How much cash (actual greenbacks) do you keep on hand and why?

[hogtied]

I keep $600 - $700 on hand. This would give me a start if there ever was another "Bank Holiday" declared due to a terrorist event or an event that we cannot even possibly conceive of.

 

[justin]

Cash - Probably $100-200 between DW and I. Maybe another $100 in our kid's piggy banks. Plus $50 or so in spare change here and there. A few hundred dollars worth (probably $600-700 now) of silver and gold dollars if it really came down to it. Why? Just enough to cover our typical spending. Usually lasts a few weeks at least. Not too worried about "what if's".

Most folks I work with never seem to have any money on them (not even $1-$5 for lunch).

 

[shoe]

We try to keep about $1000 in cash at the ready. We also keep roughly 6 weeks to two months worth of food on hand as well.

 

[samclem]

About $250 between DW and I. We've gotten fairly dependent on the "available at any time" ATM.

 

[Mwsinron]

About 20 to 40 dollars. And the why is because I charge everything to a credit card for the 1 percent return

 

[Alan]

less than $200. I darw $200 when I need it and when none is left I draw another $200 which is less than once a month. If I wasn't lazy I'd look up my statements to see how often I draw out cash.

I charge whenever I can to get the cash back

 

[youbet]

$200 or so each in our wallets is typical. A kilobuck stashed in the house "just in case."

 

[LOL!]

I've had $6 in my wallet for quite a while. No reason to have more cash. I can use a credit card for everything. And if my kids ask for money, I basically don't have any. I don't even remember the code for my ATM card, so I can't get any cash that way anyways.

 

[clifp]

I generally have lots of cash $2,000-$5,000, on hand in a safe, cause I need to play poker.
Periodically, I take a a couple thousand to Walmart, where I get a money order, which I deposit with my broker. What about when you lose,some my ask. I am sure someday, I'll have a prolonged lossing streak, but so far I haven't used an ATM since Thanksgiving.

 

[calmloki]

yikes. i'm embarassed. decades ago, when i didn't have a checking account because banks charged fees and didn't pay interest, when i budgeted out 6 months and a car battery going bad required major budget revisions, when i was buying a house but had no furniture, i got in the habit of changing twenty dollar bills for hundreds. Once i had a hundred dollar bill it was nigh onto impossible for me to spend it. I was fooling myself - creating a lack of spendable money that made me tighten down my spending habits even more. Then I hooked up with a gal whose Dad actually used to bury money in the back yard. I only thought i was goal oriented - she's the real deal. Made for a dangerous pair. More $ came into the house and the hundreds started getting put in groups.

suffice it to say that there are a number of paper-clipped amounts which, if in the bank, would earn far more than we make in rebates and cash back from the credit cards and Costco. Estupido!

 

[Nords]

We keep about $200 cash in the house total, including everybody's wallets and the pizza change on my desk.

If we go to COR 2 (or if the Red Cross calls my spouse about volunteering to set up the hurricane shelter) I go straight to the ATM.

Within a couple hours of the earthquake we had 25 gallons of water in the bottles, another 75 gallons in the bathtubs, and the usual assortment of canned goods on hand in the pantry. (Someday I'm going to find out if that dried/smoked/vacuum-sealed salmon improves with a decade of storage.) It would have taken me a morning to BBQ the thawing freezer meat but I think we could have survived on $200 for at least a couple weeks-- definitely longer than the water would've held out. Money was the least of our concerns...

 

[CyclingInvestor]

Typically, maybe $50-$100 total.

But I usually have 80-200 lbs of dry dog food in the garage,
and 20-40 2 liter bottles of Diet Dr Pepper (blech) so when
the big one hits, I won't go hungry or thirsty.

 

[Mwsinron]

Typically, maybe $50-$100 total.

But I usually have 80-200 lbs of dry dog food in the garage,
and 20-40 2 liter bottles of Diet Dr Pepper (blech) so when
the big one hits, I won't go hungry or thirsty.

Well with how safe pet food is now that might be the least of your worries

 

[NinjaPigeon]

I have about $300 in bills and about $350 in loose change. I don't really try to keep a set amount; I'm just too lazy to take money to the bank

 

[runchman]

I either have about 20 bucks on me, or I have about a grand or so in a bag in the trunk of my car.

The grand is only if I've collected from my laundromat and am procrastinating on getting to the bank.

