This comes up constantly on r/prepping and in every preparedness forum I have spent time in, and the answers range from “a few hundred bucks” to “I have a full year of expenses in a fireproof safe in my floor.” Both of those are defensible depending on your situation. But most people asking the question are not looking for extremes — they want a practical number they can actually execute. Here is my honest answer, and the reasoning behind it. What Cash at Home Actually Does for You Before we get