What will we do for cash in the future?

One thing is clear - once Peak Oil has passed and the world descends into post-plenty decrepitude none of us will want paper dollars, pounds or Euros. They'll be meaningless. We'll want and need something solid, representing real value (through scarcity and usefulness), not flimsy pieces of paper showing dead leaders of the old order. Gold and silver will be the currency of the future. The value of both is already rising, and are likely to continue to do so. Canny buyers will purchase in the small troughs, and store them away somewhere well hidden - in the garden, in a wood somewhere. Don't shove 'em in a bank, as you'll never see them again. Banks will be one of the first victims of PPO (post-Peak Oil), as economies falter. Most 'money' these days are streams of binary code rushing around in the ether doing nothing but bad. This 'money' will vanish like snow on a spring morning once things really start hotting up.

Those of us with the foresight to hoard gold carefully will hold the whip hand in the future. British gold sovereigns are good, as are half sovereigns. Good silver coins are the big Britannias (nominally £2) as they are clearly recognisable and state the quantity of fine silver they contain (1 oz). Krugerrands do the same for gold. Avoid the issues from minor countries unless you live there. Quite what we'll use for small change I don't know - precious metals are too precious to use. Perhaps we'll return to barter, or cut small pieces off bigger coins?

If you're serious about surviving PPO then start getting your financial act together now. Gold and silver are instantly recognisable, easily transferable and have an intrinsic value. Gold can be buried in earth for a thousand years and still come out as bright as new.

And in a lovely Pagan touch gold represents the sun and silver the moon. There must be a message in that!