Do you keep cash at home?

[soccerdad72]

Yeah, but see, I don't do those, so the college kids know to ask for cash from parents with college kids...to each other, yeah, but not when helping the neighbors out...

For what it's worth, my college kid found a bunch of cash in his room the other day, so he bundled it up and went to the ATM to deposit in onto his debit card.

 

[disney castle days]

I'm in college. I have about $500 hidden in my dorm and some more cash at home. My grandparents only give us cash for holidays and I usually am too busy to remember to go to the bank, if I am being honest.
I don't typically use cash, I usually keep about $10 on me for donations/tips for smaller things. I also use cash when buying birthday or Christmas presents so I don't go over a certain budget.

 

[Disney.Dreamin.Dee]

Yeah, but see, I don't do those, so the college kids know to ask for cash from parents with college kids...to each other, yeah, but not when helping the neighbors out...

As I found out this is the way of the world now.
Its actually pretty easy to set up and use the apps.
You usually just need the person's phone number that you're sending money to.
And people in their 40's/50's+ are starting to realize how convenient it is.
I'll never get my parents who are in their mid/late 70's to ditch cash but even they in the last couple of years have gone from insisting on spending hours and hours at the stores searching for Christmas presents to telling the family to make lists and provide links so they can just order online and have it shipped to home, store, or same day pick up in the store. Then they pay their credit card off in cash at the bank when it arrives the next month.

 

[bookgirl]

I use my cards almost 100% but yes I do keep a little cash at home.

It is much less then I used to keep because so much is done digitally now. I moved probably 80% of my cash stash into an account last year. Those 'cash' sharing apps are so nice. It was much easier doing Venmo to my nephew a few towns over at Uni than trying to get him cash or a check.

Also it's not so much emergency money but just money that it's easy to grab as I like to carry at least $20 on me at all times and I am the worst about remembering to go to the ATM. Also good for: If I have to do a quick Wedding or Birthday gift. If I need to reimburse someone. If I'm about to go on a trip and need tip/vending machine money.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

The question is about keeping cash "at home." I can see not keeping any in the house, but of course everyone should have some on their person whenever they go out.

I've posted before but it's worth repeating. Those "Hell NO!" to carrying cash are cheapskates who'd never tip a hotel housekeeper or valet parking attendant or throw some change or a a dollar bill into a Salvation Army kettle or a host of other cash only situations.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

Yes, there is (was) about $1000 in cash in a decorative box in the upstairs storage room the last time I checked.

I should go see if DH “borrowed” any recently.

There are also some Euros and Canadian and Hong Kong dollars in there. Cuban currency as a souvenir. UK pounds too.

Just remembered some Portuguese patacas from Macau.

I have small amounts of various currencies as souvenirs also. UK, Hong Kong, Macau, Mexico, Singapore, Canada, etc.

Plus I have my father's "Allied Military Currency" from WWII in French francs and Italian lira. There are also actual "real" bills from Belgium and Turkey, however he obtained them.

DW and I found $12,000 plus in her father's house after he died. She knew he kept a few hundred in a kitchen cabinet, but didn't know about his other hiding places. Two envelopes of $5000 each in a cookie tin and $2000 in a metal hinged Band Aid box.

I wonder if we got rid of some things that had hidden cash in them.

 

[Donald13]

No. Please send me your addresses so I can verify you’re keeping it in a safe space.

 

[bookgirl]

I have small amounts of various currencies as souvenirs also. UK, Hong Kong, Macau, Mexico, Singapore, Canada, etc.

Plus I have my father's "Allied Military Currency" from WWII in French francs and Italian lira. There are also actual "real" bills from Belgium and Turkey, however he obtained them.

DW and I found $12,000 plus in her father's house after he died. She knew he kept a few hundred in a kitchen cabinet, but didn't know about his other hiding places. Two envelopes of $5000 each in a cookie tin and $2000 in a metal hinged Band Aid box.

I wonder if we got rid of some things that had hidden cash in them.

#1 tip to anyone cleaning out anyone else's house....LOOK THROUGH EVERYTHING. My grandmother put important papers in between the pages of books, stored tax records in cracker boxes, and we know she kept cash in a few "hidden" places, but some intown relatives knew that as well, it was gone by the time we got there, along with the guns, the sliver and a few other trinkets. People suck.

 

[bookgirl]

I am, too.

We keep some cash in the house for "in case", not to be confused with the change & small bills that on occasion have come out of the dryer and go in the change bucket over the washer!

Got denominations in Bahamian $$$ as we used to travel there several times a year pre -Dorian (yes, you are correct you can use US currency there), and a bit of Euros leftover from our last trip over there that are BURNING A HOLE IN MY POCKET.

