How much cash do you usually carry?

[kenny]

Shame on me for being so rude to ask but DF's thread about carrying cash got me wondering about the range, average and distribution of cash carrying.
For obvious reasons many people are shy about admitting how much cash they carry (even, ironically, on a diamond forum) but this poll is anonymous.
Nobody will ever know your response, so there is no risk in just telling the truth.

For consistency, let's make it in US dollars.
If you don't carry US dollars here is a currency converter: http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/

 

[ame]

*MAYBE* 20ish at a time, usually I don't have any.

 

[TooPatient]

I voted for none, but I'm actually between there and $10. I've usually got about $2 in quarters in the car so we can drive through the park if we have to. Every once in awhile I'll have a few $1 with me if I'm going somewhere I might have to pay for parking or whatever.

When Washington Mutual was transitioning to Chase, we had some times where FI's debit (and credit the time we tried it) were declined because of server issues or something. Luckily I was there too so we just used my B. of A. debit card. Probably would have been nice to carry some cash for "just in case" during that time but we didn't...

 

[kenny]

Some banks start to charge you if you have too many ATM withdrawals.

I try to carry between 100 and 200.
I also hide a 20 in the car for emergencies.

I am very surprised anyone leaves the house with zero cash.
What if you need to take a taxi?
Maybe I'm a leftover from the era when you may have needed to use a pay phone.

I like to stop at garage sales I run into so I often have been happy I was carrying cash.

 

[Indylady]

$20

 

[ForteKitty]

i carry about $1-$20. Everything accepts credit cards these days, and i'd be a fool to not get every single reward point i'm entitled to! The cash is for parking or the few places that are cash only.

 

[iheartscience]

I usually carry around $25ish. I mostly keep it on me for the lunch carts around my office.

 

[TooPatient]

Some banks start to charge you if you have too many ATM withdrawals.

I try to carry between 100 and 200.
I also hide a 20 in the car for emergencies.

I am very surprised anyone leaves the house with zero cash.
What if you need to take a taxi?
Maybe I'm a leftover from the era when you may have needed to use a pay phone.

I like to stop at garage sales I run into so I often have been happy I was carrying cash.

Taxi -- if I have to call to request a taxi, they take debit/credit over the phone (I'd be using the flat-rate)

pay phones --- nearly impossible to find here and rarely work if you do.


Garage sales --- Exactly. If I'm not carrying cash I have to go out of my way to get cash and go all the way back to the sale. No cash means almost no purchase regrets. (If something is super great and I HAVE to have it, people will usually set it aside and wait for me to get cash)

 

[NewEnglandLady]

It depends on when you ask me I am a bit crazy about balancing my checkbook, so I like to take out lump sums of cash and not use my debit card for purchases. It's just easier for me. So I'll take out a couple hundred at a time, which will last me a week or two. When I'm down to twenty, I go back to the ATM.

 

[minmin001]

it really depends... I usually put around $100 and just refill when it goes below $20~

 

[bee*]

I usually carry about €10, so about $14.00. I put the majority of purchases on my laser (debit) card. If I have cash in my wallet, I just spend it whereas I tend to think twice if I'm putting it on my laser for some reason.

 

[missy]

I usually carry about $100 for just in case emergencies as I pay for almost everything with my credit card so I can keep track of my spending. Mint.com does a great job of showing you exactly where you are spending all your $$$.

My dh used to drive me crazy as he always carried around $400 in a rubber band in his front pocket (though I had given him a lovely tiffany money clip when we were dating). I just think that is way too much money to be carrying around so after much disagreeing we finally agreed he would carry no more than $100-200 at a time. My dh tends to be a bit absent minded and he has definitely misplaced money before so no need to risk that much cash IMO. Plus I really prefer for both of us to pay with our credit card in order to really see where all our money is going.

 

[Dancing Fire]

about $300-$500 b/c i wouldn't feel comfortable w/o some cash in my pocket,plus one can't get in debt by spending cash.

 

[jaysonsmom]

I usually only have around $10. It's enough for a snack/drink, an ice cream truck emergency or some other knick knack that my kids HAVE to have from a @#$#$% vending machine.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I usually only have around $10. It's enough for a snack/drink, an ice cream truck emergency or some other knick knack that my kids HAVE to have from a @#$#$% vending machine.

