Am at the hospital with mom for dr appts

Went to the the cafe for a drink, looked in my wallet, saw only two dollars and realized that it has been a very long time since Ive actually used cash in a transaction - at least a month , I think.

That is all

I'm bored

the mark of the beast!

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The MAN is tracking all your purchases ! You're d00m3d !

Seriously, I hope Mom is doing okay.

I realized I had to start carrying a little bit of cash when I used a credit card for a 98 cent purchase the other week. It was embarassing.

Then again carrying cash means my kids treated me like an ATM. Fixed that.. they're on a fixed allowance, no advances, tough bananas,..25% forced savings in a bank savings account which will later turn into a brokerage account.

Funny, I've been going the other way. Trying to pay cash for everything.

I spend about $10-20 cash each week for ice time at the ice rink.

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Nothing to see here, move along.

Bored is good. It means nothing remarkable at the doctor's office. I definitely try to pay cash. It's easier to see what little money I have disappear when I'm slinging twenties.

A whole month?

pfft, its been years since I have had cash in my wallet. Maybe a random $5 every few months, but usually end up giving it to the kids.

98¢ or $98 not sure that I care...

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The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs [www.fakesteve.net]

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jdc
A whole month?

pfft, its been years since I have had cash in my wallet. Maybe a random $5 every few months, but usually end up giving it to the kids.

98¢ or $98 not sure that I care...

But Arco charges you an extra 45 cents!!!

These days I just put $80-100 in my wallet every few weeks, replace it when needed. I used to do the same once a week, and that took care of groceries, gas, and a few other items. I think the changeover point was when gas went over $3/gal and the law was changed in this state to allow credit purchases of groceries. Used to be cash only allowed. So with card rebates on those purchases, and the increased amount of cash I would have had to carry around, went to mostly card purchases.

The brainwashing initiated by the credit card companies seems to be going very well. Now they get a piece of every retail sales transaction, even though they had nothing to do with creating or supplying the goods or services that are purchased.

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Yoyodyne ArtWorks
The brainwashing initiated by the credit card companies seems to be going very well. Now they get a piece of every retail sales transaction, even though they had nothing to do with creating or supplying the goods or services that are purchased.

This...

Cash and debit card; frequently.
Credit card: very infrequently.
And I ALWAYS carry SOME cash, tucked away separate from the rest of my wallet.

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Paul F.
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A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
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Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--
Eureka, CA

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Yoyodyne ArtWorks
The brainwashing initiated by the credit card companies seems to be going very well. Now they get a piece of every retail sales transaction, even though they had nothing to do with creating or supplying the goods or services that are purchased.

yes, but it doesn't increase the consumer's cost and the consumer (typically) gets a reward.

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Unless you use the barter system, you're all tools of The Man™.







Just remember to declare the market value of your bartered goods on your taxes… wink wink

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vision63
Bored is good. It means nothing remarkable at the doctor's office.

thanks, yes - the news was good... bored was good. The alternative: hysteria...

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mattkime

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Yoyodyne ArtWorks
The brainwashing initiated by the credit card companies seems to be going very well. Now they get a piece of every retail sales transaction, even though they had nothing to do with creating or supplying the goods or services that are purchased.

yes, but it doesn't increase the consumer's cost and the consumer (typically) gets a reward.

Of course it does; the retailer is required to pay the CC company, and those costs are wholly or partially passed onto the consumer.

Just because years ago the CC companies lobbied to make it illegal for retailers to overtly impose a surcharge on consumers for credit card usage doesn't mean some or all of the costs aren't passed onto the consumer; they're just factored into higher retail prices.

And the "rewards" scheme is just another Las Vegas-style enticement to play the game (i.e., use a credit card) and convince yourself you'll never lose (accumulate debt). Some are able to manage it, many are not (and the CC companies have actuarial tables that tell them precisely that).

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sekker
Funny, I've been going the other way. Trying to pay cash for everything.

^ same here.

I go to the ATM and get out the max $$ for my account (have it limited on purpose) and use that for the week or two. I pay most lunch, food and home/garden expenses with cash but still use debit/cc on occasion.

for gas, I pay with credit, since it's so convenient and I do get 3% on my costco amex. I'm not totally immune from the wiles of the credit card companies.

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jdc
...

98¢ or $98 not sure that I care...

that explains this

yes, but it doesn't increase the consumer's cost and the consumer (typically) gets a reward.

It increases everyone's cost. All you do when you use your credit card for everything is drive up costs for everyone. The only people who get "rewards" are the credit card users: and the cost of those rewards is also passed on to consumers.

I'd love to see more retailers offer a cash discount; but the CC companies threaten to quit working with businesses that offer a cash discount.

