I’ve been conducting sort of an experiment over the past few weeks. I wanted to see how long I could go without using any cash. No bills. Only my debit or credit cards. In fact, I haven’t had any cash in my wallet, nor have I gone to the ATM since several weeks before Thanksgiving. (I don’t know of the exact date because I only started the experiment when I realized it had been some time since I’d used any cash.)
In the meantime, I’ve been to restaurants, supermarkets, drugstores, gas stations and driven through tolls without using cash.
Until today, that is, when I needed a haircut. Some things never change. My barber still uses a decades-old manual cash register.
I wonder how long it will be before cash transactions are completely obsolete.
About the only times I need cash are for the collection and the monthly lottery ticket.
only cash or checks at Schmidty’s barber shop in St. Paul. Good guys and they shave the back of your neck with a straight razor.
Hey Dom
Remember Spanky’s out towards Wintersville? They are still “cash only”. Their service is just as…stellar.
The movie theatre here only JUST started taking debit/credit cards. Yes you heard right, the movie theatre.
I miss the big wide world out there…
For a different view on whether to use cash or credit/debit, this guy is pretty good (also very good if you are trying to get out of debt – which is made easier to acccumulate if using credit cards):
http://www.daveramsey.com
I have to say, I’d like to try it in the other direction—seeing how long I can not use my credit or debit cards. I would surely save money. And reduce the risk of identity theft.
Cathy,
It’s not really that hard to get along without either. I haven’t had a debit card in 24 years, and as a victim of identity theft on a large scale, which I’ve been fighting for more than 4 years, I haven’t had a credit card for 4 years either. It sometimes makes it harder to get things you want, but generally if it’s something you truly need, you can get it. You just have to plan ahead and wait a little longer, either because you have to save enough to pay for the entire price outright, or if buying through mail order, you have to wait for the order to go through the mail and the check to be approved. Not having credit cards/debit cards saves money because you’re not paying interest or user fees, and you’re making fewer impulse purchases—no shopping on-line!