How much CASH do you carry?

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angie_nrs

angie_nrs

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I was part of this discussion in a different forum and it was interesting to see how "preppers" seemed to carry more than most. It seems that many of the younger generation carry very little (if any) cash. I was not raised that way. I always have a cash stash in my car, in my home, in my camper, at work, in my purse, etc. I'm never very far from cash. The amounts vary depending upon where I am.

I am fortunate that I feel very safe in my area. I have always carried cash without worry. I don't "look" like I have a lot of cash, nor do I "act" like I have a lot of cash. I don't have a flashy car or flashy jewelry or flashy clothes, etc. I'm about as plain as it gets and I certainly don't look like a target. I almost always have (at least) $500 on me. If I'm further from home I have more. DH typically has more as he travels a lot and picks up deals along the road when he finds them, which is hard to do without cash. When I shop I use cash....especially at stores that I like.

I never thought that $500 to a couple thousand was a whole lot of cash to carry, but I think I am in the minority there. I am very comfortable with it and I'm starting to think some people are "afraid" of cash. This is worrisome to me b/c I think it marks the beginning of the downfall of cash. I'd hate to see that happen for many reasons. I truly do not like the major banks and I think the decline of cash pads their bottom line.....which is why I only use my CC's when I can't use cash such as online purchases. Plus, I appreciate the anonymity that cash provides. I don't like the banks, big brother, or anyone else knowing what I spend my money on, even if it's groceries or cleaning supplies. It's just none of their business.
 
I'm a cash carrier, mainly because I never know when I will find some cool junk. I like to carry between a few hundred and few thousand most of the time. I only carry a few hundred in my wallet, usually the rest is in an envelope in my truck. I have never even come close to worrying about it. I'm either carrying and I'm a big guy, most don't like to pick a fight with the big guy. That and it's only money, I can make more of it if someone wants it more than me. I do a lot if traveling and when you get stuck in the middle of nowhere it's nice to have some cash.
 
I have $300 tucked away in my wallet that I don't touch and $300 that I use when needed. I also have a debit card that I can use if need be, but I very rarely do. My wife tends to carry more cash than I do, but then she spends a LOT more than I do too. We also have a "cash safe" at home that has several budget envelopes of cash in it.
 
Sentry18 said:
I have $300 tucked away in my wallet that I don't touch and $300 that I use when needed. I also have a debit card that I can use if need be, but I very rarely do. My wife tends to carry more cash than I do, but then she spends a LOT more than I do too. We also have a "cash safe" at home that has several budget envelopes of cash in it.
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At home I keep several different varieties of cash, I'm also a coin saver. All my change gets saved, I have thousands in change. It's so heavy it would take a dump truck to move. I have found that change, new bills and 2 dollar bills have been a great way for me to save. I buy 2 dollar bills by the hundred and new bills every year at Christmas time when they come out. Assuming I never need to dip into it my daughter's will get a nice inheritance of wierd money. I will be known as some crazy old guy
 
I always carry around $500.
I tend to use credit cars sparingly and I pay them off as soon as the charges appear on my account.
My wife and I both have cash stashed in case we need it for an emergency.
My cash is a little low right now because I figured it was better to pay off a bill and build my cash back up which is what I'm doing now.
 
Chris said:
At home I keep several different varieties of cash, I'm also a coin saver. All my change gets saved, I have thousands in change. It's so heavy it would take a dump truck to move. I have found that change, new bills and 2 dollar bills have been a great way for me to save. I buy 2 dollar bills by the hundred and new bills every year at Christmas time when they come out. Assuming I never need to dip into it my daughter's will get a nice inheritance of wierd money. I will be known as some crazy old guy
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And here I thought I was the only one with stacks of $2 bills!
 
zoomzoom said:
Me too!

The wife and I use credit cards a lot and each must be paid in full when bill comes due. We use them for the perks and we sure do get a lot of them.
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My wife started doing that this year, but only if she will be able to pay the balance in full before a single penny of interest has to be paid. It's like a part time job for her. She gets cash back for doing so and some months it's quite a bit. I also think she was mad because my credit score was approx. 820 and hers was like 805.
 
Chris said:
At home I keep several different varieties of cash, I'm also a coin saver. All my change gets saved, I have thousands in change. It's so heavy it would take a dump truck to move. I have found that change, new bills and 2 dollar bills have been a great way for me to save. I buy 2 dollar bills by the hundred and new bills every year at Christmas time when they come out. Assuming I never need to dip into it my daughter's will get a nice inheritance of wierd money. I will be known as some crazy old guy
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We don't have any cash much to carry. We try to put back some but always end up needing it. Trying to get away from CC but someting always comes up. Try to carry at least $60 cash. And we have about $200 in coins. Only dimes and quarters, not counting nickel's and penny's.
 
