I stopped bringing cash to work, sort of..

[mickeyj]

So last Friday, a colleague of mine texted me for help, saying that her taxi driver doesn't accept her credit cards and she didn't bring enough cash. So she asked me to lend her $20 to pay the taxi driver. I had to ask another colleague for the loan as I didn't even have $20 on me. That was sort of embarrassing.

But the fact is, I stopped going to the atm to withdraw cash every Monday each week because I had no need for cash.

1) I cycle to work every day (except some Fridays if I'm going out with friends after work)
2) I pack my own lunch to work every day
3) I carry a credit card if I needed to visit the groceries or shops downstairs

I'm glad that after learning to be frugal, having cash in my wallet is no longer a must-have in my every day life.

[pachnik]

Kudos to you about not having cash.  If you don't need it, why carry it?  This helps keep the little incidental purchases down too.

[Making Cents]

I don't think you should be embarrassed at all. I think this is becoming very normal even for those who do spend on a daily basis. Even before I began to read MMM and the posts in this forum, I hadn't carried cash regularly in years. It's very rare in 2015 that I need it.

[oinkette]

That's funny.  For me it's easier to save carrying cash instead of my card. I've transitioned to the card simply because I can't ignore the benefits of points/cash back.  It's an adjustment.  But whatever works for you, go with it!

[Syonyk]

I carry cash because if things go wrong (power outage, Visa outage, natural disaster, etc), cash is still a useful means of transferring value.

Also because I'm concerned that cash is going to be banned in my lifetime, and I'd rather help hold that off as long as possible.

There's nothing wrong with carrying a useful amount of cash on you - if you don't want the temptation to spend it, wedge it out of the way in your backpack/cycling bags/etc, so it's not "always there," but you have it if you need it.

My normal problem is that I don't have small enough bills for "loaning someone $20."

[mickeyj]

That's funny.  For me it's easier to save carrying cash instead of my card. I've transitioned to the card simply because I can't ignore the benefits of points/cash back.  It's an adjustment.  But whatever works for you, go with it!

Absolutely! I'm using my card more to try to get the rebates. :)

[Bob W]

Funny,  I remember 15 years ago when grocery stores started accepting debit cards.   Now it has flipped to the point where I assume everyone accepts cards.  There are rare occasions where only cash works still.

[GGNoob]

My wallet only holds cards so I never have cash on me.


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[StockBeard]

Funny,  I remember 15 years ago when grocery stores started accepting debit cards.   Now it has flipped to the point where I assume everyone accepts cards.  There are rare occasions where only cash works still.

Not all countries are made equal though. In Japan cash is still the king. When I sold our condo, the first 10% of it was given to me in cash (roughly $50'000) and I had to carry it with me on a 1h train ride in the suburbs, in a paper bag, because the deal happened at 9pm and banks were closed.
Yes, I felt like I was carrying drug money.

[mickeyj]

Wow that sounds dangerous! I think in Vietnam they used to do it in gold bars...

[force majeure]

I stopped bringing cash or cards with me when I go out to work, bring a packed lunch and thats it.
I would rather go without. As a friend of mine says "Bear this comfort,it will pass"
I am in the high accumulation phase, so financial discipline is order of the day.

[Elderwood17]

I still typically have some cash on me but a $20 bill can last a LONG time as I just rarely purchased much other than at the gas station or grocery store, where I use plastic.

[DangleStash]

I have a card wallet with a small slot where I can pop some cash.  I always carry either a $20 or a $50 in there in case of emergencies or if for some reason I actually need something and a place won't take cards.

The reason for the $20 or $50 denomination is that I HATE cash, hate having to carry coins/change around, and my wallet gets bloated when I stuff more than 2 bills into it... so I have a lot of incentive not to spend it.

[I'm a red panda]

Funny,  I remember 15 years ago when grocery stores started accepting debit cards.   Now it has flipped to the point where I assume everyone accepts cards.  There are rare occasions where only cash works still.

Not all countries are made equal though. In Japan cash is still the king. When I sold our condo, the first 10% of it was given to me in cash (roughly $50'000) and I had to carry it with me on a 1h train ride in the suburbs, in a paper bag, because the deal happened at 9pm and banks were closed.
Yes, I felt like I was carrying drug money.

I remember a House Hunters episode in Argentina. All transactions are cash only, his (maybe all?) are 100% payment.  He had the equivalent of $400lk of cash taped to his legs, his stomach, in a satchel, etc.  It sounded TERRIFYING.

[11ducks]

I only bring my credit card to work, which stops my spending. If I have $10 in cash I find i'm quite happy to fritter it away on crap (coffees etc) but for some reason I refuse to charge small discretionary purchases on my credit card. Maybe because then my CC statement looks awful, filled with random $5 - $7 purchases. So its a great saver.