Walking around money.

[Mr.Harry]

Even some of my elder Uncles would use the term sometimes - “Strutting Money”. I always liked that.

Typically held in a nice kind of billfold, from a company gift or whatever, but held in the front pocket of the pants. Despite a wallet in another pocket. I’ve seen some precious or semi-precious metal ones, with or without jewel studs, tossed out on some desks. Teller tables. What have you. Always worked like magic when I watched them start to peel some off, stop, and haggling ensue.

MAGIC

 

[Doug627]

People get killed for a lot less money. We had an elderly man in the neighborhood that liked to eat breakfast at the Waffle House. He showed a waitress he had a few hundred dollars in his wallet. Another diner saw the money and followed the old man to his apartment and killed him for the money. There was also a couple of elderly brothers that said they carried a couple thousand apiece on them to buy firearms when they ran across one they wanted. This included carrying the money into the field while hunting. Again, someone overheard them. It was deer season the brothers headed out to the field. The third person followed them and killed them both for their money. It's okay to carry it, just don't let anyone know you have it. Although, I believe it would be difficult to carry $22,000 in ones without someone guessing what you have.

 

[JcMack]

I usually carry maybe $50 in cash. Only reason I carry any cash is to tip people that do small stuff for me (i.e.) like grocery baggers as most of them look like they need a couple bucks, prepay gas cause I'm afraid of skimmers, and sometimes store debit/credit lines are down.

 

[Farmer17]

I keep cash in my safe but hardly ever carry much around with me, maybe a couple 20s. I can go several months without needing cash for anything and around here about everything takes a credit card with a chip on it and it’s much faster even buying a stick of gum than with cash plus I don’t have a pocket full of change at the end of the day. I spend a lot of money with my construction business on my corporate credit card and with my phone I keep tabs on my credit card and bank accounts every day or two and I know where every cent goes. It’s better every way than cash to me and I have enough points on my credit card to take a trip to Europe this spring.

 

[Goldstar225]

I keep $200.00 "emergency" cash tucked in a obscure slot in my wallet. It's not used for routine spending. I usually have $20-$40 on me for minor purchases.

 

[Inusuit]

I usually carry about a $100 in cash, sometimes more if specific shopping is on the agenda or hitting a gun show. I work in an agency that charges for fingerprinting, notary stamps, etc. I'm amazed by the number of people who have no cash on them at all.

 

[Golddollar]

I'm a cash guy. Yes I have a debit card, but I'm just old school. My day to day carry is, 5 hundreds, 5 twentys, 5 tens, 5 fives. Am I goofy??

Heck no. This is coming from a guy who routinely carries 25-50 Golden Dollars in a Crown Royal bag.

 

[wood714]

No! I'm also a cash kinda guy. I'd lose the "C" notes by three and add several $50.00"s. Many places can't or will not accept "C" notes. Other than than rock on.

When I went to Ohio a few weeks back, I had $500 in 20 dollar bills for that very reason.

Over half of my trip was at night, it would suck for something to happen to your credit or debit card when low on gas.

Back in my younger days...happiness was a full tank of gas, carton of smokes, and $20 in my pocket.

 

[jimmyj]

Walking Around Money

When you are as good looking and sexy as I am, there is no need to carry cash or credit cards.

 

[CH4]

I am well balanced - got cash and a debit card. I carry whatever I think I am going to need at any given time; I don't carry a wad just for the sake of carrying a wad if I know $20 will get me by. Never been short when I need to buy something I want or need, especially guns.

 

[wundudnee]

Count me in the dinosaur group. I get to feeling antsy when I get down to a hundred dollars in my billfold. I usually carry around $300.00-$400.00 in twenties. I do put my gas on a card, but small things like hardware, bird feed, taking the wife to dinner is all cash. I seem to see smiles when you tell the wait staff "no change." I probably won't live long enough to see the cashless society. I could see that causing many problems.

I do keep a separate billfold in the safe for guns and toys. It a lot thinner than usual at this time, but I've had a really good time lately.

