Cash all the way. I don’t handle money well yet, so I like to know exactly how much money I have in the bank right now. I use Money Orders to pay bills. I hate checks because they take a while to clear, and I occasionally forget about them, so I end up spending the money that was supposed to go to the check. Badness.
For online purchases (mainly body jewelry from Ebay), I use PayPal, and PP takes money from my bank account. Again, so I know exactly how much money I have and such.
Got one CC, $500 limit, in June. I’m horrible at paying back CCs. I need to get one for myself (the one we have now is store-specific, and under the fiance’s name), just so I finally have credit. Yeah.
And nothing feels better than a huge wad of cash in your hands, even if it is just $20 in ones, hehe.
It sounds like some people don’t have to pay rent. Are you going to make a special trip to the bank during banking hours to pull out $600+, or are you going to write a check? They won’t even take cash anyway (you’ll have to turn it into a money order), and they don’t e-bill or take any kind of credit or ATM card.
Cardinal, no one’s saying there’s no place for checks in the world; they’re saying the place for them is not at the checkout of the grocery store or anyplace else. The place for them is at home on your desk or similar bill-paying area.
I’ve actually never lived in an apt complex that would take checks - only MOs.
I’ve also never had to pay a bill that wouldn’t take MOs. If I suddenly did (I doubt I will, since they should be happy to get my money and not worry about the check bouncing), I suppose I’d get a checking account.
I wondered the same thing as the OP recently. Everyone seems to use plastic to pay for everything, which is why this recent discussion about a Ronald Reagan dime seems kind of moot.
OTOH, personally, I do carry cash - I never leave home without SOME kind of cash on me - typically, at least a $20.
And I also hated people who would pay for their drinks at Starbucks (when I worked there) with a CC.
Me: “Your total is $1.30 for your coffee.”
Customer: “Here’s my card.”
M: blink “Okay . . . can I see your ID?”
C:hands over ID
M: hits cc payment. hits DL icon. Types in the 4,000 number of MI DLs. curses silently and looka at the line forming. hands receipt to customer to be signed
C: takes their damn sweet time finding the pen I put on the counter in front of them. Signs
M: shoves the receipt into register
Ug. I hated that. Morning rushes, and someone would take twice as long by paying with CC as it did for us to prepare their drink. And this is STARBUCKS. Not McDonald’s.
Having worked in food service most of my working career (B&N Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, D&W Starbucks), nothing annoyed me more than people who’d pay for food with CC with an order for the same amount as the change I currently had in my pocket.
I think it’s good to have cash somewhere in the event of emergencies like earthquakes, etc. I suspect that if power goes off ATMs may not work. Not certain. I carry cash for parking lots, cheaper gas stations, etc. Some gas stations charge a fee for using debit cards. I always bring some cash to foreign countries in their type of currency before getting there.