I carry cash and use it whenever possible, including for some fairly major purchases.

Yoyo is exactly correct. For example, the company I'm part of accrued over $300k in bank fees last year. Of course, we pass those along. Not to sound too tin hatty, but the ginormous multinational banks are the real world government. Every time you use a bank card you're paying a tax, one in which you have no vote in how they spend it.

BTW, I never said that I was using a credit card...

I find it interesting that the futurists got something right (for a change) and that's why I posted the comment.

I wasn't expecting the thread to turn to brainwashing... now I'm going to go out of my way to use plastic every chance I get just for the purpose of making you all pay for it

mwahahahahaha

honestly... I can't stand it when people jump on their high horse and consider anyone that doesn't do it the way THEY do it is brainwashed. geez...

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vision63
But Arco charges you an extra 45 cents!!!

I've gotten my cash transactions down to mainly just three things.

1) Getting cash from an ATM
2) Paying for Arco gas
3) Receiving cash deposits back when turning in cans/bottles.

And I've pretty much eliminated coins too, by pumping gas until I reach a price that will consume all the coins that might be in my pocket. I usually buy gas right after turning in the deposit cans/bottles.

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hal
BTW, I never said that I was using a credit card...

I guess that is a fair assumption. If you don't use cash, then you probably use a credit card or debit card. maybe debit card fees are lower for merchant, but they're still fees that reduces the merchant profit margin. In other words, drive up our cost. I guess you could also write checks, but I see far fewer people writing checks at the register these days.

If the merchant does not offer a cash discount, I might as well pay with plastic. At least I get a small percentage back, and I don't have to deal with change in my pockets. And my financial software works much better with data from Amex that with cash in my pockets.

I generally don't use a credit card for less than $10. But sometimes I do, now that many retailers don't bother with making you sign for amounts under $25 or so.

It is true that merchants are charged fees for accepting charge cards (higher, actually, for debit cards, and even higher for American Express), and obviously those fees have to be built into the price. But I wouldn't call increased use of plastic 'brainwashing'. If people didn't find it convenient, they wouldn't do it, so it's a choice. Remember when you had to go into the gas station to pay for gas with cash?

I don't know how the various 'rewards' systems work, but my guess is they are a combination of vendor discounts and additional fees. Since they are so widespread, it's foolish not to take advantage of them. Some offer cash back (usually about 1%). I have an Amtrak Rewards card which accumulates points pretty quickly. My wife and I went to Virginia and back for 'free' a couple of weeks ago, just using Rewards points (Boston to DC on the Acela, too). A few years ago we took The Crescent to New Orleans, all on points.

/Mr Lynn

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"Hillbilly at Harvard"
Honky-tonk Country and Bluegrass
Founded in 1948 by Pappy Ben Minnich
Saturdays 9am - 1pm Eastern
WHRB-FM, Cambridge, MA
Streaming at [www.WHRB.org]
Be there!
New blog! [hillbillyatharvard.wordpress.com]

On the river in Saxonville.

My daughter may be a special case, because she has to buy so much (and so much expensive stuff—for which she gets reimbursed) for her work—prop stylist, set designer—But she has used her air mile rewards to send herself to Japan twice, and my other kids and I and her mother to Vieques for her wedding.

That kid has always been smarter than me. I got 15 bucks back from my discover card last year.

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Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated?
Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkes.

Western Massachusetts

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mattkime

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Yoyodyne ArtWorks
The brainwashing initiated by the credit card companies seems to be going very well. Now they get a piece of every retail sales transaction, even though they had nothing to do with creating or supplying the goods or services that are purchased.

yes, but it doesn't increase the consumer's cost and the consumer (typically) gets a reward.

But it does add to your cost. Retailers have to take those costs into acct. just like any expense. Retailers currently
Currently everytime you swipe your debit card retailers pay 21 cents in fees.
Credit is worse, it's 6%of the sale. The mix of cash and cards at my store have
been having my business pay 12-13 THOUSAND dollars a month in card fees. This
Is on an average of $230,000 in sales. Wish my bottom line net income was
12-13 thousand.
Even the 'better' sounding reward or cash back programs that pay 3-5% back, retailers
Pay 6%, then consumer pays interest,too, unless you can pay whole balance each
Month.
Yup, a lot easier to use cards, but please remember when you complain about high prices,
There are ways to help lower them for all. You do pay for CC convenience

Dave

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The secret to a long life is...

Don't do anything to shorten it.

TANSTAAFL...

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Paul F.
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A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--
Eureka, CA

Quote
Paul F.
TANSTAAFL...

BYCGOPCAD