How much cash do you carry ?

[aaronc879]

I still prefer to use cash. I spend very little money but use cash at the grocery store and gas station. In my area you can still pump then pay cash inside. If I had to pre-pay I would use a CC. When I get gas I put in enough gas to get rid of most of my loose change. I typically carry around $100 in bills of $20 or smaller. I will carry more if i'm going on a trip but I don't do that often. I do have one CC with cash back that I use for the rare big purchase. I will be getting a new water heater this year and will use the CC to purchase that and cash to pay the person who installs it.

 

[COcheesehead]

$0. I have a $5 bill stuffed in my bike bag, but I rarely carry cash. My credit card is on my watch too so I can use that in some cases, but for me, if I am going to be rewarded 2% on all my credit card purchases, I will use it for anything I can.

 

[Kwirk]

I posted something like this in another thread. We're so old school here in the states.
https://sweden.se/business/cashless-society/

DW and I spent a week in Sweden and never touched any currency.

 

[JustCurious]

I posted something like this in another thread. We're so old school here in the states.
https://sweden.se/business/cashless-society/

I have a teenage daughter who recently got her first debit card. Not long ago she asked me for money to go out with her friends and when I reached for my wallet she said "Dad, can you transfer the money to my debit card?"

 

[Walt34]

I usually have between $100 (my minimum) and $300-$400, although in the last few years I have belatedly begun charging most local purchases on the cc. In restaurants I virtually never use a cc, but pay cash. And stashed away in the house is a bit over a grand for "bug out" money or we get The Great Power Failure and don't have any other way to buy gas and food.

 

[JustCurious]

And stashed away in the house is a bit over a grand for "bug out" money or we get The Great Power Failure and don't have any other way to buy gas and food.

Have you ever used your "bug out" money for its intended purpose?

 

[gwraigty]

I keep very little cash in my wallet. It gets dusty. I use a cash back credit card for almost all purchases.

 

[Kwirk]

...In restaurants I virtually never use a cc, but pay cash...

Some of the best credit card rebates are for restaurants. I think the Costco Citi card gives 3% back. (That's about $700 for us.)

 

[COcheesehead]

My Dad used to have cash stuffed in a pipe in the crawl space of your house. He grew up in the Depression.

 

[DFDubb]

Small money clip with 50-100 bucks while in the states. Nobody that I work with ever has any cash either. Spouse doesn't carry any either even though I beg otherwise.

In foreign countries, especially those where the police are likely to settle up on the street should I commit an offense, I carry USD equivalent of several hundred bucks.

 

[JustCurious]

Some of the best credit card rebates are for restaurants. I think the Costco Citi card gives 3% back. (That's about $700 for us.)

Sometimes paying with cash at a restaurant saves time. If the server is busy you sometimes have to wait for him/her to notice that you are ready to pay the bill, come to the table and pick up your bill with the credit card, take it back to the register, perform the transaction, print out the receipt, bring it back to the table and produce a pen, then you have to fill out the receipt by adding a tip and calculating the tip and providing a total and signing it. And the process is even longer if you are splitting the check. I have had to wait some significant period of time for that whole process before. By contrast, if you have cash and you have something close to the correct change you can just put the cash on the table and get up and walk out.

Also, some people advise not to let your credit card out of your sight...

How to avoid skimming

Make sure your card stays in sight, and never let anyone leave of your presence with the card if you can help it. If you are concerned about letting go of your card at restaurants, use cash instead.

https://gephardtdaily.com/special-reports/why-you-shouldnt-let-your-credit-cards-out-of-your-sight/

 

[Rianne]

I have a teenage daughter who recently got her first debit card. Not long ago she asked me for money to go out with her friends and when I reached for my wallet she said "Dad, can you transfer the money to my debit card?"

Will never use a debit card, well only at the ATM.

 

[Walt34]

Have you ever used your "bug out" money for its intended purpose?

No, and I'll freely acknowledge that we probably never will. One thought is that when The Apocalypse hits the D.C. area many of those folks are going to want to "bug out" to here, which in turn will make this area virtually uninhabitable, at least by our standards, so we'll want to go someplace even further west, or somewhere else. That's one use for it.

Far more likely is that we'll just run into some situation in which a large wad of cash will solve some immediately pressing problem so it'll be available for that too.

