In Celebration of the Cashless Society
It amazes me when I see people paying for gas with cash. I haven’t done that in years. The thought of actually going inside the store and waiting in line behind the cig buyers and li’l chocolate wax donuts addicts, seems like a ritual from a different era.
In fact, I don’t pay for anything, above, say, five bucks, with cash. Except for fast food and the vending machines at work, I’m almost completely cash-free at this point. I have two bank cards that get a good workout, and a few credit cards for larger things, and that’s how I roll.
I generally have a few dollars in my pocket, in case of emergency (Snickers), but it’s not unusual for me to go two or three days without seeing real money. Years ago, in the ’90s or earlier, experts predicted we’d be a cashless society soon, and I thought they were out of their minds. Now I’m almost there.
Occasionally I’ll hear people at work asking about their paycheck, and what time of the day they can come pick it up. And it irritates me. It’s none of my business, and I don’t say anything about it anymore, but come on. This is, like, 2008 or something. There’s this thing called direct deposit, popularized during the Reagan years, that works pretty well.
I used to ask people about it, attempting to mask my judgmental attitude, and there seems to be two standard explanations for not using direct deposit. They don’t trust it, or (and this is my favorite) they say, “I want to SEE my money.”
Maybe both are the same explanation, said in different ways? I don’t know. But that second one always got me. I want to see my money? Oh brother. These are the same kinds of people who describe a fender bender by puffing their chests out, hooking their thumbs under their belts and saying, “Welp… Ford and Toyota decided to get into a fight, and Ford won.” What? Can you maybe just tell me what happened, without getting all hick-theatrical with it?
Yes, I believe they’re the “see my money” folk. Them, and the people who back into parking spaces. But don’t get me started on that…
I just can’t imagine driving to my job on a day off, picking up an IOU printed on a slip of paper, shuttling it across town to a bank, waiting in line at the drive-thru (or inside with the Civil War vets), handing the paper to a person sitting on a hyper-extended chair, waiting for them to hand me ANOTHER slip of paper confirming the IOU has been acknowledged, along with a white moneyvelope, or whatever those things are called. What is this, 1965? It’s amazing to me.
Hell, our bank is in California. We have a local savings account, for the rare occasion when we need to cash a paper check, but 99.99% of our banking is done through a credit union in Hollywood, California. We liked it when we lived there, and never stopped using it. Under normal circumstances there’s no need to visit a bricks and mortar bank, and we’re proof of it. We take cash from the fee-free ATM at Sheetz, and we’re good to go.
Like I say, it’s none of my business, and I’m getting better about keeping my mouth shut, but it bugs the crap out of me when people are afraid of technology. That’s the automatic reaction, for many. Not “Holy shit, that’s amazing!” but “Ohh, I don’t know about that… it seems risky.” That attitude chaps my riffled ass.
I’m not always an early adopter of technology, but it’s generally a case of me not fully understanding the benefits. Like iPods, for instance, or RSS. I was late to the party with both. But it wasn’t because of fear, it was because I didn’t understand how it was an improvement over the status quo. What’s wrong with CDs? And what’s so horrible about actually visiting websites? Now, of course, I couldn’t function without my iPod and Google Reader.
Anyway, I saw someone paying for gas yesterday with cash money, and it got me all whipped up. I was there buying a Mountain Dew Throwback, and all the stuff above started rampaging through my head. Until, of course, I noticed the free-standing Mallo Cup display beside the checkout, and my thoughts went rocketing off in a whole different direction. Shit, maybe it IS 1965?
So, what do you think? Am I wrong? How close to cashless are you, at this point? Do you need to see your money? Do you start sentences with “Welp?” Use the comments to set me straight.
And I’ll see you guys tomorrow.
Have a great day.
Filed under: Daily
Whee!!!
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I’m with you; debit and credit cards in my wallet with maybe 5 or 10 bucks to throw around.
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Wow! Top ten again? I’m off to buy a lottery ticket!
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Cash is for suckers, until you leave your check card at a bar on Saturday night…..then U R fucked, especially when the bar won’t open again until Tuesday and they’re voice mailbox is full!
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TOP FIVE?!?
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I’ve been nearly “cash less” my whole life dammit!
Oh and by the way TOP TEN ! Woo Hoo!
