Going Cash

kah22

I must be living in another world, an ice cream van only accepting card, unbelievable ! Perhaps that says something about the economic divide.

As I said at the beginning I was going cash only (as far as possible) to try and see if I can live the same lifestyle just dealing with cash; after all this is a money saving forum.

Yes, I’ll be the first to admit I’ve popped into my local shop and paid for a carton of milk by card, I’ve bought a cup of coffee and paid by card.

Will it work out for me? I don’t honestly know; there is one occasion already where I had to use my phone and that’s when I left my wallet in another jacket. One up to the card brigade 🤓

Living in a rural area I’m well aware of how important our banks are, three have closed already. Go to a supermarket and checkout is a faceless machine just waiting to take your cash. Even though I have to wait much longer than if I’d used the machine I make it a point of wait in line for a real person. How many workers can a cash machine replace? 

We have a large number of independent shops who have to take cards to survive. How much is that setting them back? How much does the card company take for that carton of milk?

minnehoma

We prefer cash.  Having an amount in my purse before shopping already makes it easier to visually see what we have left after making the purchase. Also it does make us consider if we really need something.  I asked my friends and family members if they had the cash in their purse/wallet would they think twice before spending it? And the answer was yes, however when I asked them about using their card/tap to pay for said items, they did say that these purchases are never really considered and that they just tap.  I think that I appreciate having a tin/envelope of money that I add to each week for say Christmas, birthdays and treats etc and any household expenses, window cleaner, vet bills, food shop as a budgeting tool that works for me.  It makes me take responsibility of my spending before I spend it and it can prevent debt.  I also prefer to have the choice of how I spend my money.  

ChooseLife

It used to be said that cash was King.......sadly doesn't appear to be that way anymore as we're heading towards a cashless society.  I must admit, I mainly use my debit card just because it's more convenient and i'm too lazy to go and withdraw cash.  I only really use cash when I need to, which is rare.  I do like to have the option.

Wimbledonwomble

I used to be an enthusiastic card user .( an enthusiastic spender and fritterer actually) 
When I realised I would have to retire soon and had to really budget I started using cash more.

I used to go by bus ( free bus pass) to big 4 supermarket.  I would  take bus and carry my shopping.  My poor sight and balance meant that became difficult and  I had a bad fall trying to hold the  shopping and hold the rail. 

Now I have a monthly online delivery of tins,flour,oil ,cleaning materials ,anything heavy. The other weeks I use cash and go to a small butchers locally and a greengrocers as I can carry a small bag of shopping and manage bus. ( today the buses were all over place. Either cancelled or disappearing )  so I went to a more expensive supermarket which is nearerand got 3 YS items so spent less . Will check there in future and not just think its too dear. I like my small trips out ,I combine one with a library visit and another with a walk in the park. I was becoming very isolated after years of being in a workplace so im glad it makes me go out. 

I use my bank online but cash for everything else. I take the same amount each week but it feels more like "real" spending so I generally spend under the amount. I keep some of that for hairdresser,Grandkids  etc . Once I have the equivalent of a weeks shopping money "spare" I use that and transfer that weeks money to my savings or emergency pot in my online bank. It seems to work for me. This is the first time in my life I have been able to save. 

In fact ,after years of frantically adding up my money to try to somehow  make it enough to pay all my bills ,today ( hooray!) I was trying to account for extra money in my account . Thought I had forgotten to pay something but then realised I had paid off a debt completely before Christmas and have an extra £35 a month. 
I wish I had taken heed of my  mothers advice to look after the pennies when I was young . It works ! 

Floss

I'm predominantly non-cash with 2 exceptions - my hairdresser and the car wash. £40 a month from a cash point covers both of those, with change going into a jar that is banked when full.

Rosa_Damascena

kah22 said:

I must be living in another world, an ice cream van only accepting card, unbelievable ! Perhaps that says something about the economic divide.

As I said at the beginning I was going cash only (as far as possible) to try and see if I can live the same lifestyle just dealing with cash; after all this is a money saving forum.

Yes, I’ll be the first to admit I’ve popped into my local shop and paid for a carton of milk by card, I’ve bought a cup of coffee and paid by card.

Will it work out for me? I don’t honestly know; there is one occasion already where I had to use my phone and that’s when I left my wallet in another jacket. One up to the card brigade 🤓

Living in a rural area I’m well aware of how important our banks are, three have closed already. Go to a supermarket and checkout is a faceless machine just waiting to take your cash. Even though I have to wait much longer than if I’d used the machine I make it a point of wait in line for a real person. How many workers can a cash machine replace? 

We have a large number of independent shops who have to take cards to survive. How much is that setting them back? How much does the card company take for that carton of milk?

As a committed cashless person, let me share my last experience of a bank.

I waited next in line for over 20 minutes during what was supposed to be a short lunch break behind a lonely individual who wanted to chat to the single cashier about anything and everything apart from his money. It put her in an awkward position and she was polite, but never once did she say "there's a long queue waiting, how can I help with your banking?" or words to that effect. The eye-rolling in the queue was justifiable and I was itching to interrupt and ask if any other colleagues were available. I do understand that people need a social safety-net, but its not the primary function of branch banking to provide that.

Why did I need the bank on that occasion? Because the car park I had used over several nights was cash-only, as the app and card reader were down. Why did I have to queue? Because the machine only accepted coins, no notes. £1 coins might have been king on that occasion but I was doubly irritated by the inconvenience, esp as the walk to locate it and return was 3 miles long.

DullGreyGuy

ChooseLife said:

It used to be said that cash was King.......sadly doesn't appear to be that way anymore as we're heading towards a cashless society.  I must admit, I mainly use my debit card just because it's more convenient and i'm too lazy to go and withdraw cash.  I only really use cash when I need to, which is rare.  I do like to have the option.

Cash is King originates from business/investments rather than the idea that paying in cash is somehow better than using a credit card or such. In business it's very much true and you get plenty of insolvencies where the company has valuable assets on its balance sheet but they are illiquid and so they cannot afford their payroll or other contractual liabilities. 

It morphed across into talking about payment methods later but not sure it was ever really true. Remember in the mid 90s my mother speaking to a car salesman, negotiating a price and then asking "how much if I pay cash?", she got a confused look and an explanation that they don't want cash, the price quoted was for debit card but if she wants finance they could do a better deal. 

Cashmygiro

I use a mixture of cash and card but mostly card. Can't stand the "cash is king" mob who think the govt are watching their every card transaction. Also it's not the banks or shops responsibility to humour old folk with a human checkout operator just because it "might be the only person they speak to" - there are services out there for lonely old folk and not everyone has time to just wait in a queue.

weenancyinAmerica

I think a person's age has a lot to do with the answers we are getting. Young people seem to only want a card society. Older people are afraid of a card only society. I wonder if a study has been done on how this card society affects charity giving as some of the answers sound like they don't give anything away to others. I see a card only society becoming very self-centered and lacking in empathy and it worries me.

Rosa_Damascena

weenancyinAmerica said:

I think a person's age has a lot to do with the answers we are getting. Young people seem to only want a card society. Older people are afraid of a card only society. I wonder if a study has been done on how this card society affects charity giving as some of the answers sound like they don't give anything away to others. I see a card only society becoming very self-centered and lacking in empathy and it worries me.

Well I am by no means young but something that I will never forget being told as a young child is that "the Queen never carries cash". This undoubtedly shaped my habits.