People who only use cash or checks

[ilovedolphins]

I am really bad with credit cards.  I can pay them off each month but I spend way too much with them.  I usually don't even know how much I spend because I just swipe the card.

I think I had a lot more money when I just used cash or checks.  I have been thinking about going back to just them but I also like the rewards from the credit cards.  

Do you or do you know someone who just uses cash or checks....no credit cards.

[sesfw]

I would love to get back to cash and checks, but like you I like to rewards.  I'm pretty good at not spending a lot because I've had to work too hard all my life for what I have.  I still like thrift stores and estate sales.  Gave up on yard sales.

Going grocery shopping I get a store cash card and spend with that.  It's handy when I run in for one or two items and don't want to deal with cash.

Bills in the mail I prefer to send checks, but DH likes to pay on the computer.

Gasoline is one thing I appreciate a CC for, Costco doesn't take cash for gas.

This is a plastic world.  As much as I don't like too much of it, it is what it is.

[Sharon]

My everyday spending is cash or check with the exception of gas.  I have a long commute and fill up multiple times a week so that goes on the gas credit card and is paid once a month.  All groceries etc are paid for with cash, monthly bills are by check.  The credit card is only used for things like hotel reservations, and the few things that I buy online.  I only shop online 5-6 times a year so not often.

I raised my daughter as a single parent with no child support and amassed massive credit card debt during that time.  That is now paid off and I don't ever, ever want to go back to that place so cash and check it is.  People laugh at me for being old fashioned but guess what debt doesn't keep me up at night anymore.

[NastyWoman]

I am the exact opposite. For me spending with a cc is like spending the same amount 3 times: at the checkout, when I get my bill, and when the money comes out of my account. Ouch! 

Cash is just "monopoly" money since I only use it for fun, my allowance so to speak.


I am aware that this different approach may stem from the fact that I have only once carried a balance and that time was only the result of a transposition error when I set up my payment. 

[Deleted]

I think that, for most people (other than NastyWoman!), it's far easier to spend when you're swiping plastic, which is one reason some financial gurus (e.g. Dave Ramsey) think credit cards are evil.  I'm not really a shopaholic and I don't have an Amazon Prime account (on purpose) so I'm happy using mine.

I think you'd need a debit card for on-line ordering and there would have to be enough in the account that they can put a hold on typical amounts for hotels when you check in, or for rental cars.  Apparently some gas stations also put a big hold on your account till the actual charge goes through- I just see $1 holds on my credit card.  I'd also be very concerned about carrying a lot of cash.  I get $200 at a time at the ATM and that takes weeks to spend.

Maybe just leave your credit cards hidden at home? And if on-line ordering is your weakness, have your e-mail program send everything from retailers into the trash.  You can always look in the trash for special offers when you're ready to buy but there will be less impulse buying.

[ilovedolphins]

I am going to Disneyworld in October and plan on taking cash for my spending.  It may be more of a hassle but at least I won't come back to a big credit card bill.

Before I started using cards, my 18 year old daughter and I went on a driving vacation to Florida.  I took a certain amount of cash and told her that when we spent half of it that was all the further we could go.  I actually liked it better knowing that I had saved the cash and wouldn't spend more than I had.

[thyme4change]

Aug 18, 2019 13:36:53 GMT -5 ilovedolphins said:

Do you or do you know someone who just uses cash or checks....no credit cards.

My 80 year old mother in law.

😏

[Lizard Queen]

I used to: an exbf.  Ha had an addictive personality, and learned that cash worked better for him to maintain control of his spending.  I can't knock anyone in that place.  I'd still keep a CC for occasions when it makes much more sense to use them--like hotels and car rentals.  Hopefully, that's a rare enough occurrence for you that you can still manage them in those situations.

Personally, I tried to go all cash before, just for the budgeting aspect of it.  I simply ended up carrying around thousands of dollars, which is risky in another way.

[taz157]

Aug 18, 2019 13:36:53 GMT -5 ilovedolphins said:

Do you or do you know someone who just uses cash or checks....no credit cards.

My 84 year old FIL and 78 year old MIL. FIL doesn’t like credit cards and it would be dangerous for my MIL.

[Deleted]

Aug 18, 2019 14:08:41 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

I am the exact opposite. For me spending with a cc is like spending the same amount 3 times: at the checkout, when I get my bill, and when the money comes out of my account. Ouch! 