And no it isn't all quarters, it is cash from the change machines. Many of the quarters just cycle between the change machines and the washers/dryers, back to the change machine....

- John

 

[haha]

I generally have lots of cash $2,000-$5,000, on hand in a safe, cause I need to play poker.
Periodically, I take a a couple thousand to Walmart, where I get a money order, which I deposit with my broker. What about when you lose,some my ask. I am sure someday, I'll have a prolonged lossing streak, but so far I haven't used an ATM since Thanksgiving.

I thought the Patriot Act made it illegal for brokers to accept MOs. I guess I misunderstood.

BTW, ClifP- do you play in card rooms or at informal gatherings?

Ha

 

[SteveR]

Never really stopped to add it up but an educated estimate would be:
$200 in our combined wallets.
$300 in coins (to lazy to roll them up....looks like I either need to load them in the RV for our stop over in Las Vegas or roll them on those slow ER days in the future) in the safe with savings bonds and other stuff. (don't have or want a safety deposit box).
$50 in our change cup on my dresser...it is a big cup.
$ in pennies in a some Glad bags...see above too lazy to roll them comment.

 

[haha]

Never really stopped to add it up but an educated estimate would be:
$200 in our combined wallets.
$300 in coins (to lazy to roll them up....looks like I either need to load them in the RV for our stop over in Las Vegas or roll them on those slow ER days in the future) in the safe with savings bonds and other stuff. (don't have or want a safety deposit box).
$50 in our change cup on my dresser...it is a big cup.
$ in pennies in a some Glad bags...see above too lazy to roll them comment.

Some banks have free coin counting machines. Many outlets have coin counters that will give you an undiscounted voucher for Amazon, so if you buy books tha tis an easy way to get rid of coins.

Ha

 

[Peaceful_Warrior]

How solid is the ROI on your laundromat? And what were some of your experiences setting that up?

I'm a big fan of businesses that don't require too much manual effort... seems like picking up a bag of money would fit that category pretty well.

I either have about 20 bucks on me, or I have about a grand or so in a bag in the trunk of my car.

The grand is only if I've collected from my laundromat and am procrastinating on getting to the bank.

And no it isn't all quarters, it is cash from the change machines. Many of the quarters just cycle between the change machines and the washers/dryers, back to the change machine....

- John

 

[Meadbh]

Just lunch money. I top up with $100 from the ATM when needed and use my one and only credit card for everything else. All monthly bills are preauthorized.

 

[RedHawk]

I rarely have more than $20 bucks on me. I go the ATM about once a week and get a $20. Don't want to pull too much out since I'm earning a whole .70% on my checking account. I use my credit card for everything else.

 

[clifp]

I thought the Patriot Act made it illegal for brokers to accept MOs. I guess I misunderstood.

BTW, ClifP- do you play in card rooms or at informal gatherings?

Ha

No I think anyone can accept money orders. The Patriot Act and/or other banking acts require that you fill out paper work if you purchase more than 3K worth of money orders. Although, I have had to give my ID when purchasing less.. So I am pretty careful to declare gambling winning on my income tax.

Home poker games and charity bingo is pretty much the only legal form of gambling in Hawaii. (No casinos, sports betting, state lotteries, card rooms, dog or horse racing etc.) So I play in one of the many home games in the state. Interesting Vegas/Hawaii factoid, not only does Hawaii have the highest per capita visits to Lost Wages in the US, but little Hawaii is the #2 state after CA in total vistors to Vegas.

 

[saluki9]

I keep a couple thousand in my safe at home. You never know when you're going to need some cash.

Plus, if things ever get really bad I think my stockpile of ammunition will be more useful

 

[W2R]

I keep $600 - $700 on hand. This would give me a start if there ever was another "Bank Holiday" declared due to a terrorist event or an event that we cannot even possibly conceive of.

Maybe I should do that. I don't normally keep anything extra on hand. When a hurricane threatens, I get about $300-$400 from the ATM as part of my preparations.

That wasn't enough for the Katrina evacuation, but luckily my bank stayed online (after a couple of days of "down time") and I was able to make withdrawals from ATMs in Alabama.

 

[donheff]

I pull $200 from the ATM whenever I run out of cash. I rarely have more. Maybe I should put a couple of grand in the safe like some of you do for a disaster period. I am in DC.