Serious questions from a dirt poor, retired old fool for anyone, like me, who regularly attends a gun show for other than window shopping fun and general amusement:
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A little background (optional reading): The second incarnation of my collecting/accumulating interest in firearms didn't start until after my forced early retirement. The good news: I finally had the time. The bad news: Retirement finances and financial logistics are now an endless challenge. In the good old (working) days, I probably would have kept a stash of $100 bills in a home safe where I could quickly grab them for any purpose. Now, there is no safe, no home stash and just a tight budget with no room for error. I am down to just one hobby left and you can guess what it is.
Buying at a gun show demands cash. But with no home stash, I rely on my bank's "no fee" ATM machine. It has a $500 daily limit and the bank recently made changes such that taking cash out of any other ATM involves fees. I hate ATM fees.
In general, on or before show day, I take out enough green cash (all 20's) for anticipated expenses plus enough for one "no wife approval required" score (i.e., a score not exceeding $500). Usually, that works well enough. But sometimes, it doesn't. 
In one case, I had to use a charge card and then I still had to go back on the second day (and pay a second admission fee) with more cash. 
Not good planning at all. And despite all that, I still lost out on one very good potential score.
Now, I feel a need to carry more cash. I'm thinking $1,200 minimum for this coming weekend's show... all 20's 'cause that's what the ATM spits out and it's better than dealing with bank hours and bank personnel for higher denomination bills which I'll most likely end up redepositing anyway. That much bulk doesn't fit in my wallet or my money clip combined. I guess a big fat rubber band is the answer unless someone has a better idea.
Some say just use the on-site ATM to avoid this silliness despite the double fees situation. Some say charge it despite the 2-3-4% mark-ups.
Maybe in Texas ATM machines spit out $100 bills with no fees and no daily limits. Here they don't. 
So how do you cope with the need for green cash money at these shows? Am I dealing with this issue the right way or the wrong way?
- How much actual green cash money do you take with you to a show?
- In what denominations do you bring that cash and how do you carry it?
- If you come up short of cash at a gun show, will you use an on-site ATM machine (w/fee) or are you more apt to use a charge card (and possibly pay more) if a vendor will take it?
++++++++++++++++++
A little background (optional reading): The second incarnation of my collecting/accumulating interest in firearms didn't start until after my forced early retirement. The good news: I finally had the time. The bad news: Retirement finances and financial logistics are now an endless challenge. In the good old (working) days, I probably would have kept a stash of $100 bills in a home safe where I could quickly grab them for any purpose. Now, there is no safe, no home stash and just a tight budget with no room for error. I am down to just one hobby left and you can guess what it is.
Buying at a gun show demands cash. But with no home stash, I rely on my bank's "no fee" ATM machine. It has a $500 daily limit and the bank recently made changes such that taking cash out of any other ATM involves fees. I hate ATM fees.
In general, on or before show day, I take out enough green cash (all 20's) for anticipated expenses plus enough for one "no wife approval required" score (i.e., a score not exceeding $500). Usually, that works well enough. But sometimes, it doesn't. In one case, I had to use a charge card and then I still had to go back on the second day (and pay a second admission fee) with more cash. Not good planning at all. And despite all that, I still lost out on one very good potential score. Now, I feel a need to carry more cash. I'm thinking $1,200 minimum for this coming weekend's show... all 20's 'cause that's what the ATM spits out and it's better than dealing with bank hours and bank personnel for higher denomination bills which I'll most likely end up redepositing anyway. That much bulk doesn't fit in my wallet or my money clip combined. I guess a big fat rubber band is the answer unless someone has a better idea.
Some say just use the on-site ATM to avoid this silliness despite the double fees situation. Some say charge it despite the 2-3-4% mark-ups.
Maybe in Texas ATM machines spit out $100 bills with no fees and no daily limits.
Here they don't. So how do you cope with the need for green cash money at these shows? Am I dealing with this issue the right way or the wrong way? 