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My favorite bar only takes cash. I also used to worry about the gubmint “tracking me” until I realized how insignificant I really am. Now I let ‘er rip with the swiping.
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TOP 10!!
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Top Ten! It’s been a while!
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Top 10?
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Good Afternoon Surf Reporters…..
Welp, I’m one of the few “suckers” out there that still take the paper IOU and go to the good old brink and mortar bank.
I inquired about having my paycheck set up direct deposit and my office manager looked at me like I was sporting a boutonniere made of fresh cut turdlets.
She actually spoke these words: “I don’t know how to do that.”
But I guess one advantage of having to go the old fashioned route is it affords me the opportunity to get the hell out of the office for a half hour or so. Plus when I go to the bank, the teller always gives me a lollipop.
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I’m mostly cashless except at the bar. Handing over the credit card and starting a tab scares me only because I don’t trust me. This way I can pay as I go and monitor my intake with the amount of cash remaining in my pocket.
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The hell? Brink and mortar?
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I’ll take the cash-payers over the check writers any day. Now, I understand writing a check for a downpayment or something, but lord save me from the idiot in line in front of me at Sam’s who wants to write three checks so she can account for where the various things she bought are going.
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I like a check at the end of the week. I don’t necessarily distrust direct deposit, but I want tangible proof that everything I put up with from Monday until Friday was in some way worth it. (Plus, there’s a perverse part of me that makes me want to insist that the company go to the expense and trouble of cutting a physical check.) It’s a five-minute walk to the ATM to deposit it. Big deal.
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I’m pretty much cash free at this stage of the game. Not much with the checks, either. I still pay a couple bills with checks, but that’s about it. A couple months back, the woman in front of me at the grocery store pulled out a checkbook. WTF? Really? I was irritated because it took so long to write the damn thing. So, evidently, my patience is even WORSE than it used to be because of technology. Sheesh.
Happy Tuesday, Surfers!
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I am 99.9% cashless. I do need a dollar in my pocket for the daily lottery ticket but that is it. I also just got my bank statement and realized that I only write 2 checks a month now. 1 for the water bill which is going direct next month and 1 for an equity loan which is pretty f*$% up since it is with the same bank I do all my banking with. The only time I have had any problem what so ever is when i try to get gas at one particular station near me that is owned by some towel heads and they try to charge me 50 cents for using it-bullshit, I drive to the next one. Hope they go bankrupt right quick. Yes, I believe we have hit the threshold of being a cashless society and if I could use my bankcard for lottery tickets I wouldn’t need any cash!
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I’ve been cashless for a few years, now, and I don’t have a problem with it. I keep a little cash in the car for tolls, etc. My wallet will go for months without seeing any cash in it. I keep one debit card and one credit card in my wallet for daily purchases, and currently have no credit card bill. Did Christmas with debit, so it’s all paid for. I have a few other credit cards at home, but never use them. I do have to keep a little cash on hand for lottery tickets, though.
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I use cash exclusively (mostly nickels) to stay under the radar, so to speak. I don’t want to be tracked by NATO like some kind of card-swiping animal. Also, I won’t buy or carry around any product that sports one of those UPC bar codes. They are using those to track our movements, too. Just like the GPS devices in our cell phones (I use phone only booths). I better go and try again to dig out that microchip that is embedded in my scalp. They are watching my every move.
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We are almost cash free, but always keep at least a grand in cash hidden at the house just in case. I was an operations manager at a bank for 10 years and saw some pretty bad screw ups. So yes, I’m still a bit paranoid when it comes to being totally cashless…
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I am pretty much cashless. Pay bills on-line, use debit card, direct deposit of all accounts, etc… My Mother, who is in her mid 80′s and lived during the depression is the exact opposite. She wants to pay cash for everything and the only credit card she has ever had is a Sears card, which she uses for emergencies. An emergency for her is a new appliance! Seriously, she even grocery shops with cash. I am so afraid someone will bash her head in and take her purse one day. Thankfully, she rarely goes anywhere alone.
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I was a waitress until recently as a part time job so I typically had cash on me sometimes lots of it. Now that I am doing only one job I NEVER have cash. I don’t use credit for anything though.
I am sceptical of EVERYTHING and am pretty challenged with technology.
