Cashless Society

[The Lazy L]

I used cash for everything. Troubles itemizing for taxes so I switched to checks. Then my check registry/printing software wasn't compatible with my new computer. Now I use a CC for all purchases and use on line banking to pay the monthly CC bill.

 

[Supervisor42]

I used cash for everything. Troubles itemizing for taxes so I switched to checks. Then my check registry/printing software wasn't compatible with my new computer. Now I use a CC for all purchases and use on line banking to pay the monthly CC bill.

So, this one is now looking for a new home?

 

[The Lazy L]

So, this one is now looking for a new home?

Ha ha!

Believe that is a Radio Shack Tandy model IV. My first was the model III. As I recall I paid $999 for it new. Sold it years latter at a garage sale for $30.

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

Here it is a bit different. All the small businesses that have been allowed to open so far and haven't yet taken a complete nose dive, only take cash. No cards of any kind. They cannot afford the card fees the banks impose on them.

 

[Amish Heart]

Son that works at plant nursery said boss went to the bank to pick up their normal coin. They were given a list for next weeks pickup, and it was greatly reduced, like half, of what they can pick up from now on.

 

[Maverickhawk]

Here it is a bit different. All the small businesses that have been allowed to open so far and haven't yet taken a complete nose dive, only take cash. No cards of any kind. They cannot afford the card fees the banks impose on them.

That's why it's important to the gov to keep the small business shut down. They can't take away cash so they will destroy any intetedy accepting it. In a cashless society they can decide HOW much you are worth.

 

[BadgerLandHunter]

Being a "millenial" I totally agree with y'all. I use a credit card because I was always told you need CREDIT. I actually am not great with saving money since it's so easy to swipe and be disconnected. I don't buy lots of junk but I don't keep track as well as cash. I would use cash way more if I wasn't trying to one day own a home and no e out of the city.
I do keep some cash on hand incase I need it and it has come in handy.
I'm a millenial but not what you think of when you hear that. Cash is and I hope always will be king.

 

[Maverickhawk]

Being a "millenial" I totally agree with y'all. I use a credit card because I was always told you need CREDIT. I actually am not great with saving money since it's so easy to swipe and be disconnected. I don't buy lots of junk but I don't keep track as well as cash. I would use cash way more if I wasn't trying to one day own a home and no e out of the city.
I do keep some cash on hand incase I need it and it has come in handy.
I'm a millenial but not what you think of when you hear that. Cash is and I hope always will be king.

We have had good credit and bad credit. "IF" you are patient you can build credit and save money. But I will admit it took me decades to learn and practice what I am preaching. 8 years ago we were using change to buy gas just to get to work. Now I enjoy using cash to buy things so we can fill change jars. From what I can tell we have somewhere close to 2k in change throughout the house. This money is just a small part of an emergency fund. If we get to the point of having a diverse savings and a well stocked emergency fund then the wife will get to use the change to buy the ring she has always deserved.

 

[joel]

I use cards,cash & checks, I have very little problems.
I do not use cards on the net, only paypal, I left a comment on one site, no paypal, no sale.
It does not seem to change anything, but they know why I went some where else.

 

[Morgan101]

I know I am old school, but all of this electronic BS just invites cybercrime, not to mention Big Brother is watching. I am not divulging any more info than I have to.

 

[dademoss]

So, this one is now looking for a new home?

I learned to program in BASIC on one similar to that . My memory has faded over the 40+ years since then.

 

[Cascadian]

Yes now there is suddenly a change shortage. I asked the young lady ringing me up at Lowe's
, Why the change shortage. She didn't know. I told her I thought it was about control and getting people used to the idea of mandatory debt card use. Judging from the look on her face she probably didn't sleep well last night.

 

[angie_nrs]

I saw a commercial recently for a childrens debit card. The big banks want to start them off early using plastic. I hope parents don't fall for that BS, but when kids don't learn money management at home from parents, they are likely going to go down the same road as them. My parents always had money in their wallets. I do too. If I ever come across a bargain, I can buy it on the spot, with cash. I also have a full change purse too.

