Poll. Largest denomination bill on you now.

[Tom52]

I normally have about $60 - $75 cash in the billfold, but today I looked and I have two $100 bills, one $50 and a few smaller bills. We just returned from two weeks traveling and I always carry some cash because I still run into several places that do not take credit cards. Now that I have the bills out I will put most of it back in the safe.


I normally try to pay with a CC but there are still quite a few places that don't take them or they charge 3.5% extra when using the card.

 

[steelyman]

I got a hot rod Ford and a two-dollar bill!

 

[Walt34]

Usually the largest bill I have is a $20 but I found this one in a library book. I haven't tried to spend it yet but I'm pretty sure it's a fake....

 

[Nemo2]

I got a hot rod Ford and a two-dollar bill!

Hank? Hank, is that you?

 

[hnzw_rui]

What is the largest denomination bill you have either with you now or in your wallet/purse? Do not count hidden money.

Curious, what do you mean by hidden money? I carry a couple of C-notes in a hidden fold in my wallet. The bills have been sitting there for around 5 years unspent. I've actually had the bills for 10 years but then I changed wallets.

Grew up in a cash economy so I don't feel comfortable without at least $200 on my person just in case of emergency. However, if the merchant accepts them, I always use credit cards for cashback and convenience. Typically, the only places I frequent in the US that don't accept CC or adds a surcharge are Chinese restaurants (Chinatown) but they're pretty cheap anyway. When traveling overseas, I carry $500 minimum although always less than $10,000. Concerned about debit card info getting stolen while traveling so I tend to use the ATM only as a last resort.

 

[braumeister]

Concerned about debit card info getting stolen while traveling so I tend to use the ATM only as a last resort.

I might just be fooling myself, but when I need cash while traveling I always try to use an ATM inside the lobby of a bank. I walk past all the people lined up to use machines on the sidewalk and never have to wait for one inside. I've also never had a problem since I started doing this.

 

[Nemo2]

I might just be fooling myself, but when I need cash while traveling I always try to use an ATM inside the lobby of a bank.

I do it in town too.....figure it's a lot easier for a grab-'n-run outside, than it is if they have to open a door on the way.

 

[steelyman]

Hank? Hank, is that you?

Well, hey good lookin'!

 

[Nemo2]

Well, hey good lookin'!

I just made some venison stew!

 

[btdt22]

I try to keep five $20's in my vehicles, and four $100 bills plus five $20's in my wallet.

Sometimes I have found cash is 'king' when I find a 'great' deal or need some help.

 

[audreyh1]

I have cash building up. I haven't used any in weeks. We aren't eating out these days (restricted diet). But I've taken my Costco Executive Member rebate and my Costco AMEX rebate in cash ('cause I'd rather charge my purchases using my 2% rewards card). So this cash keeps piling up......

No matter - it'll get spent down on our next travel excursion.

 

[Sunset]

I like to keep about $200 on me all the time.
Once I got stopped for speeding, and the fine was $120 payable on the spot (with a receipt, not a bribe) or hand over my licence and pick it up when I paid the fine.

Since then I keep a wad on me, in case I get stopped again.

I do also shop at Aldi , a cash or debit card only grocery store, and I don't use debit cards at all, so need the cash as I'll regularly buy $70 worth of food.

 

[Lucantes]

I am currently carrying at least two bills in my wallet that are worth $133.19 each plus some other smaller bills. I work overseas and normally carry approximately $500 worth of currency in my wallet.
My wife carries, on average, probably $150 worth of currency in her purse. She also controls the house safe which has another $1000 to $2000 worth of assorted currency in it (she lets me see it if I am a really good boy!).
When we are on vacation back in the USA I probably carry about $500 in my wallet, depending on where we are going. My wife probably another $200 in her purse and maybe a couple of extra hundred back in her luggage (ATM's are pretty easy to get to and use so we try not to keep a big stash).
I think I generally prefer to use cash when possible, my wife tends to prefer CC's.

 

[Tom52]

I like to keep about $200 on me all the time.
Once I got stopped for speeding, and the fine was $120 payable on the spot (with a receipt, not a bribe) or hand over my licence and pick it up when I paid the fine.

Since then I keep a wad on me, in case I get stopped again.

I do also shop at Aldi , a cash or debit card only grocery store, and I don't use debit cards at all, so need the cash as I'll regularly buy $70 worth of food.

We shop at Aldi's too, DW told me she received an email from Aldi's that said they will now take credit cards. We will try it out today. We would rather get 2% cash rebate using CC than using the debit card.
In fact the only time we use the debit card is because of Aldi's. If we don't need it at Aldi's we will save the $16 yearly fee for the debit card.

 

[Danmar]

100 euros is probably the biggest bill that has ever been in my wallet. Not sure why this would be of interest though?

How much cash you carry around might be more interesting. Generally around $500. If it gets down to around $200 I get more, $500-700 at a time.

It is a little frustrating that US ATM's don't distribute $50's like they do in Canada. 35 old 20's are pretty think in my wallet and sometimes give me a sore back if I sit on it for too long.