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Debit card all the way. Even for a $3 purchase. No paper bills anymore, either. Online bill pay on the first day of the month. Never think about it again. The only paper check(s) I’ve written in the past month or two or three were to the city and county for property taxes. Cash. Me? Any cash I might think I might needs gets slurped up by the giant cash disposal system that is my son. He can obviously smell a $20 from across the room. I try to avoid it at all costs. My husband, on the other hand, must have folding money in his wallet at all times. Something happens to his penis, I think, if he doesn’t have something squirreled away in there.
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Where I work it use to be you had a choice, now, they only offer direct deposit. Of course, I also remember the days of secretaries taking the bosses check to the bank, and then going to buy him lunch. I don’t think that would fly today. Although I am sure it still goes on somewhere.
Your post reminds me of the garbage collection people.- They wanted my SS number as an account number for my garbage bill. I actually hung up on them.
I actually still pay utilities and rent with checks. I am thinking about changing how I pay utilities, as I recently bought a box of plain checks – which cost me 23 bucks.
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i am about as close to cashless as possible. pay everything online except for a few morons who won’t take credit or debit cards. even paid my dentist and eye surgeon’s extra charges with a card. woo hoo!!! ain’t technology fine.
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I still need about $50 cash on me at all times for “emergencies”. Plus, I haven’t balanced my checkbook since 1987 so if I get an inkling I may be overdrawing, I use cash until the next “direct deposit”. The only credit card I have is American Express. That sucker is due in full every month, so it keeps me in check. This is how I got out of debt.
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Pay almost all bills online. I do still write a check for rent, and various other things like license plate renewal, etc. Our bank is in San Antonio but, luckily, we can scan and deposit a check immediately.
My evil boss still hand writes checks for all of her bills. Freak.
We rarely have cash unless going to a sporting event or the bar. It is now usual to go for weeks with out cash. As someone that waited tables and bartended forever, it was a major adjustment for me!
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I have my checks direct deposited and we have most of our bills auto drafted from our account. I carry some cash, but not a whole lot. Mostly just for titty bars and such.
My mother-in-law runs all over town paying her bills and it drives me nucking futs. She goes to the JC Penny store to pay her bill rather than mail it in. Same thing with Sears, utility bills, etc. Absurd.
I have no patience for check writers. If I’m behind one in line and they start writing it out after they get their total I always remind them that they could have dated it, put “Wal-Mart” in the “to” line, and signed it during the previous 40 fucking minutes that they were standing there getting 3 carts of shit rang up. Then all they’d have to do is fill in the amount.
I also have no patience for people using debit cards at the grocery store or an ATM. The people I get behind at the grocery store look at the little black box thing that you slide your card through as if they’d been in prison since 1970 and just got out. Slide the card, enter your PIN, press “YES” and move on, fucknut.
Same thing for people at the ATM. It takes me a total of 7 seconds to get cash. You slide the card, enter your PIN, pick how much cash you want, and bolt. For some reason lots of people spend several minutes standing there. What the fuck are yall doing that whole time? Are you really that baffled by the process?
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“In fact, I don’t pay for anything, above, say, five bucks, with cash.”
I’m the exact opposite. I use cash for the small, mini-mart type purchases, and go cashless for the bigger stuff. My limit, I think, is $20 — if the charge is less than $20, I use cash. If it’s more than $20, credit or debit card. But all bill-paying is done online, and salary is direct-deposit.
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I use cash, mostly coins. When I order something from Taco Bell, for example, and they give me the total I dump a huge pile of mixed change on the counter and make them count it out. Then I scrape the leftover change back into my fanny pack.
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I’m 48 and have never had, or needed an ATM card. As a matter of fact, while I don’t mind at all paying for gas with cash, or even going to the bank,(the ladies are nice) what really bugs the shit out of me is when a friend says, “find an ATM, I gotta get some cash,” or “I left my check card at the bar Saturday night and it doesn’t open ’til Tuesday.”
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Malo Cups and a Mountain Dew Throwback.
Sounds like a direct deposit in the making.
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I know someone who does not have a checking account. They spend their time buying money orders and mailing them.
I think the deal with me paying utilities with checks goes back to the days when I was not always able to pay a utility bill, and therefore, certainly did not want them taking money out of my account automatically.