 

[Mdlerth]

Your cash ain't nothin' but trash, but I'm sure gonna get me some more

No hard limit but I try to keep upwards of $50. It makes it quicker at many of the local festivals we attend. Also, I believe waitresses prefer their tips in cash.

Even professional athletes who make enormous salaries appreciate getting their travel meal allowance in folding money instead of by direct deposit. Currency is much more palpable and satisfying than the soulless digits on contracts.

https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com...s-get-creative-with-their-133-travel-per-diem

 

[CardsFan]

Sometimes paying with cash at a restaurant saves time.

+1. I go to a bi-weekly retiree lunch. There can be anywhere from 10 to 20 of us, with separate checks. I (almost) always make sure I have the bills I need to pay the tab, without needing change (and I probably over tip, but we hashed that one out in another thread). No mix-up with CC's. No waiting to process the other 9 or 19 cards in front of me.

To the OP's question: I keep $100 to $200 (in $50's) stashed behind my driver's license, and they have come in handy. Then I will keep around $100 in $20's or less for normal spending. When I get down to less than $40, I usually take another $100 from the ATM next time I am near one. Usually every 2 weeks or so.

 

[FANOFJESUS]

$100 I am trying to get away from credit cards. I like cash no number out there for me to worry about like a card.

 

[kgtest]

$20. I feel weird getting only $20 from the ATM, but that's usually to put in a birthday card, grab a snack at an event or pay for parking. I don't garage sale or retail at places that don't take a card.

I am thinking this might change as kids grow and we need to dole out for school events etc.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Usually around $10 or $20, which will remain untouched for weeks. No need for cash at most places since I use the CC that gives me cash back. Lately I’ve noticed in Quicken just how infrequently we withdraw cash these days.

 

[gerntz]

100-300 depending on when I've hit ATM. Use cash for card games, youth sports entrance & concessions, kids selling stuff, race track bets, bar beers, & when I'm in areas with roads tolls since we're not around any to make getting a pass worthwhile.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

An allied thought...
About wallets... and what else besides $$$'s, credit card, driver's license, healthcare card and contact info. Just recently decided that this could be important and emptied the at risk items.

As little as possible. The two CCs we use, the ATM card (which I rarely use), the health insurance ID card, my DL and one or two loyalty punch cards which I wonder why I carry since I always seem to forget to use them. That’s it.

Remember when we all carried our Social Security Cards?

 

[Yoheadden]

I feel comfortable with 40-60 as I like to get my “rewards” like many here. It’s like getting an automatic discount on everything I buy.

I do pay cash for purchases of only a few dollars. I’m a small business owner so I know how it is to get a CC for a $2 purchase.

 

[sengsational]

$100, on average.

On the cash-in side, I typically only get cash from the ATM when I'm going to be traveling with folks that are more comfortable with cash than other ways to split expenses. I also enjoy getting the occasional "Benjamin" at Christmas time and the like. On the cash-out side, it's for those cash-preference friends (often splitting a restaurant check or travel excursion bill). I'll sometimes tip in cash. Road tolls. Sometimes cash at small tap rooms if they have a tedious POS system. And for transactions $5 or less I feel inclined to use cash.

 

[Cut-Throat]

I carry about $150, give or take about $50 ..... But I find I have the same $150 in my Pocket for over 6 months now..... I never use it.... Maybe at a Farmer's Market once in awhile.... I could surely live without cash.


The airlines don't even want it now when I buy a glass of wine.

 

[skipro33]

I carry anywhere from $300 to $500 in my wallet. Also have $5,000 in cash hidden at home. I come across all sorts of bargains; everything from craigslist ads to garage sales. Last week I picked up a 28HP riding lawn mower that had nothing wrong with it than some wire wrapped around one of the belly blades. I paid the guy $50 plus he had to help me load it into my truck. As we loaded it, that's when I saw the wire foul. Pointed out to him and he told me he replaced this one with a shiny new one and don't mention this to his wife. Ha!

Got a 1991 Suzuki Samurai, 2nd year they came out with fuel injection, making passing smog test easy. Very rare, have not seen one on craigslist within 400 miles of me since and that was almost 3 years ago. I paid $4,800 for it and have been offered $10,000 while refueling at gas stations.

Got my dad an electric recliner for $20, probably worth $300. etc. Having the cash on the spot has saved me a lot over the years.

 

[Moemg]

I usually have $100 .Mostly for tips, the nail salon and lunch out with friends .