Cash is just "monopoly" money since I only use it for fun, my allowance so to speak.


I am aware that this different approach may stem from the fact that I have only once carried a balance and that time was only the result of a transposition error when I set up my payment. 

I'm the same way.  If I take money out of the ATM, it's gone and I usually have no clue where it went.  Drives me crazy.  I will sit there trying to remember where I spent all that money and I'll freak out that I actually may have lost part of it (sometimes I do).  I am much, MUCH better with a credit card and online banking that I can download transactions frequently.

I have to use checks only with the Pack budget and no online access.   I struggle constantly to stay on top of things and there are very few transactions we do in a year. 

HOWEVER, as soon as I went to carrying a balance on this 0% card, all hell broke loose very quickly!   Before that, it was 15 years of always paying the balance off every month.

[NoNamePerson]

Aug 18, 2019 14:08:41 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

I am the exact opposite. For me spending with a cc is like spending the same amount 3 times: at the checkout, when I get my bill, and when the money comes out of my account. Ouch! 

Cash is just "monopoly" money since I only use it for fun, my allowance so to speak.


I am aware that this different approach may stem from the fact that I have only once carried a balance and that time was only the result of a transposition error when I set up my payment. 

I'm just like you! I think about purchase if putting it on CC knowing balance will be due soon. Don't carry a balance and like my rewards. Cash in pocket and I'll fritter it away and have no clue what I spent most of it on.

I keep cash on me for farmers market, craft shows and stuff like that even though some of these vendors take CC now. I just figure I'm helping their bottom line by using cash.

[Deleted]

I have a weird system- I keep my checking account log on-line and subtract what I charge on my credit cards from the available balance and put it in a separate "bucket".  I can still reconcile to the bank balance by adding the credit card charges back in.  It helps to be handy with Excel or another spreadsheet program, but I've used this system for at least 30 years.  It makes paying the credit card bill pretty painless. 

[Deleted]

I basically keep a check register for my CC so I know at any given moment how much I owe on any particular card.  It is then subtracted on an ongoing basis from my checking account although the $$$ are still there.  All of this is done with Quicken but can also be done with a program like YNAB.  I feel like I spend less this way.  When I have cash, it disappears too quickly.  

I do use checks for a few things.  In fact, I noticed yesterday that I am halfway through my last pad of checks.  It has been almost 5 years since I ordered checks. 

[toomuchreality]

I only use cash, checks, or my debit card,   It was too easy for me to use a credit card and worry about it later.

[TheOtherMe]

Aug 18, 2019 13:36:53 GMT -5 ilovedolphins said:

Do you or do you know someone who just uses cash or checks....no credit cards.

My 95 year old father

My sister and I are co-signors on his bank account so we use his debit card if we buy something for him.  He paid $4995 for his hearing aids by check.  Sister used his debit card when he got new glasses.  

He normally doesn't carry his check book with him.  

I keep his check register and there is plenty of money in his checking account.  

Except for the month when he writes checks for Christmas presents or hearing aids, he still does not spend what comes in with his SS and pension.  

Mom and dad didn't have a credit card until they found out in Vegas that you couldn't rent a car without one.  Mom tried to use it once a year just to keep it open.  

They had paid cash for their last two houses and their last two cars, as in checks.  

However, the credit union shows it's customers their credit score.  It shows dad has no credit history and that is true.  The mortgage that was in his name was paid off in 1990.  He never had a credit card in his name.

[busymom]

Can you keep track, and put a limit on how much you'll put on the card?  For example, $xx per day, or per week?  That way, you can still take advantage of whatever rewards you get on your card, but not overdo it.  

[weltschmerz]

Aug 18, 2019 13:36:53 GMT -5 ilovedolphins said:

I am really bad with credit cards.  I can pay them off each month but I spend way too much with them.  I usually don't even know how much I spend because I just swipe the card.

I think I had a lot more money when I just used cash or checks.  I have been thinking about going back to just them but I also like the rewards from the credit cards.  

Do you or do you know someone who just uses cash or checks....no credit cards.

I don't use credit cards. I finally paid them off, and don't want to sink into that hole again.

[Gardening Grandma]

Cash flows through my fingers like water. So I rarely have more tban $20 in cash.
A CC, however, that spending gets entered into YNAB asap and I can track every dime that way. Periodically I check to see how much I have left to spend in that category.

