Cash in the house

No, I don't keep cash in the house. I rarely have any in my purse either! It seems to be more and more a cashless society. We used to be told not to keep a lot of cash in the house in case of burglars.

Grandmabatty

No, I don't keep cash in the house. I rarely have any in my purse either! It seems to be more and more a cashless society. We used to be told not to keep a lot of cash in the house in case of burglars.

I always have money in my purse, although I mainly use cards.

I also keep some cash in the house. My DGD likes to see her pocket money and our paper shop only takes cash.

I pay for my car services etc in cash as my mechanic collects the car from my house and lends me his, the plumber prefers cash, as does the window cleaner (though all would accept bank transfer without complaint). I like to keep £1000 to £1500 cash safely tucked away “just in case”.

I have enough food in the house to see me through anyway and about £20 in my purse to buy stuff on the market.

I could make do.

I pay by cash when shopping sometimes just because I don’t want us to lose the option.

I rarely use cash either. But it’s true that if we couldn’t use a card to pay for things, and if the automatic payments stopped we would have to pay somehow, so perhaps it makes sense. I don’t mean small incidentals such as pocket money, as in a crisis they wouldn’t really matter, but I’m not sure what I do mean, really. If we had to pay the gas bill in cash the system would collapse. Ways would have to be found to give people access to their own money somehow.

Well first thought would be food and essentials for me and mine as well as any pets needs. Bus fares, parking, phone top up (maybe?)

Everything else that is already on DD or automatic payment system can get in the queue!

Especially since it is at “their” insistence or constant urging that “we” pay by Direct Debit anyway.
So perhaps up to 2 weeks worth.

And rifling through the back of the sofa for lost coins wouldn’t work any more.

Though shaking up the handbag to see what’s lodged in the depths might.

I’ve survived in the past on both those methods 😬

I pay cash wherever I can and prefer to. Also have some in the house just in case.

I’d ask to borrow from the vape shop nest door to the charity where I volunteer or the myriad of Turkish barbers all around us. They only deal in cash 😉

I cant see the electric company wanting cash. Or car insurance.

But food, yes.
You could buy from neighbours?
Old fashioned barter[limited idea I always think].
Burst pipe so can pay a plumber?

We rarely use cash at all (except for the hospital car park!!) but we have a small supply of notes and coins in both cars, my purse usually has a couple of notes in and we collect change and £5 notes in the kitchen drawer. We occasionally pay by cash so we have a supply of coins in the change.

We withdraw £200 every now and again and put it somewhere safe. Sometimes it lasts months, sometimes no time at all.

Oh yes! in the past I have been inordinately delighted to find a fiver in the breast pocket of a denim jacket not worn since the previous summer. yay!
Or almost as good a £2 coin trapped in a torn handbag lining.

Just this last weekend M&S were hit by a cyber problem that meant they couldn't take contactless payments, only cash or chip and pin. There were a fair few people having to turn around at the door because they only had a phone or smart watch as payment methods, not even a bank card with them. I do realise this wasn't an earth shattering event!
I always keep cash in my purse and about £200 safely hidden at home, even though I pay a lot with cards. I'd hate it if we went completely cashless.

Think back to what happened in early 2020, at the start of the pandemic. In that kind of event, people panic buy and strip the shops of food anyway. Or if nobody had any money, they would loot. The supply chain (including fuel supply) would break down very quickly so there would be no replenishment until payment systems were working again.

A better plan would be to make sure you have stocks of dry food and enough long-life staples to last a month.

I can recall being snowed in some years ago, about ten maybe, and living off what I had in the house for three weeks. I could have gone longer. And that was without the contents of a freezer. I eat a very simple vegetarian diet anyway so it wasn’t difficult. I had a stock of rice, lentils, pulses, onions, potatoes, pasta and flour for breadmaking and a variety of tinned foods. I grow a continuous supply of easy salad leaves.

I keep no more than ten pounds in my purse. Five goes in the cathedral plate each week as a donation for a weekly music concert. The other five is for buskers and street collections. Everything else is paid for by card or bank transfer including the window cleaner.

Yes I’ve a little stash in a secret place ..the garden man likes cash and window cleaner and for my hair stylist a little tip each time I visit
Also have a £20 in purse which was needed some time ago now when travelling down to London, the card machine failed and you could only purchase drinks and sandwiches with cash!
Would not be without a small amount of cash…cash is still 👑

We always have about £250 in the house, we use cash a lot as neither want to loose it, all the village shops take it, pubs, Tesco Express who have fuel too.

I rarely use cash, but I do keep £100 in the house for whatever. When we had dogs, DH used to buy our dog food in bulk and friends would buy it from him - always in cash, so he’d end up with quite a bit and tell me to help myself to it as and when, rather than go to the ATM.

I’ve always been quite good with finance, however, I think it’s easier to budget with cash - once it’s gone. it’s gone. It seems far easier to get into financial problems these days with ‘plastic spending’ and pre-arranged overdrafts etc.

Yes, I do, I keep about £500, it’s hidden somewhere even a determined burglar wouldn’t look.. I’m heavily reliant on my car so I want to be able to pay for petrol or a tyre if necessary, and also groceries should the systems be down for a few days. I think cyber attacks are very likely, and I prefer to be a bit prepared.

I keep quite a lot of cash in my house but in a place where 9 out of 10 burglars wouldn't think to look!

Only I know about my secret hiding place, absolutely nobody else.

I much prefer cash, partly as the banks, government etc. can't control my money as they can with cards.

I have a debut card but only use it once a month to keep the account going unless I need to pay for something big/expensive like a vehicle or washing machine etc.

I still use cash when I can but I'm lucky to have a post office at the end of the street so if I have tradesmen coming I just nip down and draw out the cash.
These days though most payments for services are by bank transfer.
There is some stiff going around now about having emergency supplies etc and I suppose it's sensible. If only I had the money to do it lol!

I’m another who likes a stash of cash! When it gets to below £100 I get a bit fidgety 🫨 (I’m forever slipping a tenner to a visiting GC ) and I pay for my bingo in cash along with a weekend newspaper.

My window cleaner only takes cash, which is a nuisance. I like to have about £50 in the house, and £20 tucked in my phone case, and I spend using a note on a regular basis so that I have coins in case I need any. But mostly I pay by card.

petra

I’d ask to borrow from the vape shop nest door to the charity where I volunteer or the myriad of Turkish barbers all around us. They only deal in cash 😉

Ah yes! The money launderers that nobody in authority seems to ever bother about.