I don't use the credit card. Husband does when he's ordering on line. I use a debit card for business expenses for the preschool. For our family expenses, I use cash. I carry about $400 cash to start the week. Takes care of groceries and everything.
I think cash is a great thing to use for Christmas shopping. Remember the Target store credit card hackers? Cash also keeps us in budget. I start with a certain amount, and when it's gone, it's gone. Our customers pay tuition in cash or check. We do not accept cards. The bank gives me the third when I try to deposit alot of cash. As if I look like a drug dealer.
 
An incident happened to me this week that reminded me of this thread. Lately I have been carrying at least $1000 just to be on the safe side. I have to travel a bit to get to town and I would be PO'd if I got there and (for whatever reason) I could only use cash and not have it. I would have made the trip for nothing and also would have missed out on an opportunity to get things that many other people couldn't get b/c they didn't have cash.

Anyways, I was at a hardware store this week and picked up some clearanced deals. What I bought was the last on the shelf and was around $160. I went to check out and the girl looked at me with a sad look and said "I"m sorry, I can't check you out....right now we can only accept cash." To her astonishment I said "no problem, I was planning on paying with cash anyways." She looked at me like I was some kind of alien. LOL! This kind of situation is precisely why I carry cash. Had I not had it, by the time I got back to that store, I'm sure that deal would have disappeared.

This post was frist started in 2017. You know......the good ole' days. 🤩 :ghostly: Lately when I've been going to town, I spend more than I did back then just to make sure I'm stocked up on everything. I'm carrying about double what I did back then and make sure the wallet it packed before I go shopping. I won't pass up a deal now, since there are very few to be had. I always have a CC in my wallet if I should need it, but that hasn't happened yet. If I really really really needed to get out of the store fast and use a self checkout (that only takes CC's right now), I could. However, at this point, I will stand in line and use cash at check out to protect my privacy and keep cash relevant.

I also make sure my change purse is filled up as well, since some places say they won't process cash transactions without exact change. OK, no problem.....I have LOTS of change at home and have no problem spending it. I refuse to let these 'obsticles' that have been put up to prevent cash transactions stop me from using cash!
 
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I still carry 3 or 4 hundred dollars most of the time. I have a couple of credit cards with zero balance that I use very rarely. My wife and I have started using one card almost exclusively for all of our purchases. We get a refund every year and it adds up fast. We do NOT carry a balance on that card, or any other and it is paid off every 2 weeks.
I stopped at a Jack in the Box last week and after I ordered I gave the guy $11. The bill came to $10.11 and then he said he didn't have any change. I said then round it down to $10 even. He said they can't do that. So I went out to my truck and got him the 11 cents. The manager was standing there and I told her what I thought of their scam. She just said it was policy because of the coin shortage. I said that was another scam.
 
Gonna go back and reread this thread. Maybe find some nuggets along the way.

Currently I have more than doubled the cash I carry around the area. If I traveled right now would be likely to have 5000 or better with us. Both ways should be broken up as well small bills and large.
But I have been holding our cash. Pay with a card then pay it off. Most times any way. Cash reserved for private transactions mostly
 
Bacpacker said:
Gonna go back and reread this thread. Maybe find some nuggets along the way.

Currently I have more than doubled the cash I carry around the area. If I traveled right now would be likely to have 5000 or better with us. Both ways should be broken up as well small bills and large.
But I have been holding our cash. Pay with a card then pay it off. Most times any way. Cash reserved for private transactions mostly
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You need a hidden compartment in your billfold or whatever. And never tell ANYONE.
 
I saw a news story this week that claimed 1 in 4 college students plan to riot if Trump is re-elected. The story it's self is questionable. The number of radical college professors isn't. After the riots we've seen this year major disruptions wouldn't surprise me in the least.

I live close to a major college. Yesterday I tripled the amount of cash I normally have on hand. I won't miss the <1% interest I may have been earning for a few weeks.
 
We hold our cash for a time when ATM's and CC machines aren't working (as in networks down/power outage). I expect most final hour SHTF buying will be cash-only... We pay just about everything with CC... pay it off in full every month (use the machine, stock up on the green). We use a card that builds credits toward merchandise and do the bulk of our Christmas buying with the credits. I keep $20-$30 in my wallet unless I anticipate a situation where I'll need more.
 
I spread it out.cash is in different pockets, jackets in the truck hidden and so on. Just a few bucks in the wallet.

Having cash in different pockets is also good when you are trying to make a deal. Make them think you don't have that much on you.
 
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