 

[Grayfox]

I generally prefer to use cash for most day to day purchases. I usually have somewhere between $100 - 200 in my billfold usually nothing bigger than a $20. There's no set amount and I just add as I see fit.
If I know for a fact that I'm about to spend a fair amount, such as go to a nice restaurant or fill up with gas, I'll throw another $100 in my wallet before I go.
I do have a credit card in my wallet. But its mainly used for on-line purchases and gets paid off at the end of each month. But it is there just in case of an emergency.
Now, if I know that I'm about to spend several hundred dollars or I want to keep a record of some expenditures, I actually write a check! I buy groceries once a month AND pay all my monthly bills with plain, old fashioned checks. I even still mail them out via USPS. Yep, I AM the dinosaur! But I like it this way.

 

[FifthWheel]

I usually carry around $300. Just last week I needed a new exhaust system installed so I went up to my old trusted muffler place and noticed it was under new ownership and I was NOT impressed. They gave me a price and I just wanted it done. Went to pick up later and the new owner started punching up the calculator and said $405, cash or credit? I replied, cash discount?
He said $375. I turned to see my wife already pulling out of the lot so I started counting out my $. I paid and had $11 to spare.

 

[rwt1405]

I'm a cash guy. Yes I have a debit card, but I'm just old school. My day to day carry is, 5 hundreds, 5 twentys, 5 tens, 5 fives. Am I goofy??

The only thing I would disagree with (for me anyway) is the carrying of C-notes, for EDC, I do not understand the carrying of C-notes for anything other then showing off, which is not really a good thing for EDC carry money, if the wrong people see it.

I carry enough cash to handle day-to-day "things" that might occur, which is why I do not carry C-notes (or $50's for that matter), as far too many places/businesses will not accept them.

As such, $20's are the largest I carry with me, unless I am headed someplace where I need some "flash" money (LGS, shows, etc), which is the only time the C-notes come out.

Also, I would recommend that you add at least 5 (as that seems to be your number) $1 bills to that, preferably more, as they would be far more useful then those C-notes.

I will also admit that I carry my money in 2 separate wallets/pockets, as I have no need for people having any idea how much money I am carrying.

 

[TTSH]

A guy (in an active gun forum) that never has nor ever uses cash is a guy who either lives in a restrictive gun state -OR- is a gun guy that is truly missing very much out on the phenomenal used gun market via private sales, either face to face meet-up or gun shows.

I don't want to think about what the inside of my safe would look like if I deleted every item that came via $CASH.

Exactly. Cash money talks... not just for individuals, but for many shops as well.

Even some of my elder Uncles would use the term sometimes - “Strutting Money”. I always liked that.

My maternal grandfather, a truly great man, always used the term "vest pocket money", but I always heard more people talking about it as "walking around money"... same idea. Of course, he lived in the days long before credit cards!

I am well balanced - got cash and a debit card.

And credit cards too. Lots and lots of credit cards.

 

[TheOldPro]

For you guys concerned. That cash is in another pocket. My wallet has about 30/40 bucks. I'm not a fool.

 

[Jim1392]

I don't carry a single dime with me ever. There's nothing I can't buy that I need with my credit card. The last time I went to the bank with my ATM card was because we were going to a restaurant that was cash only.

 

[ladder13]

Very rarely carry cash, I don’t see the need. If I need cash there’s an ATM somewhere close by.

 

[joeintexas]

I almost never have less than $7 dollars in small unmarked bills on me at any time. Truthfully, I do keep a $100 dollar bill tucked away and usually another hundred in 20s and a few singles for tips when out for coffee with the neighbor. Never use credit cards but do use debit card.

 

[TTSH]

I find the range of different personal practices here amazing. "Different strokes for different folks" in the extreme. Giving all the supposed dangers of using debit cards (vs. credit cards), I would never use one to buy anything.

But my own practices (re: carrying cash & cards) are probably stranger than most. Despite being dirt poor and living on a pitiful weekly allowance that most here couldn't survive on, I tend to carry a large amount of cash for two reasons:

1) You never know when that golden opportunity is going to fall into your lap. I have lost too many guns for not having enough cash in hand at shows and shops. Not good.

2) Being left arm handicapped, I am unable to grab or hold onto change for anything I buy at a drive-up window... so I always have lots of coins in the car and I carry a ton of small denomination bills, mostly singles. That way, I'm able to do exact change 99.99% of the time.