I have 12 Pounds on my Oyster Card and it's driving me nuts. LOL

 

[tvguy]

They accept cash but only at the manned cash registers and since there's usually only a few open the lines get long and I like checking myself out.
The self check out doesn't accept cash.
At first I thought it was the coin shortage but they didn't offer an exact change option like they did in 2020 when there was low circulation.
When I ask why its card only the employees not paid enough to care just say they don't know.
I even called the 1-800 number and the employee seemed oblivious.
I've been to other Walmarts and they have at least a couple self check outs that accept cash.
Its frustrating or at least was until I was like fine I'll join the 21st century lol.

Man, I have never seen so many people peeling off $100 bills than at Walmart. Yes, half the self checks at my Walmart are credit or debit only, and are clearly marked. But half still take cash. With something like 25% of all Americans not having any bank accounts or credit cards, they would be out of business pretty quickly if they didn't take cash.

 

[LoveSpringsteen]

No more than $50 which is just the cumulative cash my husband, son and I may have in our wallets at any given time. I have found if I keep cash in my house, it gets spent, and since I don't routinely go to the ATM, it doesn't get replenished, either.

 

[QueenIsabella]

My DD18 is a college student, and a barista. While she likes me to change out her tips so she's not carrying tons of $1 bills, but she'll grab the $10s and $20s and run.

She does have both a debit and a credit card, and uses venmo on a regular basis.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We use Venmo and it makes our family (with our kids) and work lives very easy.

I usually take out $40 to have in my wallet when I go to the bank machine or get groceries, etc.

For trips I bring about $200 in cash plus small bills for tips.

When DH’s grandmother passed they found cash sewn into the curtains.

 

[ronandannette]

Cash is king in emergencies...I have enough for about 3-4 weeks of groceries and necessities...it hasn't been touched, except once when I needed to pay the neighborhood pet sitter and somehow I didn't have enough cash in my wallet (he's a college student and cash is king for them, since they don't cash checks or take credit cards)...

Here they would just stand in front of you and wait while you send them an e-transfer. Even my own son asks me for e-transfers rather than cash.

 

[bookgirl]

Here they would just stand in front of you and wait while you send them an e-transfer. Even my own son asks me for e-transfers rather than cash.

For my boys (twin nephews and bonus nephew) it's about distance. If they call me for money they just have me use an app, or my brother calls me and says hey can you send money to "nephew" for me. He does not have the apps nor does he bank on his phone. If I actually see them in person they happily take the cash.

 

[Southernmiss]

DH and I each have a stash. We live in hurricane country, so we like to keep a bit on hand for emergencies.

Came in handy last week when at Thanksgiving I was giving birthday cards to 2 nieces and a daughter in law. After I had given the cards to the nieces, my daughter came over and asked "Did you mean not to put money in their cards?" Uh oh. I was "that" aunt. I thought I had put $ in the cards and decided not to mail them, but hold them. I was able to go into my stash and discretely add $ to DIL's card and then picked up the other 2 off the table and added their $. Nice to have a stash on hand for embarrassing moments like that.

I can say, my kids never asked for $ the day of a school event. The school always required prepayment days ahead before the event so that there would be fewer disappointed kids whose parents forgot to give them $ on the day of the event.

 

[luvnwdwgal]

Yes, we have a couple thousand dollars of cash in the house at all times

 

[ftbaker1313]

I always keep some cash in my billfold and in my safe at home. I have had times after storms where the gas station had no communication lines, but did have a generator. Cash got me gas and safely home.

 

[SteveH]

Yeah, but see, I don't do those, so the college kids know to ask for cash from parents with college kids...to each other, yeah, but not when helping the neighbors out...

It's how we get our youngest to come visit... want the cash, make the drive

No. Please send me your addresses so I can verify you’re keeping it in a safe space.

You bet, but I should say the cash is in with our armament and my wife is better shot than I am

 

[disneychrista]

They accept cash but only at the manned cash registers and since there's usually only a few open the lines get long and I like checking myself out.
The self check out doesn't accept cash.
At first I thought it was the coin shortage but they didn't offer an exact change option like they did in 2020 when there was low circulation.
When I ask why its card only the employees not paid enough to care just say they don't know.
I even called the 1-800 number and the employee seemed oblivious.
I've been to other Walmarts and they have at least a couple self check outs that accept cash.
Its frustrating or at least was until I was like fine I'll join the 21st century lol.

It’s probably because they got sick of them constantly breaking / having to be repaired.
My local Walmart’s self check out is cards only. My local Chipotle has been card only as well for about six weeks