It's so true - stacking silver and gold bullion is the one thing that started me on forming new habits of being able to actually save money. Gold catches a bad rap for "just sitting there," but it's true that precious metals more than make up for the loss in savings due to inflation. If the government were reporting honestly, according to old 1980's standards, inflation would be at least 8 or 9% right now. Precious metals will give you at least that amount of return, over the long haul, and that's no joke. Two years ago, I had zero$ in my "emergency fund." Today, I have 4 or 5 months' expenses saved, outside the banks. Having just a bit of economic security really takes a lot of the stress load off of my back - and I don't have to feel so uptight about unexpected expenses - which should be expected - like the car needing to go into the shop.