# Which money feels more "real" to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 24, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454 "2011-02-24T15:07:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/41 "2011-02-25T06:48:26Z")
I’m perfectly happy with using an ATM card to pay at EFTPOS, and I have no trouble with buying things online using my Credit Card, but I really like to have actual cash in my wallet. And what’s more, preferably notes and not coins, even though coins are useful for small purchases. I like to carry twenties, but not so many that if I was robbed it would be a devastating loss. If I was mega-rich, I’d keep a stash of notes handy at all times that I can restock my wallet with, either via ATM or a safe or whatever. For some reason it just feels right. ---
**Author:** ![loshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@loshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loshan)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/42 "2011-02-25T07:08:04Z")
Okay, I’ll be the first to admit… If I have checks/debit card that can be overdrawn…I HAVE MONEY! Seriously, It took me years to figure out that I should never, ever have a checking account. I just can’t. Judge all you want, at least I am cognizant. Yes, I have tried over the years to change this. I just…can’t. I am lousy with money. I always think I have more than I do, and always “estimate” on the low end of rounding in my head. Therefore, I have a savings account, a brokerage account and cash. If I had a debit/credit card, I would be constantly in trouble. I have cash. Can’t spend more than I have. Can’t take out more than is there. I am MUCH more cognizant of money spent in cash. All the rest is abstract. That brokerage account? It has a few 6 figures in it. But it isn’t “mine”. It is some weird entity I will be able to access far into the future. I’m a smart woman. I know math. I always think I can “think” my way to better finances. About 30, I realized I. Am. Smart enough to know NOT to have a readily accessible way to get “fake” money. There lie monsters. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/43 "2011-02-25T15:08:57Z")
> [@ReticulatingSplines](#): > > Yeah, I never really got that “use cash all the time to spend less” strategy. If I take out cash, that’s the painful part right there, watching it get subtracted from my account balance. Once I’ve gotten over that pain, I can blow through that cash with impunity. This is me, also. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/44 "2011-02-25T15:11:11Z")
They are both the same. What is less “real” to me is money in investments or savings accounts. If I can’t get at it without some level of bureaucracy, it’s less “there” to me. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/45 "2011-02-25T15:12:48Z")
Let’s start a club of totally backwards people, me, you and that other guy. It makes no sense to have to tell myself “Cash is real money,” but I have to do it, else I’ll blow right through it. Well, I blow right through it anyway, but in theory. Edit: I meant Hello and Splines. You can join too, Stu, but there’s a fee. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/46 "2011-02-25T15:13:37Z")
> [@Monstera\_deliciosa](#): > > Spending cash and using my debit card are equally real to me. > > _Credit cards_ on the other hand, have a certain unreality to them because they allow me to spend money I don’t have _right now_. So I avoid using them whenever possible. Now I’m wishing the poll options were just slightly different, with separate options for plastic (paid off every month) and plastic (keep a balance). Strictly speaking, a credit card does allow me to spend money that I have right now, but I don’t, because if I were to do, I’d not have the money to pay it off at the end of the cycle. I suggest (therefore) that people’s perception of their equality with paper cash has to do with one’s paying-off habits. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/47 "2011-02-25T15:39:00Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I suggest (therefore) that people’s perception of their equality with paper cash has to do with one’s paying-off habits. I agree with this. My mom thinks I am off my rocker for paying for everything on a card (2% cash back, baby) because she has always used cash as a budgeting tool. (She has different envelopes for different things and puts the money in there, her purse looks like an envelope factory.) I use a (fairly complex) spreadsheet for budgeting purposes and expense tracking and everything that goes on a card is easy to include. Anytime we take out cash, I have to record it under some category (there is no misc, dragons be there) and it can get tricky. And I pay it off every month. So, I get the ease of tracking my expenditures (in all my anal retentive detail) and 2% cash back. What’s not to love? If we didn’t pay off the balance, I can see how the money wouldn’t feel real (and, in fact, my husband was an offender at this and took some retraining). ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/48 "2011-02-25T15:53:02Z")
