After warnings from the ECB and Banco de Portugal, DECO also advises an “emergency kit” with some money. The value? It varies, from adults to children.
It is increasingly common not to have notes and coins in your wallet. After all, paying with your card or even your cell phone is much more practical. But at the same time there are more and more warnings and studies that warn of the need to keep physical money at our side.
After the recent warnings from and , a study by the Central Bank of Sweden — the oldest central bank in the world — reinforced the warning. In emergency situations, having notes and coins is essential.
“These latest events (such as the blackout or storms) have demonstrated the importance of having a survival kit with cash“, tells TVI the DECO Proteste specialist, Natália Nunes, who recalls that “we still have a lot of population, particularly the older ones, using cash a lot. We have a two-speed country.”
While the ECB suggests having around 94 euros in cash at home, “in Portugal we don’t have a specific indication”. But “there are those who understand that what we should have per adult it is between 70 and 100 euros and, for each child, around 30 euros.”
The expert emphasizes that “this is the value, because we also shouldn’t have a lot of money at home, for security reasons. We must have the essentials so that our family can cope with the first 72 hours in an emergency.”
Furthermore, the money saved it must “be in small notes, preferably even with a few coins”because, for example, of the issue of change in emergency situations. The expert therefore recommends that you have “a little more than 20 euros” in coins and notes of five to 10 euros at home.
