How many here are going through life on a cash only basis?

[gimmethesimplelife]

I'm asking this as having had fraudulent charges applied to my debit card recently, I'm very seriously considering it. A recent post of Spartana's inspired me as I know I am not alone here in this if I follow through, and though it seems a pain, I don't want to deal with the fallout of fraudulent charges again. Lots of aggravating time on hold and confusion as to policies through no fault of my own is something I don't care to deal with again.

I'm also thinking that cash will be harder to part with, as I will "feel" it more when I part with it. Any one out there nodding their heads on this one? Rob

[ctg492]

I could not imagine cash only in today's life. I actually find having cash is a inconvience now that i live 25 miles from my bank, having to go get it. I can if ever I do recieve a hard check, deposit it from my iPhone. I found that to be an amzing feature. All bills auto withdrawn. These features make my life so my easier. I make a comments often about how I can see a day when no hard cash is needed.

[catherine]

You can certainly do cash only for some things, like everyday expenses. To your point, cash does make you more aware of how much you're spending.

I'm a Dave Ramsey follower, but I haven't been able to go the full mile on his cash-only preachings (he does allow the use of debit cards when needed, but advocates the old-fashioned envelope system for everything else).

I'm kind of a fanatical spending tracker, and I find it's a lot easier if you use a debit card for things such as groceries and gas at least. When I go on Mint.com, everything is already sorted into categories for me and I don't have to worry about having forgotten to write something down. It saves a lot of time.

Also, liability for fraud is almost never on you. I've had my debit card number hacked and I never paid a cent. I'm more afraid of losing the cash, to be honest.

I know cash is the ultimate simple way to live life in the old-fashioned sense, but not sure if it's as easy to do as it was back when there was no internet, and you could just walk to town and pay your mortgage and your phone payment, etc.

[Gardenarian]

Agreed, that when I use cash I am more conscious of actually spending something - I had the dollars, now I don't!

I think it would be possible to use cash for most things, but maintain a credit/debit card to use for when it's easier. In fact, if I were single, that's probably what I'd do. We use the credit card bill as a way to track spending and also for deductiona (dh is self-employed.)

[larknm]

I use cash for everything I do regularly except get gasoline--that's because I don't want to wait in line to pay in cash inside. I drive across town once a month to pay my mortgage. Some unusual expenses I use debit card, and once in a great while something from the internet with credit. I wish it were all cash because I know how much money I have that way. The biggest drawback is that I don't automatically know what the money was spent on, like when planning a budget for next year.

[citrine]

We use cash for everything besides the monthly bills which are done through auto pay. It helps us out quite a bit and we are able to save cash for different categories, gifts, and holidays.

[miradoblackwarrior]

I use cash when buying groceries. I rarely use a credit card, and my debit card lives on my dresser, where it NEVER strays. I am quite paranoid about my money, mostly 'cuz I don't have a lot. I only take about $20 - 60 for groceries, never more, and the change goes into the piggy bank.

When it comes to bill paying, I want a paper trail somewhere in the world, so I pay by check, with a stamp. I guess I'm old fashioned, but I got a scare when the credit card company called me and told me I had been hacked. They were awesome, but it did make me get much more careful about it.

Susan