Jay'smom...remind me not to rob you..

 

[soocool]

about $20 - 25 .

 

[Amber St. Clare]

I usually only have around $10. It's enough for a snack/drink, an ice cream truck emergency or some other knick knack that my kids HAVE to have from a @#$#$% vending machine.

Yep, those ice cream emergencies have a bad habit of popping up at the most inopportune times,don't theyy?!?
eta: I gnerally have about $25. on me, unless I'm doing lunch or dinner with someone.

 

[kenny]

I usually only have around $10. It's enough for a snack/drink, an ice cream truck emergency or some other knick knack that my kids HAVE to have from a @#$#$% vending machine.

Yep, those ice cream emergencies have a bad habit of popping up at the most inopportune times,don't theyy?!?

I get serious ice cream emergencies.
That's why I'm never caught with under a hundred bucks.
I'd have to pawn a diamond.

 

[AprilBaby]

I don't ever have cash on me. I have never taken a taxi in my life. Everywhere I go takes debit card. Cash burns a hole in my pocket.

 

[movie zombie]

anywhere from $20 - $200.

so i elected $100.....because that really is the minimum i like to have immediately available.

at $20 i get more $ into the wallet.

 

[NOYFB]

On any given day, anywhere between the amount of coins in the bottom of my purse and $25 in bills. I don't normally withdraw cash unless I am going somewhere that they don't accept debit/credit, and whatever I have left over stays in my purse for vending machine/cafeteria purchases.

 

[Autumnovember]

Some banks start to charge you if you have too many ATM withdrawals.

I try to carry between 100 and 200.
I also hide a 20 in the car for emergencies.

I am very surprised anyone leaves the house with zero cash.
What if you need to take a taxi?
Maybe I'm a leftover from the era when you may have needed to use a pay phone.

I like to stop at garage sales I run into so I often have been happy I was carrying cash.

Taxi's take credit cards

I carry none.

 

[Amys Bling]

somewhere between 0 and 10. I tend to use my debit card and or credit card and then pay off the balance each month.

 

[monarch64]

I usually carry around $20 in cash.

 

[centralsquare]

Some banks start to charge you if you have too many ATM withdrawals.

I try to carry between 100 and 200.
I also hide a 20 in the car for emergencies.

I am very surprised anyone leaves the house with zero cash.
What if you need to take a taxi?
Maybe I'm a leftover from the era when you may have needed to use a pay phone.

I like to stop at garage sales I run into so I often have been happy I was carrying cash.

I usually care $5-10 but have had absolutely none. Taxi's take credit cards where I live!!

 

[Jennifer W]

Some banks start to charge you if you have too many ATM withdrawals.

I try to carry between 100 and 200.
I also hide a 20 in the car for emergencies.

I am very surprised anyone leaves the house with zero cash.
What if you need to take a taxi?
Maybe I'm a leftover from the era when you may have needed to use a pay phone.

I like to stop at garage sales I run into so I often have been happy I was carrying cash.

I don't carry any unless it's for a specific reason. There's £20 in my car for emergencies (although it's been there for over ten years now, so I'm not sure what the emergency is going to be where I can't use my debit card or an ATM). I use my debit card for almost all transactions, my bank doesn't charge for that or for ATM withdrawals. If I lose the card, I can get another one, and if it's used fraudulently, I'm protected. I'm less likely to pull it out for an impulse buy, too.

If I have cash with me, I'll spend it on the little things you need cash for that I REALLY don't want to buy. In my case, that would be cigarettes (still craving them, several years after quitting) icecream, vending machine crap and chocolate bars, which I can gulp down in multiples, very easily. I'm not someone with a spending or eating plan or much single mindedness. I am highly suggestible and easily distracted, so if I carried cash, I'd be needing bigger clothes and I'd need to be topping up the cash several times a day. Easier not to!

ETA I don't need to take a taxi - I have a car and I live next to a bus stop. Taxis accept debit cards anyway. We don't have garage sales here.

DF, If I carried that much cash every day, I'd be in debt by the end of the first month, having spend all my bill-paying money on cigarettes, icecream and stuff I saw that I suddenly needed to buy...