Of course, I don’t have a cell phone either.
Old school.
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Are the IRS agents monitoring this discussion? I plead the fifth.
I can only imagine the things that require cash. Jason mentioned the titty bar. True that. Probably hookers, too. And for those who haven’t signed up for medical marijuana yet, and have to buy their “medicine” somewhere other than the “dispensary”–I would imagine that that’s gotta be cash. And I’m thinking that certain providers of “labor” would also prefer cash.
I don’t know for sure, of course. Just sayin’…
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Welp, most purchases go through the plastic except for lunch and when the place doesn’t do ATM. Welp, I do keep a minimum of about $50 on me at all times just in case I need cash. Welp, if I have to spend more than that, then I need to take time to think about the purchase. Welp, checks are only used to pay bills via mail when they don’t offer online bill pay.
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Did somebody mention that Art Cloakey died? ***SNIFF***
Gumby: Do you want to try it, Pokey?
Pokey: No thanks, I prefer grass.
On the iPod now “Bueno Funk” – Peter White
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I never have cash, always use the rewards cards for free amazon gift certificates. Paying for parking is the only time I have to go find an ATM.
I’m self-employed so get a lot of checks from clients but try to get them to pay me online through paypal and google checkout.
That way I just have to click, click, click to get my money instead of driving across town to the credit union (that use to right around the corner until we moved).
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Some people with spouses/SO’s want a paper paycheck so that they can deposit it into the joint account, do the “less cash” thing and keep the ol’ lady or man from knowing how much they “really make.” I’m not sure if that works, and I’m glad I’ve never had to go there. I hate waiting in line in the drive-thru at the bank on payday. (Invariably, I would pull up behind someone who either didn’t know how to work the thingamajig or who didn’t understand the Rules of the Bank, e.g., we can’t cash a check drawn on another bank unless you have an account here and have the funds to cover it.) And if one is worried about whether the money made it into one’s account, all one has to do is call the automated line, press the correct buttons, enter the correct data, and voila! Good news or bad news.
I like to keep a little “walking around” money, say a $20 or so. It doesn’t do any good to keep any more than that because my 15-year-old son syphons it right off. He’s a $20-bill magnet. (His name isn’t Lucy; that’s my boxer.)
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I never have cash, which is a real pain in the beev at times. Mostly, I use my ATM card. My boyfriend loves to carry cash AND with a money clip to keep it check…larger bills on top, all facing the same way. His butt puckers if it’s not in order.
I pay some bills online as long as there isn’t a fee. It totally amazes me that some of these places charge a fee for an online payment! WTF? Isn’t the whole idea of online payments to reduce the amount of paperwork? But the douchbags charge, in some cases, up to 15 fuckin bucks! U serious?!? Fuck you jingleballs… do the paperwork. Here’s my check.
And speaking of check writers at the grocery store and beev’s…. The last time I was at the grocery store, I wasn’t paying attention and got behind some troll wearing 1973 filthy, camel toe’d, elastic at the ankles pulled up to her knees, sweatpants……with her rotten, screaming offspring. Not only didn’t she BEGIN to fill out the check when her total popped up…she didn’t even have her checkbook out of the dirty diaper bag yet.
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I try to bring cash any time I’m eating out with people and I know we will be splitting a check. It’s always a freakin’ disaster when people try to split a tab up onto cards. I just throw down my cash, smile, and wash my hands of the whole torrid affair.
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I just found out that the Gubment can track the cash that I use for purchases. From now on I will steal what I need to survive.
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In these parts we refer to the “Moneyvelope” as a “Welfare Wallet”. Nine times out of ten the cash paying slob wearing a housecoat and slippers in front of you at Wally-World is plucking her greenbacks out of one of these as it sticks out of her shoulder hung luggage.
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The Bunker Cam….I have no words. Well, I take that back. WTF does come to mind.
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I pay cash for everything, except big ticket items. Never had a credit card until work gave me one. Funny thing is, I carry more cash on me than the limit is on this card…
I jumped on the direct deposit thing right away though, so call me a contradiction if you must. Bills are also paid direct. But purchases? Cash only.
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Which reminds me, I despise gas stations that want a downpayment before turning on the pumps. Commies.