I hate using my debit or credit cards for piddling transactions. So, having less cash in my wallet actually does slow down my spending. Which feels more “real?” Well, I’ve never felt the same visceral rush seeing a credit card on the ground as I do when I see a twenty. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/49 "2011-02-25T15:59:55Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Let’s start a club of totally backwards people, me, you and that other guy. It makes no sense to have to tell myself “Cash is real money,” but I have to do it, else I’ll blow right through it. Well, I blow right through it anyway, but in theory. > > Edit: I meant Hello and Splines. You can join too, Stu, but there’s a fee. ☹ I’ll be over here eating worms, paid for by card. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/50 "2011-02-25T16:06:56Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > We’ve all read a lot of money-saving advice that says to use cash whenever possible, as it is harder to part with. Having physical, tangible dollar bills in your hand makes the money you’re spending seem real, whereas swiping a debit card makes it easier to intellectually remove yourself from the money you’re spending. Is this true for you? No, not at all. I feel the pain numerically, regardless of the method of payment. The only additional thing I associate with physical cash is “hassle”. ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/51 "2011-02-25T20:57:28Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > I think of the balance in my checking account as how much money I have, and often don’t even think to take cash into consideration. I go online or use my phone to check my balance, and deem that my total available funds, which makes it much easier for me to blow through cash. In practice, it doesn’t affect my spending habits in any significant way, as I rarely have cash on me. I theorize the reason I am this way, that is, I think of my available spending money as what’s in my checking, is because that usually _is_ the case, since I don’t carry cash. I feel exactly the same way. Once I’ve taken money out through the ATM that money feels spent to me instantly, so the cash is like bonus money. I only take out maybe $20 a week, or when I get a birthday check or tax refund I take like $40 and deposit the rest and the cash is fun and fast. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/52 "2011-02-26T05:50:09Z")
paper starts out as a finite amount whereas plastic represents an ability to spend what you don’t have. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/53 "2011-02-26T09:09:27Z")
Living in Las Vegas, this is an excellent question. I use plastic when I go grocery shopping, or buy something at a store - but I keep a running tally of how much money I have in my account. However, when going to a casino, you obviously need to have cash, but that is good as I take exactly what I can afford to lose (very little) and when that “cash” is gone, so am I from the casino. There has been talk for years about creating a slot in slot machines where you can slip in your credit/debit card and play. I think that would be a HORRIBLE idea. Having to go to an ATM to get cash lets you know you are exceeding your “limit”, whereas not paying attention and letting the machine suck money out of your account could run into some serious problems. At any rate, I voted “same” because, on a tight budget, I still know how much money is going out - be it plastic or paper. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/54 "2011-02-26T14:40:49Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > However, when going to a casino, you obviously need to have cash, but that is good as I take exactly what I can afford to lose (very little) and when that “cash” is gone, so am I from the casino. The only way to play, my friend. > [@](#): > > There has been talk for years about creating a slot in slot machines where you can slip in your credit/debit card and play. I think that would be a HORRIBLE idea. Not for the casinos, which is all that matters. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/55 "2011-02-26T17:36:01Z")
Paper cash feels more real to me, and this is what I prefer to use. My motto has always been “speak softly… and carry a big wad of cash”. Around here though many store employees check authenticity of paper money with a “magic pen”, attempting to determine if the bills are bogus or not. I am forever tempted to ask them if they have any clue how their “counterfeit” ink markers work. And once in a while I will. No one ever does, of course. Government spends heaps designing money to thwart counterfeiting - incorporating polyester security threads, newly improved watermarks - all so some bozo at Kmart can smartly swipe the bills with their fancy iodine-based ink pens - only to determine whether there’s starch in the paper or not. And if the magic pen gives the okay, in to the cash drawer it goes! ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/56 "2011-02-26T17:56:32Z")
> [@the lone cashew](#): > > Government spends heaps designing money to thwart counterfeiting - incorporating polyester security threads, newly improved watermarks - all so some bozo at Kmart can smartly swipe the bills with their fancy iodine-based ink pens - only to determine whether there’s starch in the paper or not. That’s how they work? I’m suddenly inclined to go soak all of my paper money in corn starch. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454/57 "2011-02-26T18:19:15Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > That’s how they work? I’m suddenly inclined to go soak all of my paper money in corn starch. Hello **Balthisar** , fellow Michigander! Do you know who James Randi is? The magician/scientific skeptic who debunks paranormal claims? I remember a few years back he was bitching about these pens and how they work (and don’t work). ..here’s a short thread that was posted here at the SD that has a little bit about the pens. > **[counterfeit detector pens](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=95436)** > > I manage a small theater in Dallas, and we were recently told when depositing some money that there were 4 counterfit $100 bills in our deposit. As such, we are now imploying these neat little pens that detect real/fake money. You mark the bill, and... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-money-feels-more-real-to-you/572454.md?page=2)