# Who still carries cash? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 4, 2003, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966 "2003-12-04T16:20:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/21 "2003-12-04T19:21:34Z")
Recently I was urged to start using only cash for day to day purchases. It has helped me stick to a budget. With the card I wouldn’t hesitate to spend $20 more than planned on groceries, or anything else really. I pay everything that I can online. I write very few checks these days. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/22 "2003-12-04T19:24:28Z")
I tend to do most things in cash anymore, because I manage my money better that way. With cards, I tend to piffle my money away without realizing where it’s all gone, but I don’t really find myself doing that with cash. ---
**Author:** ![JessEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cdc98d/32.png) [@JessEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessEnigma)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/23 "2003-12-04T19:34:31Z")
I almost always use cash. I can keep track of it better that way…good since I’m on a limited budget. Though my university has a “smart chip” system that allows me to put money on my student id card and pay for purchases on campus. I use that a lot also (for laundry and vending machines, since you almost have no other option), but it doesn’t feel real, I guess. Everytime I put money on my card, I think about how the cash I was holding just a second ago is now just a few digits in a machine. It’s weird. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/24 "2003-12-04T19:46:52Z")
Oh, and I do try to keep maybe $10-20 in my wallet. When I get down to a dollar, then I get $20 with my debit card. Otherwise it’s usually debit the whole way. **voguevixen** : Actually, I think they just say they won’t - the one time I had $7 worth of purchases and realized that with tax I didn’t have enough cash, I asked about their policy (as that register didn’t have a sign and I’d forgotten their minimum) and the cashier ran it through anyway. Her response was, “Well, we don’t **like** to do them, but I’ll run it through.” They’re otherwise a very decent, full-service neighborhood grocer, and I like going there, so usually I’ll either go withdraw more cash, or pick up a few extra items, if I think I’ll be under the “limit” yet over my cash. I know that’s their intent, and it’s fine with me. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/25 "2003-12-04T19:48:55Z")
I always try to keep between $20 and $100 in my wallet. It was pretty handy during the big blackout. If communication goes down, you can rely on cash. Normally use it for little day to day stuff like buying lunch. ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/26 "2003-12-04T20:02:11Z")
gwendee and CrazyCatLady could be my wife. She fritters away vast sums on small purchases, and suddenly our credit card bill is bigger than our paychecks. That doesn’t happen with cash. We try to use cash for most purchases, and save the cards for ordering things, and the big purchases. I only use checks when buying from someone unlikely to have change and who can’t take a card - like any organization raising money by having kids run around selling things. ---
**Author:** ![misstee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@misstee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misstee)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/27 "2003-12-04T20:16:43Z")
I don’t have an ATM or a debit card. I have had them in the past and lost them. I am terribly irresponsible with my drivers license. Right now, I couldn’t even tell you where it is. I try to keep in it my car, but I must have removed it for some reason, and I haven’t a clue where I put it. I do well with cash in my pocket. ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/28 "2003-12-04T20:24:39Z")
I rarely carry more than $50 in my wallet, and even then hardly ever spend more than $20-30 of it at once. I buy gas with my debit card, because filling up my vehicle takes about $23/week and I hate to go to the ATM that often. I’m pretty judicious about what I put on the credit cards and don’t run up that much debt. And since I don’t spend much cash anyway, I hardly ever have spare change on me, much to the chagrin of the Baltimore Panhandler’s Association. However, I don’t think it’d feel right to go completely “cashless.” My parents are even further behind… I’m not sure my mom has ever completely grasped the concept of the debit card. I think up until about 3 years ago, she was still writing herself checks made out to “cash.” My dad always has a big wad of money on him and recoups about $100 a month in his spare change. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/29 "2003-12-04T20:28:38Z")
I always carry some cash with me; when I run out too fast, I know I’ve been spending too much. It’s too easy to lose track of your purchases with credit/debit cards, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/30 "2003-12-04T20:35:26Z")
Every Saturday I go to the bank and get $40. It’s my weekly pocket money for lunches, etc. Gasoline gets charged. All bills are paid via check. I do use my debit card at the grocery store since they changed their check cashing policy. But I would be lost without cash and checks. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/31 "2003-12-04T20:46:22Z")
I agree with **CrazyCatLady**. I prefer to have my money be in a tangible form and I manage it more wisely when I can physically measure what I have on me. Generally I carry $20 to $40 with me and when I am running low I just go to the ATM. I use checks mostly for paying bills and for making medium to large purchases ($50 or more). ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/32 "2003-12-04T21:06:59Z")
Of course I still carry cash! How else am I supposed to tip strippers? ---
**Author:** ![Intaglio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71e660/32.png) [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/33 "2003-12-04T21:11:33Z")
I have my WAM - Walking Aroung Money, about $10 or $20 a week, it makes it easier to buy smaller purchases, (lunch, a snack, whatever) than using my Debit Card. I will make larger purchases with my DC, it’s just easier than using checks and I don’t have to balance a Checkbook. ---
**Author:** ![ems](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@ems](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ems)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/34 "2003-12-04T22:12:14Z")
I have been in the US for almost three months now and until I came here I had never used a check book. In the UK I used to have about 20 GBP in my purse and for everything else I used my debit card - I found it easier to keep track of how much I spent and where. All bills etc came out of my bank account via direct debit. I knew how much and on what date would be coming out of my account. Over here I am going through a load of checks - the first time I needed to write a check for my rent I had to ask how to fill it out! I still keep $20 in my purse and pay for everything else on my credit card and pay the balance off every month. ---
**Author:** ![Rusty\_Scupper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Rusty\_Scupper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusty_Scupper)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/35 "2003-12-04T22:33:46Z")
I’ll be happy to give up cash when McDonald’s takes IOUs 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/36 "2003-12-04T22:54:30Z")
My husband and I give ourselves a $30 cash “allowance” each week. Since I make most of my purchases with a credit card, I’ve been salting the extra cash away. I’ve saved about $3000 to use toward a nice vacation someday. Not to mention the $1000 I used on our trip to Vegas last year. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/37 "2003-12-04T23:00:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Otto \* > \*\*Of course I still carry cash! How else am I supposed to tip strippers? \*\* In the future, asscracks will be card readers. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/38 "2003-12-04T23:22:53Z")
I’m a fan of cash. I found I was spending a lot more when I used EFTPOS/credit almost exclusively. It’s easier to keep track - for me - if I see the wad of notes getting smaller. Also our banks give only a certain number of free EFTPOS transactions per month and I refuse to pay bank fees just so they can let me spend my own money. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/39 "2003-12-05T00:59:15Z")
I’m not comfortable with more than about $40 in my purse, but I do usually have at least five or ten bucks on me. I hate using a card for less than about five dollars. I haven’t carried a checkbook in years, however. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966/40 "2003-12-05T01:04:29Z")
I use cash for everything except online purchases, or emergencies. Help me keep that personal budget in mond. And I pay off that CC _every_ month! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-still-carries-cash/216966.md?page=3)