Yes now there is suddenly a change shortage. I asked the young lady ringing me up at Lowe's
, Why the change shortage. She didn't know. I told her I thought it was about control and getting people used to the idea of mandatory debt card use. Judging from the look on her face she probably didn't sleep well last night.

I don't buy into the change shortage narrative either. I agree, it's a push towards plastic. I have LOTS of change and bills of every denomiination. So, during this fake coin shortage, I will still be using cash. I find it strange that only the big box stores around here are pushing the coin shortage and none of the smaller stores are. Weird, huh?

 

[Meerkat]

We use cash sometimes.
But cash is worthless now anyway, since the Robber Barons robbed Fort Knox. It does have its privacy though unlike CC's that track all your spending.
But with cameras in your profilled DMV digited face at all times cash isn't that private either. I fought that tracking mark with all I had and lost the battle.
If I dodn't have drivers license could not go to doctor [ which may have been a good thing,],no driving,etc,etc,etc,

 

[backlash]

There are places that will not take cash supposedly due to the China virus.
There are benefits to no cash policy for the business. It cost a lot of money to ship cash and especially coins so getting rid of cash is a big saving for businesses. It is also harder to steal from a business that takes no cash.
Of course, the big advantage for the government is they can easily track your finances.
I use cash and CC and I shop online. I don't worry about it.

 

[MamaJo]

My "local store" said the same yesterday. Also, you can't get cash back at self check out. We are definitely being funneled in one direction!

Same here at the self checkout stations. Also anywhere else in the grocery store like the deli. ONLY at the front registers with a cashier at them and there's only 2 for a huge store.

 

[angie_nrs]

It cost a lot of money to ship cash and especially coins so getting rid of cash is a big saving for businesses.

For any business I ever worked at, we would cash out at the end of the day and submit the payments in a bag to the local bank. It didn't cost the business anything extra, so I don't really see how it would be a savings for them? Those CC's cost the business 6% of the purchase every time they are used as opposed to cash. I also worked at cash or check only businesses who would not accept CC's b/c they charge so much for their use. Even my local township won't take CC's for payment on taxes. So, I guess I just don't see where the savings are for companies going cashless. Cash is guaranteed payment as opposed to worrying about a potential bounced check, fraud (if they know how to verify cash, which is pretty easy), or non-payment by CC's. If someone offered me a choice between cash, plastic, or check.....I'd take the cash every time.

 

[Morgan101]

I am not one to believe in conspiracy theories, but I would not be the least bit surprised if the banks/credit card companies/large retailers all conspired to eliminate cash and change. When you don't have cash in your pocket you don't spend. If you aren't disciplined with a credit card you buy whatever you want and pay the piper later. Credit cards are an addiction. Don't fall for the trap.

 

[HippoTwilight]

I can see making an argument in favor of cash for privacy, anonymity, etc, But that's where the argument ends as far as I'm concerned, for personal finances.

I apologize in advance if I'm too crass with this next part. This topic gets me firing on all cylinders for a variety of reasons.

If a person's money management only goes as far as looking at how much money is in their pocket, they're already failing. If you can manage a checkbook you can manage a credit card. A credit card is a tool, just like a firearm is a tool. In my opinion blaming electronic banking for the mismanagement of finances is the exact same as blaming scary black rifles for mass shootings. Whether it's cash, checks, plastic, 1's & 0's, or sea shells, if you don't have a system in place for assigning a job for your money you will have problems.

 

[hiwall]

When my oldest son was 17, I got him a credit card. Obviously I was responsible for any debt he incurred because of his age. There was never a problem and he has always had a card since then. A credit card is handy and a useful tool.

 

[Terri9630]

Both of my girls have had "child" debit cards. Instead of giving them cash for school trips and such I put money on the cards for them. Cash always came up missing (band trips) and cards were pretty useless to thieves without the pin and less likely to be stolen. If it was I could call the bank and cancel the card and have a new one overnighted to the hotel for them.

 

[Supervisor42]

I learned to program in BASIC on one similar to that . My memory has faded over the 40+ years since then.

