How much CASH do you carry?

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I thought about this thread the other day when I went to the gas station and there were signs everywhere saying CASH only. All their CC readers were offline. I wondered why it seemed empty in the middle of the day. I always pay cash anyways so it didn't matter to me, but it sure did look like it put a dent in their business for the day.

These are the things I am getting more and more concerned about. Cyber glitches seem to be happening a lot lately. I would not be a single bit surprised to see an even bigger and more widespread outage to occur. In fact, I fully expect it to happen and am actually surpised it hasn't happened yet.

Considering all the lockdown threats, shortages, predictions of shortages, threats of war, etc. etc. etc.....you'd think more people would have stocked up on some cash just in case. From the lack of people I saw at the gas station, it seems that's not the case. I had hoped after the great TP shortage that people had perhaps prepared for (at least) a small scale emergency. When things go offline for an extended period of time, I think some folks are going to be in for a huge wake up call.
 
Even though I mostly use plastic, I carry about 200-300 USD cash on my wallet usually.
I also have $2000 cash at the house in a non descript envelope just in case.
 
My finances have not changed from what I posted last year. I carry cash, and use it 98% of the time. The only time I use a credit card is when I buy groceries. I keep cash in my EDC Bag, and my Get Home Bag, and we have cash in a safe at home. My wife had a surprise this week when she went to Walgreens, and they would only accept cash or checks. Not sure if a system was down or if it was a policy change, but she was lucky she had cash.

I always have cash, and I always go into the bank to get it when I need more. I may be the only person on the planet who has never used an ATM.
 
joel said:
On my person I carry $20-$50 dollars, where I can get it in ten minutes, about $200.00 dollers in small bills.
Never tell anyone where it is. Wife came in the front room smiling one day
& said I found $100.00 in one of your old wallet. Oh well, have to find another hiding place.
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At home I carry not cash on me, only when I am out & about town.
 
It depends. You all know I travel a lot for work, and when doing so I usually have $100-200 on me. I don't use it unless I have to.

At home I always used to keep $500 stashed away but I've dwindled that down. I suppose I should probably build it back up but I don't know if I will. It's just much more convenient to use the card. I don't end up with a pocket full of ones and loose change that way...
 
I carry at least $500 or more in my wallet. I have an old wallet in my truck that has around $200 in small bills. Nothing over a 20 and a lot of ones.
My wife has cash hidden away but I have no idea how much she has or where it is. It's none of my business.
I use a CC for a lot of purchases and pay the bill every 2 weeks, never carry a balance due. I get a kick back from the CC company, last year I got $300 rebate.
We keep a cash in the safe for emergencies.
My Dad was working in Alaska and he was making good money. He cashed his checks and hid the money. One morning my brother asked to borrow some boots. He found Dad's cash. Over $25,000 in a boot.
When he came back from Alaska he paid off the mortgage.
 
backlash said:
My Dad was working in Alaska and he was making good money. He cashed his checks and hid the money. One morning my brother asked to borrow some boots. He found Dad's cash. Over $25,000 in a boot.
When he came back from Alaska he paid off the mortgage.
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Who paid off their house, your uncle or your dad?

I try to keep enough cash on me to buy a tank of gas and a basket of groceries.

We were visiting friends and they were complaining that the internet went down while they were shopping and they could use neither their card nor the cash machine. It was like they thought it was the stores fault and that the store should have provided a means for them to pay. DW and I kept our mouths shut, until we left.
 
I just looked in my wallet to see what was there. Yep, the same three $20's that have been there for at least a decade.

I never use cash. Why would I? With a credit card I get money back based on everything I buy. I get protection from fraud. I get protection from bad merchants. If someone steals it I don't lose a single penny if I report it. And it doesn't cost me anything for these added benefits over cash (I pay off the card in full every month). I can't think of a single place I've gone in the last decade that doesn't take credit cards.

I do carry those three old moldy $20's in my wallet - just in case. And have backup cash at home. But it's a fallback only. Kind of like my package of Costco AA alkaline batteries. Never used because I always use rechargeables. Or the canned vegetables I have in my preps. I don't like canned veges, I much prefer fresh, or if that's not available, frozen. But the alkaline batteries and the canned food is there ... "just in case".
 
