Walking around money.
- Thread starter TheOldPro
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Tubbsy
Member
Living here i don't carry more than $10 in cash unless I'm making a big cash purchase, got a gun stuck in my face over $7 a few years ago. There's an atm within walking distance pretty much anywhere i go, so no need for cash.
I try to always carry at least $20-$100 for everyday I am working. I am not specific about how much. Usually like a couple of 20s a $10, a few $5 and a few ones for tipping etc. But when I am going somewhere more specific and a pawn shop or yard sale or gun show is likely to be in my path I stock up with several hundred to several thousand in cash depending on where I am headed. I also have bought many nice guns/ nicw deals by having cash on me when opportunity struck.
For almost all day to day transactions though I use a CC.. I also do not ever pay interest on a CC. I have had many free airline flights and some high-end resorts paid for by my CC points so I use them as much as possible.
For almost all day to day transactions though I use a CC.. I also do not ever pay interest on a CC. I have had many free airline flights and some high-end resorts paid for by my CC points so I use them as much as possible.
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Sorry, I thought I made it clear why I don’t understand carrying C-notes for EDC.
The reason would be that very few businesses will take $100’s or even $50’s, and the Main reason I carry cash, is for use when I am somewhere that won’t/can’t take a CC, etc..
If it was about seeing the $100’s, then yes, if you are supposedly carrying cash for “emergency use”, then you have very seriously limited your potential use of them, because (again) many businesses will not accept them, so I will standby my statement that carrying them is generally to “show off” to people.
Of course exceptions exist (which has been talked about multiple times), but if you are carrying cash for emergencies, $100’s and $50’s are not wise choices, at least for me, as I prefer using what will be accepted, when I need it.
YMMV
I guess it all depends on what your personal definition of an "emergency" is.
An "emergency" to me is finding a highly desirable gun at a sweet cash price at a shop or gun show and not having enough cash money with me to buy it after already hitting my daily ATM withdrawal limit!
An "emergency" to me is not wanting a hot dog or sandwich or Diet Coke from a store or sandwich shop that doesn't happen to take credit cards.
My kind of "emergencies" can be remedied just fine with $100 bills.
And they take up a lot less space in your wallet than a stack of 20's. 
Jeff423
US Veteran
I agree - I've seen fewer clerks able to deal with cash in transactions. If the cash register can't/won't give them the answer they don't know what to do. I was recently in a coffee shop and needed to use a credit card for a very small purchase. I apologized but the clerk said that she hadn't had a cash transaction for weeks!
I would much rather be behind someone in the grocery checkout line using a credit card than a check.
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CAJUNLAWYER
Member
I'm a poker player. As such $50 bills are considered bad luck and I do not carry them. Other denominations I carry without prejudice. As to amounts-well, that really is nobodys bid'ness but suffice it to say , it is enough.
LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
I have never used the ATM machines. I have never used a debit card.
I use a credit card for gas, groceries, six-packs, and other typical purchases, but I get 1.5% cash back (couple hundred bucks per year). I can also write just one check per month to pay the balance, instead of a dozen checks per month.
I pull out all the nice fresh crisp one dollar bills I receive and save those for the car wash and vending machines, so I usually have 20 or more ones in my pocket. Bartenders at my club have caught on, so when they are low on ones they come looking for me.
I usually keep out about $600 per month for "walking around money", and that frequently adds up to a thousand or more in my pocket. I am not overly picky about denominations, I carry hundreds, fifties, twenties, and everything else I get. Never more than $30 or so in my money clip, which is all that comes out of my pocket when making small purchases.
We keep a couple thousand in one home safe for emergencies, and several thousand in cash in a safe deposit box. More than once I have pulled a chunk out to purchase good vintage guns, then put it back with my profit after I have taken full advantage of each opportunity (or replenished with payments when I have decided to keep a really good one). My wife has expressed amazement at how money seems to multiply when I put it in the safe.
