always a problem.

When TSHTF everything essential will suddenly cost 3-10 times as much, and electronic banking will either not work, or deliberately be constrained by the state.

Therefore, keep as much cash/gold in a safe place as you deem necessary to survive under that scenario.

I'm not going to post numbers, but, it's more than you are quoting here.

I normally carry a prepaid debit card, such as Revolut. In case a card is stolen, duplicated, or lost, it can easily be deactivated using the mobile app, and I have multiple cards like these at home. That's the only scenario I could think of where I need to keep a backup at home. Also, I always have some reais ready for PIX payments wherever card payments aren't accepted, such as when buying caldo de cana on the street or paying the dog groomer.

11/26/23    When TSHTF everything essential will suddenly cost 3-10 times as much, and electronic banking will either not work, or deliberately be constrained by the state.Therefore, keep as much cash/gold in a safe place as you deem necessary to survive under that scenario.I'm not going to post numbers, but, it's more than you are quoting here.        -@Gasparzinho 777

it would probably also be a good idea to keep a supply of brains in the freezer, to be ready for the Zombie Apocalypse when that hits, too.  Can't be too careful. 😉

I keep R$1.000 hidden away, you never know what might happen at night or over a weekend. I also carry about R$200. Even my old door-to-door ice cream guy prefers PIX today for his own safety

@Pablo888....Spoiler Alert....I agree with @abthree and @rraypo.

Clarification: My wallet is my safe. I take it with me when I go out and keep it locked up when I am at home, so that amount is locked up at home in my "wallet"

As far as Impulse Buying...I don't do it.....I am only guilty of being a good husband. I like to keep some cash handy in case my wife needs to pay contractors, staff or someone who comes to our gate with items and my wife (who is very respected in the community) wants to support them, unless of course it is something we absolutely don't need.

Roddie in Retirement

@roddiesho, no worries.  If you keep your cash in your wallet / safe, then, from my perspecive, there are no downsides to keeping more cash for emergencies - may need a bigger wallet.

Keeping your wife happy is always a good move.

Good choice.

I think, for all of us, the emergence of Pix payments has hugely reduced the need to hold or transport large sums of cash. Much safer all round...

Yes, good idea to keep "emergency" cash. Living in Brasil over 10 years. There has been two unannounced "BANK STRIKES" and no given ending dates. All the banks closed their doors, no ATM access or money delivery anywhere. Can't pay bills, food etc. If you're a permanent resident, something to think about.

@f500vips Well, I guess watching the tv and scrolling articles on YouTube is one way to pass the time while your waiting for your Permanent Resident Visa to be processed.

Anyway I did watch a great video that said the Best Place to put a small safe in your house is under the sink in your laundry room (behind the Lysol and laundry detergent) or back of the grocery pantry.

Definitly not in the bedroom or closet, the first place robbers will look. There was also a thread in the comments section about having a decoy safe and a real safe.

Roddie in Retirement