A friend uses only debit cards becase she says she’s “bad with cc’s” so she loses out in tbe rewards of using a cc.

I used to use a debit card for everyyhing, but find my spending doesn’t change with a cc because my decisions are driven by what YNAB says I have available not which piece of plastic I’m using

[Deleted]

We use CC for everything except the yard guy and some cash that we use at a couple of local restaurants that (1) don't except cash or (2) I don't trust because of questionable charges in the past.  I had a debit card but it expired due to non-use.  The 1% cash back is free $$ for us, we pay total balance every month, and the presence or absence of the card doesn't affect our spending patterns.  But that's just us.

[wvugurl26]

Cash disappears out of my wallet and I have no idea where it went. I refuse to put my debit card in a gas station pump swiper. I also don't use it for hotels, rental cars, or online shopping. We buy a fair amount online because our options here suck.

For Disney, you can have up to $1,000 on a Disney gift card. You can combine smaller ones up to $1,000 on their website.

[ilovedolphins]

I like to use just cash as much as I can.  Even a check or a debit card feels like a credit card.  When I look in my wallet and see cash I don't want to use it.  I have literally walked through Wal-mart and picked up many things then when I was headed to the checkstand I have decided I don't really need all of it if I have to use my cash.  I guess I am less likely to spend my money when I can actually see it.

[bookkeeper]

I vote for cash.  But I also use credit cards, I guess I am a modern woman in a rural area.


I like to carry at least $200 cash all the time.  All the time.  Too many times, I have rolled into a situation that a credit card will not do it, and I am the only one in the car with enough cash to make things happen.  My mom taught me long ago when she was going through a rough patch with my dad.  She accumulated $500 in cash (back in the 1980's) because dad was letting alcohol make too many decisions.  She carried that as her emergency fund. She had the cash for a plane ticket, for a medical appointment, for a car emergency, ect.  Granted this was back in the day when credit cards were not widely used, but it gave her peace of mind.


I am a self admitted treasure hunter.  I love estate sales, garage sales, thrift stores, ect.  Cash comes in real handy in the execution of my hobby.


I have had a credit card since I was 20 years old.  My lifestyle depends on it.  I use it for travel, gas, big planned purchases, and most recently our son's wedding.  Get the points where you can.  Get the good deals with cash where you can.

[toomuchreality]

Aug 18, 2019 17:47:31 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Aug 18, 2019 13:36:53 GMT -5 ilovedolphins said:

Do you or do you know someone who just uses cash or checks....no credit cards.

My 95 year old father

My sister and I are co-signors on his bank account so we use his debit card if we buy something for him.  He paid $4995 for his hearing aids by check.  Sister used his debit card when he got new glasses.  

He normally doesn't carry his check book with him.  

I keep his check register and there is plenty of money in his checking account.  

Except for the month when he writes checks for Christmas presents or hearing aids, he still does not spend what comes in with his SS and pension.  

Mom and dad didn't have a credit card until they found out in Vegas that you couldn't rent a car without one.  Mom tried to use it once a year just to keep it open.  

They had paid cash for their last two houses and their last two cars, as in checks.  

However, the credit union shows it's customers their credit score.  It shows dad has no credit history and that is true.  The mortgage that was in his name was paid off in 1990.  He never had a credit card in his name.

This has been the biggest problem I've had- no credit score.  It can be difficult to even rent an apt without one.

I had cc in the past. After they were paid off I have chosen not to open or use them any more. I guess it's just what makes you most comfy.

If you travel with only cash you have to be very careful with it.

[gs11rmb]

Slightly tangential... mercedesbenzstadium.com/card-mobile-payment/

I heard this story over the weekend.  The entire Mercedez Benz stadium is going cashless.  If you don't have a credit or debit card they have kiosks where you put in your cash and get a debit card in exchange.  There are no transaction fees but what a pain!

[wvugurl26]

That is interesting that even the roaming vendors will accept cards. That's usually the one thing I see in Baltimore's stadiums that do not accept cards.

Events are usually the one thing I have to go get cash out for.

[Deleted]

Aug 19, 2019 7:17:21 GMT -5 gs11rmb said:

Slightly tangential... mercedesbenzstadium.com/card-mobile-payment/

I heard this story over the weekend.  The entire Mercedez Benz stadium is going cashless.  If you don't have a credit or debit card they have kiosks where you put in your cash and get a debit card in exchange.  There are no transaction fees but what a pain!