I use a credit card for gas, groceries, six-packs, and other typical purchases, but I get 1.5% cash back (couple hundred bucks per year). I can also write just one check per month to pay the balance, instead of a dozen checks per month.
I pull out all the nice fresh crisp one dollar bills I receive and save those for the car wash and vending machines, so I usually have 20 or more ones in my pocket. Bartenders at my club have caught on, so when they are low on ones they come looking for me.
I usually keep out about $600 per month for "walking around money", and that frequently adds up to a thousand or more in my pocket. I am not overly picky about denominations, I carry hundreds, fifties, twenties, and everything else I get. Never more than $30 or so in my money clip, which is all that comes out of my pocket when making small purchases.
We keep a couple thousand in one home safe for emergencies, and several thousand in cash in a safe deposit box. More than once I have pulled a chunk out to purchase good vintage guns, then put it back with my profit after I have taken full advantage of each opportunity (or replenished with payments when I have decided to keep a really good one). My wife has expressed amazement at how money seems to multiply when I put it in the safe.
Ha!!!
That reminds me of my working days. Because of my special need for "exact change" mentioned above, people at work always knew they could break a bill by coming to me. It eventually got silly... to the point where I was jokingly referred to as the company money changer. Finally had to put the brakes on it. How ridiculous that one of the lowest paid employees became a bank teller of sorts for the company.
Things I never knew
I'm sure NOT being a poker player has saved me considerable amounts of money, but it obviously has inhibited my socialization and education.
I'd wager there is a good story behind the prejudice shown against $50 dollar bills.
I'm sure NOT being a poker player has saved me considerable amounts of money, but it obviously has inhibited my socialization and education.
I'd wager there is a good story behind the prejudice shown against $50 dollar bills.
If I've got cash, I ain't walking
doublesharp
Member
Caj sent me to Google and I found this:
FAQ - general - $50s | Las Vegas Advisor
Are 50-Dollar Bills Bad Luck?
How, when, and why this superstition started is lost in the mists of history, but it's certainly real and isn't just limited to the gambling community. Many non-gamblers subscribe to this belief, though it probably started with gamblers (poker players, in particular) and spread from there.
There's another, chicken-and-egg, part of this scenario as well. Partly because they're considered unlucky, not too many $50 bills are in circulation; hence, they become more unusual and unfamiliar, making them even more suspicious to the superstitious.
As to how it all started, here are some of the stories we're aware of.
One version has it that a dislike of fifty-dollar bills relates to the Civil War and an antipathy for Ulysses S. Grant, who appears on the front of the bill (and didn't have a great record when it came to money and the economy, either).
Another historical explanation ties the superstition firmly to Las Vegas and a legend that when the Mob ran the town and took out a hit on someone, they'd bury the body with a $50 bill in the jacket pocket of the victim.
An alternative to this theory is the story that Bugsy Siegel, of Flamingo infamy, had three $50 bills on him when he was gunned down by the bosses.
A variation on the Bugsy story has it that "Wild" Bill Hickock had only fifties on him when he was shot playing the infamous "dead-man's hand" in that Deadwood saloon in 1876. No source we came across could cite support for this account, any more than there's any evidence of the Siegel connection, so we'd bet a $50 of our own that both of these explanations are entirely apocryphal.
We've also heard that at one point, the $50 bill, as opposed to the $100, was primarily targeted by counterfeiters; hence, gamblers chose to avoid accepting fifties in case they got stuck with a fake bill.
The only other explanation we've come across, which is the one most widely circulated, is that $50s tend to be confused with $5s and/or $20s, leading to a reluctance to use them in transactions for fear of being short-changed.
We have to say that none of these theories strikes us as particularly satisfactory, but these are the only accounts we've come across. If anyone out there has come across another account, please share it with all of us in a comment box below.