When I was a working single guy I often carried $500.00 on me.
I don't carry cash anymore. I have 2 credit cards and a check on me.
 
I try to carry at least a 1000 dollars. Sometimes more.

Heres a story. I was traveling from new hampshire into maine. The driver came to a quick stop and said did you see that? What? There is a table of guns in that yard back there. We turned around and a fella was selling guns. I carry cash so I bought one, should have bought a couple. My buddy is one of the younger generation that doesnt carry cash. He didnt buy one. I offered to loan gim some. He declined.

Money talks BS walks
 
It tees me off when I travel. I want to use cash at tha gas station. Many are pay at pump. I try to fill up in the rural areas, they still take cash without pre pay.

I have one credit card for online purposes. There are times I send a money order instead.

I have very little use for a digital transaction
 
I usually have a $100 bill stashed and whatever random amount I have. Also as of late I have an ounce of silver. I put it in there just to see how it fit and forgot about it.
 
Change/Coins is something I never carry on me unless it is from a transaction that day, When I get home it goes in a dish, and when the dish is full it goes into a very large jar. The jar is nowhere near half full but I know there is several hundred dollars in it. I hope I can never touch it for the next ten years, and then let the grandkids have a field day. By that time it will probably take three men and a boy to lift it.
 
I always keep a few hundred on me, plus the odd amount I spend from. Most purchases go on my card but you never know when you might want to use cash. Depending on the product sometimes even get a discount.
If we are traveling we take considerably more cash, just in case
 
Caribou said:
Who paid off their house, your uncle or your dad?

I try to keep enough cash on me to buy a tank of gas and a basket of groceries.

We were visiting friends and they were complaining that the internet went down while they were shopping and they could use neither their card nor the cash machine. It was like they thought it was the stores fault and that the store should have provided a means for them to pay. DW and I kept our mouths shut, until we left.
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I've had that happen before and it's frustrating. But I've never been in a situation where I couldn't figure out a way to make some kind of card transaction somewhere nearby to get some cash. I know I can't count on that, it's just my experience...
 
When I travel I will take about $200 for each day I plan to be traveling (for overseas travel I double that). I generally keep a few hundred in my desk drawer at home. Other than that I do almost all of my transactions on a card, I never carry a balance over so I don't pay interest.

Here lately, I have become a bit more concerned about attacks on the banking system and have been discussing holding more cash at the house.
 
Rick said:
Even though I mostly use plastic, I carry about 200-300 USD cash on my wallet usually.
I also have $2000 cash at the house in a non descript envelope just in case.
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This is where I am. If I want to buy something from someone, I can pay cash, usually, but I usually use plastic. I do have a stash of cash at home. It is really too much to be carrying around in my purse.
 
backlash said:
My Dad was working in Alaska and he was making good money. He cashed his checks and hid the money. One morning my brother asked to borrow some boots. He found Dad's cash. Over $25,000 in a boot.
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That is almost how much I paid total for my house when I bought it. It had been on the market for much more, until a neighbor, a lawyer, started the process to sue HUD over them declining six previous attempts to purchase the house. God was looking out for me.

backlash said:
My wife has cash hidden away but I have no idea how much she has or where it is. It's none of my business.
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I have this going on, but my concern is if I were to die suddenly, will it ever be found? I believe this was probably a common thing for cash to be stashed after the bank failures in the 1920's and 1930's.
 
Caribou said:
the internet went down while they were shopping and they could use neither their card nor the cash machine
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Plus the possibility that the poor kid manning the cash register wouldn't know how to complete the purchase with cash. Or the rules of their job wouldn't allow them to. Adding $19.96 + $13.22 + $56.89, mix in you 15% off coupon and 5% senior discount, set aside the extra pennies for "round up to the nearest dollar for save the cats foundation", and then calculating tax on that? Especially when their "new math" doesn't require a correct answer, just a commitment to your answer to get an A grade.

I'm afraid that not being able to process a credit card might be the least of their worries.
 
If power is out and the electronic tills don't work, the store closes for the duration.

If it's just the plastic payment system, they post a sign on the door cash only. Two different situations.

Cash won't help in the first situation. At that point you need a mom and pop store or it's time to get in Hell's hand basket.
 
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