Fortuneately, I only run into those things when going to the US.
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I’ve been using debit cards since the early 80′s and I’m almost completely cashless now except for small stuff under $5. I haven’t dealt with a bank teller since about 1985 and I don’t even keep a bank book anymore.
I still have the last paper “pay cheque” I was given – it was for 1 hour work and it bounced so I framed it as a souvenir (long story).
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I try to barter whenever I can. That way big brother can’t track me. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I had to go to five grocery stores the other day until I found one that would accept 4 squirrel hides for a 12 pack of Bud Ice and a loaf of white bread, But as far as the Feds are concerned I don’t exsist. I’m a ghost. I like staying in the background, smoking my weed and shitting in the grass.
I haven’t paid for a haircut in 30 years. I do it myself with sharp flint flakes.
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I live in NJ, so I can easily pay cash at the pump for my gasoline. In fact, I prefer to use cash for most of my in-person transactions. Mr. Llama, however, is the complete opposite. He uses his ATM card for freaking everything. And, if at all possible, he will even use the “Cash back” option so that he never even has to step foot in a bank. Since both of us have direct deposit, the only time we even visit a bank nowadays is when we need to cash a birthday or Christmas gift check. And all of our bills are paid on-line as well, save for rent and a couple of pesky utility bills.
I used to have a roommate that didn’t even have a bank account, because he didn’t “trust them.” Every payday, he would head over to one of those ripoff check-cashing places, and then out to get money orders to pay his bills and such. Drove me freaking bonkers.
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Money makes me crazy, so I don’t carry very much. Haven’t paid cash for gasoline in years, always use a gas credit card. Hubby will carry cash, reminds my of my grandpap (depression era) so I call him PapPaw when he pulls out his money clip stuffed with bills.
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I’m mostly cashless, ’cause I’m fucking broke. I do get direct deposit and pay with a debit card most of the time, but like a lot of us here, I keep some money in my pocket. Good for leaving tips at bars that goes unreported and for shady characters that don’t take debit cards for obvious reasons.
WB in OH, that’s exactly why I don’t pay with a card in a bar. I know what kinda trouble I get into on a regular basis.
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Further Evidence – Thanks Jeff, looking forward to the nightmares I’ll be having tonight.
Rarely use cash but learned the hard way to keep cash in my vehicle from a bonehead move. Took me 1.5hours (due to an accident on the highway) to drive dt Vancouver and in the parkade realized I forgot my wallet @ home. Welp, I humbly had to borrow money from my clients – loser. I have a friend who doesn’t carry cash so her teenager can’t mooch – good idea,
I had to google mallo cups, looks like their exclusive to PA, mmmm – coconut.
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Welp, I’m glad I wasn’t the only one that missed it.
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I always wear a tin foil hat and this whole cashless society thing as really messed up my asking for spare change business.
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Normally, I don’t leave comments, but today I HAD to. I am one of those people that 1) gets her paycheck and actually brings it to her bank and 2) backs into parking spaces. Now, before you get your dander up at me and those like me, you should probably consider that there are perfectly good reasons for doing these things. Let me enlighten you…I get an actual paper paycheck because my company simply does not offer direct deposit. The reason for that is their precarious financial situation in which they want to delay the cashing of those checks as long as possible…even if it’s just a day. You might ask why I continue to work for a company on such feeble ground, well, in this economy I’m just happy to be employed.
As for backing into spaces…first and most importantly, I have found that it has eliminated any miscalculations as to how close my car is to inanimate objects such as concrete barriers (which you’ll notice by the multitude of paint left behind, many people before me have miscalculated as well). It also makes it much safer if you are leaving something like a massage and you’re extremely relaxed which could explain why you once backed into a telephone pole…I digress. If you know you’re not particularly gifted in the backing out of places category with 100% success, backing into spaces can prove to be a much better option. Trust me, it works, I do it every day.
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Next time you go to a titty bar ask ‘em, “Where do I slide the card, baby?” And report back to me what happens.