I'm going to go off topic on this one, It's just for @dademoss.
I wrote this one in 1995 to calculate the compression ratios for high-compression engines given all of the important measurements were made.
There wasn't one available then.
Leaning slightly to the chevy engines, but it can calculate others 8-cyl. engines easily given the correct info.
It wasn't that complicated. The formulas came straight out of the book.
It was no longer than this:

5 CLS 'ENGINE
10 PRINT " ENGINE COMPRESSION CALCULATOR"
15 PRINT " SELECT ENGINE TYPE:"
20 PRINT "(O) FOR OTHER, NON-STANDARD"
30 PRINT "(A) 302 SB V8 (B) 305 SB V8"
35 PRINT "(C) 307 SB V8 (D) 327 SB V8"
40 PRINT "(E) 350 SB V8 (F) 400 SB V8"
42 PRINT "(G) 383 SB V8 (H) 372 SB V8"
45 PRINT "(I) 396 BB V8 (J) 402 BB V8"
50 PRINT "(K) 427 BB V8 (L) 454 BB V8"
52 PRINT "(M) 400 Block, 302 crank"
54 PRINT "(N) 400 Block, 327 crank"
65 C = 8
60 X$ = INKEY$
61 IF X$ = "" THEN 60
62 IF X$ = "a" THEN B = 4.001: S = 3: GOTO 140
64 IF X$ = "b" THEN B = 3.736: S = 3.48: GOTO 140
66 IF X$ = "c" THEN B = 3.876: S = 3.25: GOTO 140
68 IF X$ = "d" THEN B = 4.001: S = 3.25: GOTO 140
70 IF X$ = "e" THEN B = 4.001: S = 3.48: GOTO 140
72 IF X$ = "f" THEN B = 4.126: S = 3.75: GOTO 140
73 IF X$ = "g" THEN B = 4.001: S = 3.75: GOTO 140
74 IF X$ = "h" THEN B = 4.126: S = 3.48: GOTO 140
75 IF X$ = "I" THEN B = 4.094: S = 3.76: GOTO 140
76 IF X$ = "J" THEN B = 4.125: S = 3.76: GOTO 140
78 IF X$ = "k" THEN B = 4.251: S = 3.76: GOTO 140
80 IF X$ = "l" THEN B = 4.251: S = 4: GOTO 140
82 IF X$ = "m" THEN B = 4.126: S = 3: GOTO 140
84 IF X$ = "n" THEN B = 4.126: S = 3.25: GOTO 140
100 'NON-STANDARD SPECS ENTRY
110 INPUT "BORE"; B
120 INPUT "STROKE"; S
130 INPUT "CYLINDERS"; C
140 D = .7854 * B * B * S * C
150 CC = (D * 16.4): PRINT "DISPLACEMENT IS", D; "CU IN."; CC; "CC'S"
160 V1 = D / C * 16.4
170 INPUT "DECK CLEARANCE"; DC
180 V2 = .7854 * B * B * DC * 16.4
190 INPUT "HEAD GASKET THICKNESS"; T
200 V3 = .7854 * B * B * T * 16.4
210 INPUT "HEAD CHAMBER VOLUME (CC'S)"; CV
220 INPUT "PISTON DOME VOLUME (CC'S)"; DV: DV = DV + .0001
230 V4 = CV - DV
240 CR = (V1 + V2 + V3 + V4) / (V2 + V3 + V4)
250 PRINT "COMPRESSION RATIO IS", CR; "TO 1"
260 PRINT "COMPRESSION PRESSURE ABOUT"; (CR - 1) * 14.7; "PSI"
270 PRINT "TO CHANGE COMP. FACTORS TYPE 'C' TYPE 'R' TO RESTART OTHER TO END"
280 N$ = INKEY$
290 IF N$ = "c" THEN 170
295 IF N$ = "r" THEN 5
300 IF N$ = "" THEN 280
310 END

It still works fine even today. It lets you tweak specs and immediately see the change in C/R.
Find a Qbasic or equivalent and give it a spin. It ain't busy, and you can consider it in public domain by now.
(5 bonus points for the first guy that can paste screenshots of it running.)

 

[Morgan101]

I don't disagree with what anybody has said about credit cards. They are a useful tool. They can be a good way to help kids learn and be responsible with money. They do have a place and a purpose.

