Cashless
Today, when I was out getting my lunch I stopped and thought for a moment. I don’t recalled the last time I used cash to buy something. I debit or credit for pretty much all my purchases, and online banking for the rest of it. Physical money rarely ever in my wallet any more. I’m sure banks just love this though, as they make tons of money off the card fees. But it’s kind of scary when you think about it. If all my money is digital, do I have any money at all? If society where to collapse, I’d be screwed with no real money. That is, assuming money still has any value in a fallen society.
I remember the first time I used my debit to buy a bag of chips. I felt like such a fool for using it for a buck something. It was like “I didn’t have a dollar, but you can take a dollar from my magic money card”. Now I use it for stuff like that and I don’t even think. I probably should carry some cash on me in case of an emergency. Not sure what kind of emergency, but I wouldn’t want to be wishing I had money when all I have is a card that say I have numbers in a computer.
Do you carry cash at all any more or have a jar of money buried in the backyard?
Also… I do remember when I last used cash. About 3 weeks ago I used 5 bucks at the local bulk store to buy pretzels and Big Foot candy. I can’t remember where I got the $5 bucks though. o_O
Play Asia
October 16th, 2012 at 9:48 pm
i dont use cards. they allow people to not see what they have left and what they should really spend. i carry a certain amount of cash in my wallet and that way i know how much i have and how much i’m willing to spend on something. if i had a card of some kind i’d look at something and go “oh that looks good, i’ll get that” and then the end of the month rolls around and i dont have money lol. i need to keep a hawk like eye on my cash or it disappears. especially with MFF coming up. gotta save every penny.
October 16th, 2012 at 11:13 pm
I think it’s just gotten easier to do some things from a bank account than from your own wallet, so to speak. If I have actual money on me, it’s because someone else gave it to me. Given the way things are in my life, I hardly spend “real” money; it’s often through my card.
So, yeah, I think it’s just easier that way, these days.
October 17th, 2012 at 6:41 am
I’d go cashless if I could, just for the sake of not having to dig about for change, or worry about having enough cash on me, but it’s a necessity to carry something around on me.
There’s always that store that has a minimum of $5 or $10 purchase before you can use a card, that train station that has a cash-only ticket machine, or a stall or small takeaway store that are too small to afford the terminals.
Thankfully, my account doesn’t charge me anything to use my card at all – besides one fee if I use an ATM, but I get around that by getting money out with a purchase at the supermarket, and checking my balance online.
If anything, I find that it’s easier to lose track of buying stuff with cash, as I don’t bother with receipts for small stuff, and can tell at a glance what I’d spent money on using my card with the online statement just by the name of the store that shows up.
October 17th, 2012 at 4:28 pm
I’ve been essentially cashless since I was 18, when I got my first and only (excluding bank) card. The only time I use cash is if I am going to be traveling (tolls and whatnot), when I am at a store that is cash only (there are surprisingly many around here), or when I want to surprise my wife with a gift (she checks the card’s usage religiously). Credit is great. As long as one is fiscally responsible and keeps track of spending, there really isn’t much reason to prefer cash to credit. In fact, if the credit is used wisely, you can earn a bit of interest with the money in the bank before you pay off the credit. Though, it is almost negligible.
I’ve even given up using checks, for the most part. I actually had to write a check the other day to renew our vehicle license. The only reason I didn’t use the card was because there was a ‘convenience fee’ that was about 20x more expensive than a stamp. Thanks to online banking, I hardly ever need to write a check.
I’ve also heard (probably from my father) that one should keep a bit of cash handy just in case something pops up. But the only times I’ve every been caught flat-footed without the ability to pay, I’ve been with friends and just paid them back later. Not carrying cash has really not been much of an issue for me. I think this idea harkens back to a time when credit was only accepted at a few places. Nowadays we can pay for a cab, telephone call, or almost anything with credit. Unless the communication networks go down (*knocks on wood*) I can’t imagine many emergencies that would require cash on hand. Though, I might just need a better imagination.