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WVKay – there was a club here in San Francisco called the Kennel Club. Back in the day it was a pretty good punk/alt venue. The crowd could get a little – shall we say – unsavory at times. One night, can’t remember the show, I walked into the ladies room and there were two women peeing like that on the wall. Yup. Standing up to pee and peeing ON THE WALL. I had never seen anything like it and I used to hang out at the Mabuhay. I checked it out online and, yup, you can find instructions for women on how to pee standing up. Check it out for yourself.
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A good way to find the limit on a credit card is to bring it into a titty bar. Your next statement will have the answer for you in the amount due column.
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When our Zionist masters have us all trained to do without cash then we will be ready to take the Mark and do away with even the cards…did I say that out loud?
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Pretty much cashless here.
I used to have two “emergenct” hundreds in my wallet (wrapped around my “Magic Dollar:, which would make quarters disappear and reappear) but they were only there because they were Christmas gifts that I never found a use for. Spent them along with some other Christmas money last Spring for a very nice, high quality swiss timepiece.
Now when we run low on cash we hit a free ATM and split $80. That usually lasts us two to three weeks.
I spend mine on fast food mostly. I have no idea where her’s goes.
We write checks for one-offs and at places that don’t allow us to automatically debit our checking account or credit card (like for the water/sewer bill).
We use auto pay for pretty much everything that allows it, and generally we direct the charge to the credit card that gives up frequent flyer miles.
We carry no balances, so paying the bills on the credit cards actually gets us something.
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Welp…(piling on here), I do loves me some Mallo Cups.
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I mostly carry cash on me but do use my debit/credit card for any and all shopping purchases, or online bill pay. I have direct deposit and wouldn’t even know what my job’s paychecks look like.
I use the cash (I usually carry $60 at a time) for work lunches. Meaning, if someone pipes up and says ‘Let’s do burritos today’, I find it much easier to have some cash available to chip in then to have to go to an ATM to be able to do so.
My coworker who I eat lunch with everyday infuriates me by ONLY having debit on her. So, when we go out, she has to whip it out and take longer to sign, etc. Or, we visit places where a sign says ‘Credit machine broken, cash only’ and right then I know it’s up to me to cover her card only butt. Grrrr.
Lately we have cut back on going out to eat for lunch so my cash has stayed the same in my bag, but I am realizing why we went out everyday for lunch. If we don’t I go home a crazy bitch wanting to knife everyone around me. I need to get out of this place for at least an hour a day.
And anyone who still writes checks in stores needs to be shipped away to a far off island where technology hasn’t caught up with the world, since they haven’t either.
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Oh, and WTS is a Mallo Cup?!
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“I’m not always an early adopter of technology,”——
For example, crappers in the workplace……..
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Melissa,
I think a “mallo cup” is what men put their “hogs” or “hawgs” into. But I could be mistaken. It’s a great slang term for vagina, I think.
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@bikerchick – I also place my money in order. My boyfriend keeps it all fucked up, so when he leaves the room I will go to the desk where he lays his wallet and cash and will proceed to place the bills in order. Large to small denominations, circle thing on top. When he folds the bills that drives me insane too. I don’t know why, but I think bills should be laid flat, in the order I just mentioned.
Oh geez. I just read all that, looked in my bag, saw the bills all like that and realized I should look into smoking pot ASAP. Might loosen me up a few notches….
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@Jason – Oh….so like a Velveeta Cup? Got it!
Now tell me what ‘Welp’ means.
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Welp is loserspeak for “I am resigned to the fact that I am and always will be, a victim of my circumstances.” The body stance for saying “welp” is chest out, eyes down and lips pursed.
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1] What is a Mallow Cup ? Only one of the world’s greatest confections made in Pennsylvania by Boyer.
Its a delicious cup of marshmallow cream surrounded by chocolate with a hint of coconut. this is my go to candy.
http://www.boyercandies.com/mallo.php
2] Not to sound like some kind of liberal but people who receive government benefits (welfare) can’t have savings so they tend not to have bank accounts.
Also for many people who live pay check to paycheck the cost of having a bank account prohibits them from having one.
Identification requirements started in the 80′s are another impediment.
And lastly if you don’t have a bank account the IRS can’t put a lien on it.
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Melissa:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=welp
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It’s not that I don’t trust the gubmint, it’s that I don’t trust my employer. I work for a HUGE package delivery company that I will just call “BROWN”. Their position is that EVERY PENNY on the planet is THEIRS until you can prove otherwise. Sorry, direct deposit is not in my future. I will not authorize them to correct any mistakes they may have made by allowing them access to my account. I will go to the brick and mortar building on my lunch and “see my money’.
