That depends on whether or not you win: history is written by the victors.

Never has been

Ground flax seed and water is another easy one for baking: 1 tbsp (7g) ground flax seed to 2.5 tbsp (37 ml) water

Coins vs jewelry doesn’t matter. Weight and purity are all that count when selling.

Receipts don’t matter if they (claim to) “suspect” the source of the money used to buy the gold in the first place.

A lot of good advice on this thread, particularly the emphasis on social connections and food. Given OP asked to assume near or total economic collapse though:

1. Some people advocated building up money savings. If you are convinced there will be runaway inflation (part of what I assume is meant by collapse) then this is exactly wrong. The thing to do would be to convert as much money as possible into durable goods while the money still has any value. Look into the history of prior examples like the collapse of the deutsche mark in 1922, and the rush on payday to buy necessities immediately.

2. Gold is also being suggested. If your threat model includes social collapse gold won’t do you much good. Gold has financial value but no use value for individuals (it is useful industrially, but not in a way you can take advantage of). Unless you’re planning to run, bulkier but more immediately useful goods like food and tools are likely to hold more value. When everyone’s starving, a baseball bat to guard it with is worth more than a lump of shiny but useless metal.

3. If you aren’t assuming social collapse, foreign currency is another option. Be careful, because you want to pick one that is not likely to track your local currency and fall together. The advantage here is that when your local currency stabilizes, the value of gold will drop quickly and it will be very hard to guess exactly the right time to cash out. Foreign currencies won’t have that same crash effect.

All that said, don’t jump into action out of panic. Take time to think it through calmly - collapse is probably not coming in the next week or two. The actions that will save you financially in a collapse can destroy you if that collapse doesn’t come. Make a plan for what to do if you’re wrong to avoid shooting yourself in the foot (or, as many people do after that kind of mistake, the head).

Easiest access to the “inert gas” piece is dry ice from your local grocery store. CO₂ is heavier than air. Wrap some in a tea towel and put it in the bottom of the bucket before adding the food. Then place the lid on but do not close. Keep in a place without significant air movement while the dry ice sublimates, pushing out the lighter gasses, before sealing the lid. This takes a few hours.

Times and amounts are purposely vague, as I don’t remember them, but it should be easy to look up. If not, err on the side of too much and too long - the extra gas will just seep out the top.

If not friend, why friend shaped?

Anti-intellectual in much the same way as anti-matter

Trump’s only loyalty is to himself

On the jewelry front, be aware that the ONLY thing that will matter when you sell it is the weight and purity of the gold - the gems are worthless. Historically, diamonds would matter under some circumstances, but this is no longer true even for most diamonds.

That would explain it.

Strange. The first sentence it shows me is:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is pausing federal grants and loans starting Tuesday as President Donald Trump’s administration begins an across-the-board ideological review of its spending, causing confusion and panic among organizations that rely on Washington for their financial lifeline.

Just read the article, and I don’t see any mention of a judge acting on anything.

Edit: Confirmed this was a cacheing issue

There’s already another plan for trans folk. They’ll claim it’s a mental illness and send them to RFK’s “wellness camps” to replace some of the migrant workers they’re deporting.

In the immortal words of Nina Simone, Mississippi Goddam

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From TFA (emphasis mine):

The most aggressive approach, in a bill filed by state Sen. David Gregory, would award a $1,000 bounty for tips that result in the arrest of a person present in the United States without authorization. Gregory, a Republican from Chesterfield, wants to authorize bounty hunters, usually employed by bail bond businesses to catch absconders, to track down people identified in tips.

And if the tip proves accurate, the person arrested would be charged with “trespass by an illegal alien,” and subject to life in prison without parole if federal immigration authorities declined to take custody.

I expect cruelty from these people, but the harshest sentence that exists short of death‽ Solely for being undocumented, no other offense or aggravating factors. And held in conditions civilized countries wouldn’t allow for mass murderers (state and local prisons are generally much worse than federal).

I just can’t even …

No argument here. It’s illegal. But how could anyone be paying attention expect that to stop him?

I’m having trouble with the second half of this headline. Who honestly expected an orderly and extended withdrawal from this guy?