In the meantime, one thing we can say definitively is that if you want to remain generally on people's good side in Las Vegas, it's advisable to avoid the use of a $50 when paying or tipping for anything -- superstition or not.
FAQ - general - $50s | Las Vegas Advisor
Are 50-Dollar Bills Bad Luck?
How, when, and why this superstition started is lost in the mists of history, but it's certainly real and isn't just limited to the gambling community. Many non-gamblers subscribe to this belief, though it probably started with gamblers (poker players, in particular) and spread from there.
There's another, chicken-and-egg, part of this scenario as well. Partly because they're considered unlucky, not too many $50 bills are in circulation; hence, they become more unusual and unfamiliar, making them even more suspicious to the superstitious.
As to how it all started, here are some of the stories we're aware of.
One version has it that a dislike of fifty-dollar bills relates to the Civil War and an antipathy for Ulysses S. Grant, who appears on the front of the bill (and didn't have a great record when it came to money and the economy, either).
Another historical explanation ties the superstition firmly to Las Vegas and a legend that when the Mob ran the town and took out a hit on someone, they'd bury the body with a $50 bill in the jacket pocket of the victim.
An alternative to this theory is the story that Bugsy Siegel, of Flamingo infamy, had three $50 bills on him when he was gunned down by the bosses.
A variation on the Bugsy story has it that "Wild" Bill Hickock had only fifties on him when he was shot playing the infamous "dead-man's hand" in that Deadwood saloon in 1876. No source we came across could cite support for this account, any more than there's any evidence of the Siegel connection, so we'd bet a $50 of our own that both of these explanations are entirely apocryphal.
We've also heard that at one point, the $50 bill, as opposed to the $100, was primarily targeted by counterfeiters; hence, gamblers chose to avoid accepting fifties in case they got stuck with a fake bill.
The only other explanation we've come across, which is the one most widely circulated, is that $50s tend to be confused with $5s and/or $20s, leading to a reluctance to use them in transactions for fear of being short-changed.
We have to say that none of these theories strikes us as particularly satisfactory, but these are the only accounts we've come across. If anyone out there has come across another account, please share it with all of us in a comment box below.
In the meantime, one thing we can say definitively is that if you want to remain generally on people's good side in Las Vegas, it's advisable to avoid the use of a $50 when paying or tipping for anything -- superstition or not.
Cdog
Member
I'm a natural born trader, so I always have cash. I do use credit cards for most everyday purchases. I like the cash back rewards, but cash is available.
This past weekend many people were left standing at a local gas station because their card system was down. They still traded gas for cash.
No, the cash is not alone. My strong side pocket "always" balances my wallet side.
This past weekend many people were left standing at a local gas station because their card system was down. They still traded gas for cash.
No, the cash is not alone. My strong side pocket "always" balances my wallet side.
bearman49709
Member
I haven't seen a business refuse a $50.00 or $100.00 bill in 25-30 years, and back then it was only stop and robs that refused them.
OLDSTER
Member
My average "walking around $ " consists of 1 CC with a puny limit, 1 ATM card that's usually declined for ISF, couple dimes, a nickel or two, 1 $20, a $10, couple of $5s, and a few ones. Oh yeah, and if I'm wearing my beat up 25 year old penny loafers, I got a couple pennies. I really don't belong on this forum
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Most any Stop and Rob that I'm aware of, and use/d, still do not accept $50's or $100's, for obvious reasons.
Sometimes you can force their hands. A couple times years back I filled up my truck and went inside to pay. Only had a couple big bills (now I do as much as I can on credit card.).
The man behind the counter did not want to take them, so I asked him how do I put the gas back in your underground tank. FWIW my bill was about $46 dollars so not much coming back from a $50!
A lot of places have those marking pen type devices and they inspect big bills and if OK take them. Where the problem seems to come into play when you have a small amount and hand them a big bill.
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I have, the place that styles my hair is one. I can see no need to flash a "C" note to make a small purchase
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