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I grew up with ‘Welp’, my brother, sister & I used to laugh about extended famblies conversations when no one had anything to say, kinda went like: ‘Welp’, ‘yup’, ‘that’s forsure’, ‘hmmmm’. We still do that on occassion for a laugh.
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95% cashless here…except for paying for my wife’s car last Summer. I wanted to pay the dealer with my Visa, but they would only take a couple grand on the card, and I had to make prior arrangements with the bank so that they could have MY money on hand. I did get a pretty substantial discount from the dealer for plunking down cash, plus they paid for lunch for my buddy and I while the car was being prepped.
If you DO happen to use lots of cash, your bank is required by law to report you to the Federal guv’mint any time you deposit or withdraw $3000 or more.
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Clintcurtis…the Bank Secrecy Act requires all banks to report all cash transactions over 10,000. Not much of a big deal though…even large car dealerships that deposit that much cash have to have the report filed. Government doesn’t pay that much attention to the reports unless there is something fishy going on. Sounds worse than it is. (I worked for a large financial institution).
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Mainly cashless. There are a few bars I go to that are cash only. And if my tab is less than 10 bucks I usually pay cash. Only consistent check I write is to the Cincy landlady (Bonecutter) and the ex girlfriend actually does the writing.
I try to do all online bill pay.
Only time I really have cash is on payday when I need to transfer money from one bank to another. My job won’t split direct deposit so the check goes to national city (Which is not in OKC) so I then hit the free 7-11 ATM (Also for a chance to win $1,000 every week), max out my withdrawal ($500) and then go to the credit union service center (TFCU) to split my cash between St. Louis credit union (1st Financial FCU, formerly Aerospace FCU) and Atlanta credit union (Delta Community CU).
1st financial has pretty good online bill pay. National shitty does not.
Since we are on the subject. I got nailed with a fee about a year ago. You know you can only transfer money out of your savings online 6 times per month? NatCity charged me $15 or $19 for every transaction after that. The reason (Federal law, btw) is that they don’t want you using your savings acct as a checking acct and they want to encourage saving. How do you encourage saving by giving me 0.5% interest and then charging me 15 bucks for withdrawing my money?
Dicks.
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Some of the people that I’ve known to not have a checking account got that way because their previous account was closed down, usually for writing bad checks. And the banks share that information with each other, so it is really difficult to find a bank that will let you open an account after that. Most of those people get a paper check and go to one of those corner check cashing places (or the local bar/small grocery store/etc that will cash your check for you).
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Retro: “I live in NJ, so I can easily pay cash at the pump for my gasoline.”
I’m sure that’s not a non sequitur because your corpus reflects reasonable thinking and writing, but my initial response is, “I live in Washington, so I can easily piss on your door handle.” WTH?
RB, Clint: Not that it matters much, but it’s the Bank Security Act, and it requires reporting of multiple similar currency transactions, no matter what their size, if the total over a “reasonable” period of time exceeds $10K.
Gretchen: As usual, I’m a couple days late and a few bucks short (I carry debit, credit, and at least $200 in cash, not for gentlemen’s clubs) but you did a nice job of sticking to your guns and to your point during the WVSR/mockable discussion. I would think so even if I disagreed with your position, but, in fact, I think you were right on and bold enough to speak up. Thank you.
Goylegirl: “Not to sound like some kind of liberal…”
Heaven forbid. Not to sound like one of Hitler’s brownshirts… Not to sound like Stalin’s towlboy…
You’re right — they’re all depraved, debauched conditions (if you think Korea is all one country).
So it goes…
jtb
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jtb-Did you get up on the wrong side of bed this morning?
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I almost never have any cash. If I happen to have $20 on me, I feel rich and decadent. How pathetic is that?
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I almost never have cash. I use the debit card for all purchases. The Evil Twin’s paycheck is direct deposit and I pay all bills online. In fact, I’m thinking about going completely paperless this year – not to be “green” or anything, but to save money on stamps, etc. (like sending Christmas cards, thank you notes, etc.). I have email access to anyone I need to contact.