Interesting- Parking at Arrowhead Stadium near me is cash only and it's exorbitant- $25?  

Call me paranoid but I wonder how much gets skimmed off by the workers and how much actually gets reported for tax purposes.

[wvugurl26]

Aug 19, 2019 8:08:42 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Aug 19, 2019 7:17:21 GMT -5 gs11rmb said:

Slightly tangential... mercedesbenzstadium.com/card-mobile-payment/

I heard this story over the weekend.  The entire Mercedez Benz stadium is going cashless.  If you don't have a credit or debit card they have kiosks where you put in your cash and get a debit card in exchange.  There are no transaction fees but what a pain!

Interesting- Parking at Arrowhead Stadium near me is cash only and it's exorbitant- $25?  

Call me paranoid but I wonder how much gets skimmed off by the workers and how much actually gets reported for tax purposes.

That's probably part of why they are going cashless I would say.

I saw Guns n Roses at the Redskins stadium. I had prepaid for my parking but many did not. It was $50 cash only at the entrance. I'm not sure the people working those jobs are the people you want handling thousands of dollars in cash.

[thyme4change]

Being able to take a credit card on a cell phone is changing really small businesses. I can buy a craft project from the farmer's market on a credit card.

But, if you think about food trucks, they run your credit card, while cooking and dealing with other customers. They don't have to count out change, or run out and get more 1's (or 5's, or whatever). They don't have to go to the bank and do a deposit, and employees can steal cash from you. The money is all there in the account and ready for use.

[hoops902]

Aug 19, 2019 8:38:01 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Being able to take a credit card on a cell phone is changing really small businesses. I can buy a craft project from the farmer's market on a credit card.

But, if you think about food trucks, they run your credit card, while cooking and dealing with other customers. They don't have to count out change, or run out and get more 1's (or 5's, or whatever). They don't have to go to the bank and do a deposit, and employees can steal cash from you. The money is all there in the account and ready for use.

This is the change I've really been seeing a lot lately (last few years).  Anytime our small town brings in food trucks (and these are side-business weekend food trucks, not full time restaurant quality businesses) they're now pretty much all taking cards where a few years ago it was a cash-only business.  Same for when my wife goes to little crafty-type shows...mostly people doing little side businesses making a jewelry or personalized piece here and there, they've mostly all taken cards in online orders through whatever site they're on, but now they're pretty much all set up to take cards in person at the shows where previously it was cash/check. 

[bean29]

Aug 19, 2019 7:17:21 GMT -5 gs11rmb said:

Slightly tangential... mercedesbenzstadium.com/card-mobile-payment/

I heard this story over the weekend.  The entire Mercedez Benz stadium is going cashless.  If you don't have a credit or debit card they have kiosks where you put in your cash and get a debit card in exchange.  There are no transaction fees but what a pain!

There is a legislator in Wisconsin that wants to make it a law that businesses have to accept cash. I think the above solution is perfectly fine, for a football stadium, but would not be feasible for smaller businesses.  I think it should be up to the business whether or not they accept cash.  DH is an Insurance Agent in a lower income area.  He accepts cash.  It is not unusual for him to take in 2-3,000 some days.  It is a PIA to count.  I have already gone to the bank with $6,000 in cash.  He says if he does not accept cash, he will lose customers.  I think that should be what determines if you want to take cash or not.

DH's business is basically like a franchise.  The company says he must accept payments from any customer of the company even if they are not "his" client (ie.  if they are not his customer, he does not earn commission).  So if a agent says they only accept credit cards, then their customers can go to another agent that accepts cash and pay.  The cost of having an employee collect the cash, count in, prepare a deposit and take it to the bank, then falls on someone that is not paying for it.  I think it is unfair - DH doesn't feel he is inconvenienced enough to make an issue with his company.  I don't like the legislative solution though.

I use both Cash and Credit cards.  I use my debit card a lot.  I also use Apple Pay at the pump because it is supposed to be safer.  I am also one that does not like using cash b/c I lose track of what I spent where.  I usually have $100-$200 on me at all times, but I actually think I should stop using cash and pay more on Debit/Credit cards for tracking purposes.