 

[Ronstar]

.....35 old 20's are pretty think in my wallet and sometimes give me a sore back if I sit on it for too long.

I found sitting on a wallet uncomfortable, so I switched to a thin money clip wallet with no more than $300 cash and cc's and insurance cards, and carry it in my front pocket.


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[Sue J]

We shop at Aldi's too, DW told me she received an email from Aldi's that said they will now take credit cards. We will try it out today. We would rather get 2% cash rebate using CC than using the debit card.
In fact the only time we use the debit card is because of Aldi's. If we don't need it at Aldi's we will save the $16 yearly fee for the debit card.

Thanks for posting about Aldi now taking credit cards. I get emails from them all the time but did not notice this one.

We changed to buying groceries with cash a few years ago because we were shopping at Aldi and another store that only took Discover. We will continue to use cash because DH likes it and he's been doing most of the grocery shopping.

But it's nice to know about the change at Aldi.

 

[Sunset]

Thanks for posting about Aldi now taking credit cards. I get emails from them all the time but did not notice this one.

We changed to buying groceries with cash a few years ago because we were shopping at Aldi and another store that only took Discover. We will continue to use cash because DH likes it and he's been doing most of the grocery shopping.

But it's nice to know about the change at Aldi.

This is great!
Now I can earn points on my Aldi shopping and not have to worry about holding enough cash on a sudden shopping trip.

 

[kneehigh]

A couple of $5 in my wallet that I rarely even carry with me. In it, I carry a debit and Amex. I purchase everything with Amex and pay it off at the end of the month before they can charge me any fee. I also get cash back, so they actually pay me to use the card. How sweet is that?

I don't like carrying cash since, inevitably, you end up with a lot of coins in your pocket which reminds me, I have to go to the bank and put all those coins in the coin machine and probably deposit it into my grandkids' college fund.

 

[Tom52]

This is great!
Now I can earn points on my Aldi shopping and not have to worry about holding enough cash on a sudden shopping trip.

We just got back from Aldi's and they definitely now take credit cards, at least in this district. I asked check-out person if this was all Aldi locations but they did not know. They could say only that all of the Aldi's in our "district" now take credit cards. It is nice to get 2% cash back on today's purchase at Aldi's.

 

[Slow But Steady]

At this moment, my largest is $1.

I usually have a few $20, from the ATM machine. I stop there once every 6 weeks or so and get the maximum of $300, which I then share with DW.

If I happen to be inside getting cash and they try to give me $50 or $100 bills, I tell them that I need twenties, because fast food doesn't like larger bills. What am I going to do, pick two things from the dollar menu and pay with a hundred?

 

[mickeyd]

$20. Like others here, I seldom deal in cash and tend to wear out my CC.

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

I'm in the minority on this issue. I have 2 or 3 tenants that pay in cash. I'm always carrying serious dough. As another poster said, it won't be me that gets skimmed or whatever you call it at a restaurant. Plus I rarely have to wait for change. How long do some who pay on credit have to wait for staff to return another time with your card? 5, 10 minutes? I prefer to hit the road.
I also prefer not to have "those that are watching us" know anything about my activities. I will gladly give up 1% of my CC charges (thats what my card pays) to not be tracked.
Supposedly Mcdonalds discovered that credit card payers make 40% larger purchases when paying with plastic. I'm cheap so I wouldn't alter my purchases either way. But I do believe that some people spend less by using cash.
I've never lost my wallet. If I did, perhaps my strategy would change.

 

[W2R]

I'm in the minority on this issue. I have 2 or 3 tenants that pay in cash. I'm always carrying serious dough. As another poster said, it won't be me that gets skimmed or whatever you call it at a restaurant. Plus I rarely have to wait for change. How long do some who pay on credit have to wait for staff to return another time with your card? 5, 10 minutes? I prefer to hit the road.
I also prefer not to have "those that are watching us" know anything about my activities. I will gladly give up 1% of my CC charges (thats what my card pays) to not be tracked.
Supposedly Mcdonalds discovered that credit card payers make 40% larger purchases when paying with plastic. I'm cheap so I wouldn't alter my purchases either way. But I do believe that some people spend less by using cash.
I've never lost my wallet. If I did, perhaps my strategy would change.

We eat lunch at restaurants daily, and pay in cash like you do so we can't be skimmed at restaurants. So far I haven't been skimmed anywhere else (knock on wood!). We do have to wait for change, maybe 1/3 of the time.

Unlike you I don't really care if "those that are watching us" know where I eat lunch. But strangers on the internet? I'm afraid of stalkers so I don't tell people online where I eat lunch.

Our lunches are pretty cheap so any missed rewards would be embarrassingly trivial. Yesterday's lunch was $4 including tip.

I lost my wallet last October and lost $233.08 in cash since I had just hit the ATM earlier that day. But cash can be replaced; for me, the biggest worries were the cards and identity theft potential.

I don't think I spend more because of having a credit card, but I guess that if I did I wouldn't realize it.

 

[tmm99]

Yesterday's lunch was $4 including tip.

That is crazy. I guess I could have a cup of java some place with that, but no real food at a sit-down place.


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