That said, there are just as many people (some relatives included) who have no self control, and no discipline who have gotten into horrendous debt, and made a mess of their lives because of credit cards. My point is deficit spending is a bad idea. I know there are emergencies, and it may be necessary, but the deficit should be paid as quickly as possible. IMHO cash is a better way to avoid that. Be careful.

How many times have we, as Preppers, heard "First thing you should do is get out of debt,"

 

[angie_nrs]

I agree with most of the posts here, that cash is a tool. It is my most used tool for buying things. I do have CC's and checks too. I use them all differently. I have to use CC's online and have a specific one for online use. I also have another that I use locally for some things when I need to. I prefer to use cash, mostly b/c if affords me the most privacy.

I grew up debt averse. I'm not sure exactly how that happened. My parents paid off their debt vigoursly, but still borrowed money if they thought it was for a good cause, like for a summer cottage. Back then, they borrowed from my Grandpa, since it kept that money in the family. However, I don't think many people have that discomfort with debt. It's almost an expectation these days to carry some amount of debt. As Dave Ramsey says, the debtor is the slave to the lender. I feel that, and as such haven't carried any debt now for about 10 years since the house was paid off.

One good thing with cash.....you can't overspend it. When it's gone, you're done. It's almost like mom telling you NO! Overall, I think we need more of that in our society.

 

[HippoTwilight]

A big trick I've learned to help control the credit card...
I have a few bills that are direct withdraw from my checking account, everything else goes on designated CC. I have a card for "fixed" expenses, and another for variable expenses. After the weekly money assignments are made, anything extra goes into "fun money". Most of the fun money comes from minimizing spending on the variable card. So if I know I want something specific, I can't buy it until the fun money balance is high enough to pay off that purchase.

 

[Meerkat]

Same here at the self checkout stations. Also anywhere else in the grocery store like the deli. ONLY at the front registers with a cashier at them and there's only 2 for a huge store.

Thats so they can charge you more money while putting you to work at same time, win,win for them lose lose for the sheep. Why hiring a cashier if the shopper will do the rok for you for nothing and feel good about it at same time.

 

[MamaJo]

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/kroger-to-no-longer-return-coin-change-to-customers

 

[Meerkat]

I can see making an argument in favor of cash for privacy, anonymity, etc, But that's where the argument ends as far as I'm concerned, for personal finances.

I apologize in advance if I'm too crass with this next part. This topic gets me firing on all cylinders for a variety of reasons.

If a person's money management only goes as far as looking at how much money is in their pocket, they're already failing. If you can manage a checkbook you can manage a credit card. A credit card is a tool, just like a firearm is a tool. In my opinion blaming electronic banking for the mismanagement of finances is the exact same as blaming scary black rifles for mass shootings. Whether it's cash, checks, plastic, 1's & 0's, or sea shells, if you don't have a system in place for assigning a job for your money you will have problems.

So if your pepping or buying weapons or just saving money,why should all your personal actions be on file for all to see ?
Its none of theri business what we buy.
Already they can rob you on the highway or in your own home now that they did away with Due Process. ERad is a new tool given so they can also clean out your CC and Banking accounts. Just pull you over ' suspect ' you have done whatever comes to their mind and bingo jackpot. Good luck fighting in court to prove your house,car etc is innocent too.
It was alreadt bad enough nuy Trump just gav them more sharper teeth to work with. I think he listens to the worng jackasses in his adviseroy group.
And people wonder why I don't vote! I don't like the rights they keep taking away from us.
Now this new Anti Semitic law is just as bad ,good bye free speech and if you don't like it your a anti semetic well I am nor anti anyone thats pro-American including all Jews, but don't think they are above reproach either.
My nation has been invaded, socialized, silenced and robbed and I'm not happy about it but also can't stop it but I don't have ot agree with it.

 

[HippoTwilight]

So if your pepping or buying weapons or just saving money,why should all your personal actions be on file for all to see?
Its none of their business what we buy.

You must have missed the first 14 words of my post.

 

[Meerkat]

You must have missed the first 14 words of my post.

I may have but I think I was agreeing with your post.