Plus, I have a real loathing of the USPS.
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Johnthebasket: Thanks. As for Retro’s comment, in NJ you’re not allowed to pump your own gas. So I guess he means he doesn’t have to step out of his car but can just hand cash to the attendant.
All: I don’t mean to hijack the blog with this, but I seem to remember someone here asking me to update the result of my hellish MRI. Well, the doc decided that I probably have M.S. So I’ll be making friends with a neurologist pretty damn soon. Oh joy, another doctor. FYI, I’ve been sick for ten years with a “mystery” ailment that had so-called doctors, and my own family members, labeling me a hysterical hypochondriac. So it’s actually somewhat of a perverse relief to perhaps finally have a name to my illness. I mean, I know the diagnosis is craptastic, but I also know that people with M.S. can live full, long lives. So I prefer to think positive here. If any fellow Pittsburgh surf reporter can give me a heads up on an excellent neurologist, that would be most grand. You may now return to your regularly scheduled broadcast.
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I stood in line for over an hour the other day at the Post Office. That place is a trip. There were several people in line with a dollar in their hand – they just needed to buy one stamp. I don’t get that. They did away wit those stamp vending machines I guess.
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Gretchen: I am sorry to hear of your dx. I work at one of PGH’s hospitals and if you email me, I will give you the info for the neurologist we recommend for our patient’s. gart.tracey@hotmail.com
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Soylent green is made out of people who use checks to pay for their groceries
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Gretchen,
I’m sorry to hear of your preliminary diagnosis. Let all of us know what we can do to be of support.
Not to equate the two situations, but I’m at year four of a health mess that started with a bad back, made a year-long stop at a staph infection contracted through an injection of prednisone, progressed through 8 more injections, six months of physical therapy, and “ended” with a seven hour back fusion surgery. Unfortunately, I seem to be back where I started with pretty severe pain.
I have refused to become a victim of disease or the medical monolith, I have learned to live with less (I haven’t been able to work after 35 years of rarely missing a day) without feeling deprived, I laugh every chance I get (the WVSR has been very, very good for me), and I have built a pretty good support system by continuing to engage with my friends and family.
I hope you will build and exploit whatever strategies work for you, take the medical crap one day at a time, and laugh your ass off at every opportunity. You are obviously bright and funny and that’s a good place to start. Retaining a sense of humor, a sense of perspective, and a sense of the ridiculous will be a real help to you.
Don’t let the asshats get you down.
Again, let the WVSR correspondents know what roles we can play to help: researchers, sounding boards, extended family, whatever.
Keep us up to date to the extent you are comfortable doing so.
best wishes and best of luck…
jtb
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Thanks, JTB.
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Ognir – The new AP machines allow people to purchase postage with credit or ATM cards. These were the poor saps that haven’t got it yet. I also bet no one was standing in line at the AP machine.
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Saaaaaaay. There’s a new mock at that “other” site, but not a new update here (although the Further Evidence and Bunker Cam links have been changed, which usually means an update is eminent).
I’m starting to feel a little bit redheaded…
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CADude: *snicker* I guess that redheaded phrase is going to go into the annuals of Surf Reporter Speak, along with Jeezum Crow and Welp. I must say, I feel honored to have contributed.
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Johnthebasket: It’s the Bank Secrecy Act. And any cash deposits/withdrawls over 10,000 get reported through a CTR (currency transaction report. Unless there is suspicious activity…then a UAR- unusual activity report- is then filed). In most cases, reporting is required if the cash transactions happen in the same day.
Monetary instruments (cashier’s checks, money orders, etc) are reported over 3000-10,000.
Gretchen, good luck.
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i just setup direct deposit , only 3 years after i started my current job. Here’s my rational for living in the past for so long….
every two weeks i would deposit my paycheck and cash a small portion of it, that portion would be my spending money for the next two weeks. It was a good system, damnit!!
I also just jumped on the ATM card train recently and I’ll tell ya whhut…it’s bad news. I dont like it one bit. I find myself taking out $60 at a clip like i have a bad crack habit to feed (which i dont, so it’s a mystery to me how it goes so fast)
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Annuals? Annals? Anals? What?
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I think an appropriate spelling–given the setting–would be Anals.
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