Last couple years my bank has said if I don't use my ATM card they will discontinue it. So now I use it to get $20 here, $40 there so they keep renewing it. Don't do debit cards.
Cash - does anybody still use it?
- Thread starter Captain Pre-Capsize
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Banks suck. Why should it matter if you use your card or not? It's tied to your account, after all.
Yes but ...
... in that sort of circumstance the downing of the power grid and/or the underlying catastrophe will make it impossible to withdraw money from the bank as well. Which limits one to cash on hand. Which means stockpile in anticipation.
I’d rather stockpile the actual supplies I need to get through the disaster than cash I can use to buy those supplies at disaster-inflation-pricing ... if they can be found at all.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
I would recommend both supplies and cash because every one will be trying to stock up. I Remember Yk2000 and I,m living up in Northern Alberta Canada where temperatures are usually -20 to -40 Celsius with two little children and my wife that is over domesticated. If the power grid was to go down what were we to do so I went and bought a cheap wood stove and pipes that I would of plumbed out a basement window(looking like hillbillies) until they figured every thing out before it hit the year 2000 because our local hardware stores would of had a run on every thing. I remember my Dad & mother who lived through WW2 in Holland under German occupation and was self educated mostly who really believed in self reliance. He really enjoyed his wood stove he placed in the basement and built a shroud over it and plumbed it into the cold air intake to direct heat into our home in Southern Ontario. They had a terrible ice storm one winter and the power was out all over the place from 1-4 weeks depending where you lived, cities were hit hard also which have a priority over rural areas in most cases. They survived well and fed a lot of the neighborhood and he was a firm believer in small amounts of cash on hand because you can barter better to survive.
People might think don't be so doom and gloom but that is reality that it will happen over and over in time where they use to live because of natural weather patterns.
Folks who live in Hurricane prone areas have a whole set of different issues to deal with also with natural weather patterns.
There is a large Island off of New York state(I can not remember which one) where they lost a power generator for the Island and were with out power for some time and locals had to ferry to the mainland just to do electronic banking because island banking systems were down, so some cash could of helped out. There is no doubt there are a lot of these stories to how vulnerable electronics systems can be to our modern day living.
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You probably remember the Fort Mac fire. That's a good example of no choice but to flee ... and gasoline is the essential thing to have.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
Oh yes, surrounding communities were also under a lot stress to help out folks fleeing from Fort McMurray Northern Alberta on that one. I think they are still healing from that fire years later. Last year 2019 it was High level Alberta area that went through some terrible fire storms.(very dry springtime that made it worse IMO.)
Whereabouts in Holland? My parents were of similar vintage and experience, which I have now acquired. Dad was from Wervershoof and Mom from Hooglanderveen (which was absorbed by the expanding Amesfoort).
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
Interesting , Dad was from Groesbeck and Mother was closer to Nijmegan area if my memory is correct.
I went to pay for my lunch with cash yesterday, $9.80 and handed a $10 note: they guy had no small coins so they made 20c out of me. Smart!
I mostly get cash for my kid's allowance.
Nearly 5 years later and this is still the case for me. I like to keep a few bucks on me because ya never know. Except when I go hunting with David.
But 90% of the time I’m debit/credit. I always use the credit for gas though, then pay it off monthly. Extra 2% cash back at gas stations!
I never leave the house without cash in my pocket. Never have never will. I like to be prepared for what life throws at me without a constant and absolute dependency on technology.
I get the same amount out every Friday for general weekly spending. I don’t need the man, or my wife, tracking every transaction. Also handy for splitting bills, tips, budgeting, street vendors etc. You often get discounts for cash sales and it does help with bargaining. It also works well for budgeting. When you’re out drinking and you’re out of money it’s time to go home!
What I find amazing is that these days not everyone accepts cash. Uber and even my local butcher are all cashless now.
I know that cards have a lot of advantages but I’m proud to be old school in a lot of ways. I guess that’s why I’m into DE shaving!
I get the same amount out every Friday for general weekly spending. I don’t need the man, or my wife, tracking every transaction. Also handy for splitting bills, tips, budgeting, street vendors etc. You often get discounts for cash sales and it does help with bargaining. It also works well for budgeting. When you’re out drinking and you’re out of money it’s time to go home!
What I find amazing is that these days not everyone accepts cash. Uber and even my local butcher are all cashless now.
I know that cards have a lot of advantages but I’m proud to be old school in a lot of ways. I guess that’s why I’m into DE shaving!
“Big Sister”?
I've noticed signs going up in stores requesting customers to pay by tap card (debit/credit) rather than cash now. So now there are self checkouts where you do everything yourself or the cashiers that barely touch your items and you bag it yourself and tap the payment. Just another nail in the coffin of retail staffers.
All the time I have never paid interest on cash .
Heck I‘m using my physical cards less and less and starting to use Apple Pay! But I always keep cash on hand just in case. (In case of emergency or in case I want to surprise my better half with a scratcher or two... both equally important!)
As prophesied in the book of Revelation, in the Bible, we are moving towards a 'cashless society.' where we buy and sell with numbers (ie our Credit/Debit Cards)
I am surprisingly fond of Apple Pay. This is beginning to return the convenience of cash from P2P payments as well as the convenience of the credit cards. I actually opted to try the applecard and it’s not something that is out of this world amazing, but I use it for the 2% daily cash back. Every couple weeks I just send the cash balance earned to my bank account.
That being said, while I do t make a habit of carrying cash, I keep an emergency sum at the house because you never know when you may need it.
That being said, while I do t make a habit of carrying cash, I keep an emergency sum at the house because you never know when you may need it.
I'm a huge fan of cash, but for the foreseeable future, due to the current circumstances, I think I'll be sticking with Debit as much as possible...
Always keep a “slush fund” of around 1k in small bills in my sock drawer (SWMBO has no idea). Allows me to make the odd purchase without leaving a footprint.
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