# The Money in Your Wallet **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 30, 2023, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823 "2023-07-30T14:26:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2023, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/41 "2023-07-31T20:31:00Z")
I generally have only fives and twenties. The twenties are used to pay our house cleaners, the footcare nurse who comes every couple months, and the barber. Also there is a restaurant I go to occasionally that has a sign asking you to pay cash. The fives I mainly use for tips. I rarely use change, but I generally have a couple of loonies and twonies in a coin purse. Anyway, I separate the fives and the twenties, but keep them however they come out of the ATM. There is an ATM two blocks away that allows you to specify how you want the cash. So I can take out $500 in 12 fives and 22 twenties. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2023, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/42 "2023-07-31T23:15:30Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > … Cash is a PITA. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and your circumstances may be different than mine but in my own little world cash is the easiest and simplest option. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2023, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/43 "2023-08-01T00:30:19Z")
As you say, to each his own. I’m glad you’ve found something that works for you. I suppose if I was mostly paid in cash I’d mostly spend in cash. I certainly grew up in a mostly-cash world. I know people in other lines of work who live in an almost-entirely cash world now. For me now it’s something I have to go out of my way to obtain, if used it runs out quickly, one large bill quickly turns into a bulky stack of small bills and almost valueless bulky and heavy metal tokens, and it smells bad. OTOH, I’ve never had it malfunction. Although I have had retailers refuse it. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/44 "2023-08-03T03:27:59Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8u_IBee53Rs/maxresdefault.jpg "Kramer's Money Clip") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u_IBee53Rs) ---
**Author:** ![moes\_lotion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@moes\_lotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moes_lotion)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/45 "2023-08-03T03:48:45Z")
Our Canadian bills now have different colours for each denomination, and the smallest is the five dollar bill. I almost never have any hundreds (brown) and only rarely fifties (reddish orange) in my wallet so it’s usually fives (blue) tens (purple) and twenties (green). The bills are some sort of plastic now instead of paper and they all have a clear vertical strip towards the left edge with a anti-counterfeit hologram embedded in it, so when they are properly arranged you can see through the pile. I order them front out and smallest to largest, the new material is pretty wrinkle resistant, but they do get a curve in the middle from the fold in my wallet. The other nice thing about the new material is that it is clothes-washer safe. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/46 "2023-08-03T03:50:21Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I do sort them a couple times a week but when I get cash in change I just shove it in and sort it out later. Exactly this. Sorted by denomination, faced, folded in half to fit better. But they become disorganized and crumpled quickly and repeatedly. I still use cash for a variety of things (I sometimes prefer to tip with cash for example). ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/47 "2023-08-03T15:09:19Z")
> [@moes\_lotion](#): > > The other nice thing about the new material is that it is clothes-washer safe. US paper bills are actually also clothes-washer safe. It’s rag paper and holds up quite well to washing. – wait a minute. That might no longer be true; that is, they’re still rag paper and rag paper still holds up well to washing, but apparently the recent security features may not hold up to washing. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/48 "2023-08-03T15:16:46Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > they’re still rag paper and rag paper still holds up well to washing, but apparently the recent security features may not hold up to washing. I most often put $1 bills in the laundry. Not a lot of security features in those. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/49 "2023-08-03T15:18:49Z")
People aren’t all that likely to check them, either. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/50 "2023-08-03T15:18:58Z")
Hadn’t heard that before. [NY Times Magazine](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/20/magazine/how-to-clean-paper-currency.html#:~:text=Most%20bills%20will%20remain%20intact,which%20currency%2Dsorting%20machines%20detect.) confirms, it will ruin security features and banks shred washed money. Or so it says, I assume they want the washed money replaced by the treasury and need some of it intact for that. For now I’ll avoid washing money anyway. > [@](#): > > Most bills will remain intact in the washer and dryer. But while a wash cycle may make your money look untainted, it nonetheless ruins the bills; hot water can damage security features, and detergents change the way cash reflects light, which currency-sorting machines detect. Banks shred washed money. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/51 "2023-08-03T19:34:12Z")
Money? I’m so broke, I opened my wallet the other day and a bat flew out. ---
**Author:** ![TwoCarrotSnowman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twocarrotsnowman/32/15879_2.png) [@TwoCarrotSnowman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoCarrotSnowman)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2023, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/52 "2023-08-05T10:04:49Z")
I ticked “I don’t carry money” and “they’re crammed in there any which way”. By which I meant that I often don’t have cash on me, but when I do, it’s shoved in any which way. That said, sometimes I get a single £20 if I know I’m going to the cash-only takeaway we like. You could argue that’s sorted. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2023, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/53 "2023-08-05T19:01:40Z")
What I’ve found is that I use a decent amount of cash to give to my son. He’s too young to have a credit card but still needs spending money. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2023, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/54 "2023-08-05T19:05:35Z")
IIRC you’re not USA-based At least around here banks offer credit and debit cards for kids where the parents can set per-transaction, per-day and per-month limits. I’m both old & childless so I’m not sure why my bank keeps emailing me ads for this product but they do. If the kid is old enough to operate one, but not old enough to trust w unlimited spending, you might investigate that idea in your environment. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2023, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/55 "2023-08-05T20:19:56Z")
I withdrew some money from my bank, and asked for a 2. Jefferson looks totally constipated. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2023, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/56 "2023-08-06T03:35:32Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I still use cash for a variety of things I was just reminded today that one of my regular Thai takeout places offers a 10% discount for cold, hard cash. I often don’t bother, but worth it for larger orders 🙂. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2023, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/57 "2023-08-06T04:20:26Z")
I use option 1 with an exception: I put the lowest denominations at the front and back to keep the larger ones from showing (I just read that it’s a good idea). But I rarely have more than $100 in cash. And that almost always goes toward tipping my hair stylist. > [@Bayaker](#): > > I think if an iron was handy she would have used it. I know that at times my older brother actually did use an iron on his bills. But who doesn’t like a new, clean, crisp bill? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2023, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/58 "2023-08-06T11:14:31Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Jefferson looks totally constipated. He hasn’t gone in 197 years! ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/59 "2023-08-07T00:05:31Z")
Leave the house with all funds orderly and faced up. Return home with money in every pocket, crumpled, with coins and receipts. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2023, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/60 "2023-08-20T10:07:15Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > People aren’t all that likely to check them, either. My place of employment has three fake ones in the funny-money pile we use for training people. They’re pretty horrible fakes but they got passed around because, as you point out, nobody bothers to look closely. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823.md?page=4)