[Pollster1]

Exactly. When things go really, really, really bad, all that matters is what you can eat, or burn, or kill with.

People in a subsistence economy still take gold and silver, knowing that others will then accept those metals. People living on $2 per person per day still spend a surprising amount of that money on coffee, tea, beer, and other "luxury" goods. [And those are luxuries if you are accepting reduced calories in order to get caffeine/alcohol.]

I would not trade stored food/ammo/medicine that I thought I needed for gold or silver, but I would trade my labor for precious metals, and I would trade extra berries, fruit from my trees, and other extras for silver and gold. And I would give silver or gold in return for some venison jerky if my hunting skills could not keep up, for tanning services for a deer skin since I don't know how to tan, or for other goods/services that would still be needed.

[Cold Heart]

Tanning is not difficult to learn. It is a lot of work. I have tanned deer, elk, sheep and many small critters. Once you have tanned a few hides you will gladly pay someone else to do it.

[Patriotic1]

People living on $2 per person per day still spend a surprising amount of that money on coffee, tea, beer, and other "luxury" goods.

Would you expand on this please?