How much cash is enough?

applecruncher

applecruncher

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Location
Ohio USA
Do you carry much cash with you or keep much at home? I usually don’t – I keep about $20 +/- in my wallet, and at home I usually have about $50. Exception is (for example) if I’m going to lunch/dinner with a friend and don’t want to use a credit card, then I stop at an ATM.

My father used to carry wads of cash (not a smart thing to do, but he felt he was invincible). One of my brothers told me he never leaves the house without at least $1,000. I have no idea why, but he’s a card player. He said his wife rarely has $10 on her.

I just don’t think it’s safe to carry a lot of cash and I don’t think it’s wise to keep a lot of money at home.

But, not everyone agrees. :shrug:
 

I usually keep at least $100 cash with me. Don't know why really, may be a carry over from before credit cards.
Old habits die hard.:)
 
We carry very little cash with us. We use our bank card to pay for things. Have checks, but wife only uses them for paying bills.

Could never understand, and have seen it before, why a guy would carry a roll of bills in his pocket. Oh well, another one of those "to each their own" things!
 

If I know where I'm going and what I'm going to be buying, I usually carry the appropriate amount of CASH.

If not, I usually carry about $100 in smaller bills. If I run into something more, I'd use my credit card.
 
Rather than us my check book I keep cash in my wallet. I start with a $200 dollar draw from the bank and let it diminish down to about $40 before another cash draw. Larger expenses and I use my credit card. The wife uses the check book to handle bills that arrive. If I were to buy something large, like a newer car, I would make sure I had the cash in the check book first, then write a check or use the credit card and pay it off with a check as soon as the notice arrives to avoid paying any interest.

I personally like to pay restaurant bills in cash and leave what I considered a decent tip depending on how well the waiter or staff handled my situation. If just myself and the wife we will usually eat pretty budget wise, Chinese, Mexican, Arby's. We only go to fancy places if we have friends or family along with us.
 
I rarely have more than £10 or so in my bag. I keep it to use for Car park fees..or to buy a Cappuccino or something at a street cafe when I'm out and about . I don't keep cash in the house.
 
Sometimes I see people cashing their paychecks at grocery store customer service counter or even at banks. Hundreds of dollars.

One never knows who is watching. I don’t even like using ATM outside of the bank – prefer to use ATM inside.

OTOH I remember parents and aunts/uncles telling us young girls that when we go out with a guy we don’t know that well, or are attending a party, make sure to take enough money for cab fare home.
 
We usually keep around $2500 in cash in our safe. That's for emergencies, or if I'm going to a farm auction I'll take a thousand or so with me in case there's something I can't live without. Normally I keep around $100 in cash on me and usually buy gas and day-to-day items with cash.
 
We keep some emergency cash in our safe at home too, in my wallet usually anywhere from $5 to $20. If I'm doing food shopping, etc, I usually just use a check.
 
I keep about $40-$50 in wallet and use my debit card for all regular shopping. Plan to keep more cash at home in case of emergency. I pay all bills online.
 
A reformed burglar (now a security consultant) did an interesting segment on our local news last year. Afterwards he did an online chat and took questions.

He said:
Most break-ins are during the day
Many thieves dress as maintenance/repair crews with phoney name on van
Do not keep cash, jewels, credit cards in lingerie drawer (first place they look)
Best place to keep cash is a floor safe
Dog is usually not a deterrent

They set up a house and showed him breaking in and stealing. He got in and out in less than 5 minutes.
 
I spend a lot of time on the road. So, I carry just over $100 cash in case of an emergency. I also carry two debit cards. One is the "use" card. We keep that account in the $300 range and I use it for anything from fuel to hotels. My wife watches that card balance daily on her laptop. If I use some from the account she replaces it from another account. We feel if something happens that account is compromised, we haven't lost that much. The second debit card is tied to an account with quite a bit more in it. That card is ONLY for dire emergencies. A couple weeks ago, I had to buy two tires on the road. $550. Those are the type of things the larger account card is used for. We haven't had a credit card for close to 15 years. We believe in existing on a "cash basis".
 
Only keep around $20 with me. Pay all my bills online, except for taxes. Use a check for that. Any shopping I do, I use a debit card. If shopping online I have a seperate debit card/bank account I use. I was hacked online once. Someone from China charged my account $700 for server fees. So, I only keep a few dollars there....transferring only the correct amount fom my regular account, if I am to purchase something online.
 
I use the wall safe, the floor safe, the "hide in plain sight" can of Spaghetti-Os safe and, of course, the shoeboxes full of $100 bills on the top shelf in the closet.

From these I take my "walking around" money, usually $5-$8k, plus my "flash roll" - around $15k.

Now if I'm actually going to be buying something somewhere I have to hit up the ATM. :rolleyes:
 
I usually carry about $40.00. The only money I keep in the house is the spare change I throw in the pink bowl in the laundry room closet. Now if that gets robbed, I'll know the culprit was one of YOU! :disillusionment:
 
SifuPhil said:
I use the wall safe, the floor safe, the "hide in plain sight" can of Spaghetti-Os safe and, of course, the shoeboxes full of $100 bills on the top shelf in the closet.

From these I take my "walking around" money, usually $5-$8k, plus my "flash roll" - around $15k.

Now if I'm actually going to be buying something somewhere I have to hit up the ATM. :rolleyes:
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Wait...this is your "walking around" money? And exactly where is it and what time do you walk?:D:playful:
 
Speaking of carrying large amount of cash, a friend’s daughter used to be involved with a guy who was an expert poker player. She traveled with him all over the US (they spent lots of time in Vegas and Miami). She said it wasn’t unusual for him to have $50K - $100K in a bag. They usually stayed at high end hotels. But sometimes he lost big and they barely had money for food. He also got into fights. What a life. :rolleyes:
 
I carry almost no money at all, usually under $10. I use my debit card for everything. I do try to be on a cash basis, because I hate debt hanging over me. I do have a credit card I use for emergencies, like when a pipe burst under my house several months ago ($$$!).
 
Glinda said:
I usually carry about $40.00. The only money I keep in the house is the spare change I throw in the pink bowl in the laundry room closet. Now if that gets robbed, I'll know the culprit was one of YOU! :disillusionment:
Click to expand...


Hahaha.
I am a yard sale addict so I must have cash on hand for that. Last year I found a Ralph Lauren satchel bag for $35. bucks, a Prada wallet for $10. and a pair of Michael Kors sunglasses for $20.
 
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I carry about £10 for things like a coffee or tea at the gym cafe after my workout.

We lived in a cash only country for two years (Uganda) and we use cash only on long visits to Thailand.
 
A safe!? What do you who have them keep in them?
 

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