People actually need to be told this? Jesus...

[K Frame]

Four things not to do if you want a good credit score...

I'd thing even Seren would know these... and she's a dog.

https://www.cnbc.com/select/avoid-these-mistakes-for-good-credit-score/

[Hawkmoon]

I think people have been conditioned to not think of using a credit card as spending money. So many people use plastic for everything that they never reach into their pocket or wallet for cash to pay for anything. The notion of "money" is disappearing. Want something? Wave a piece of plastic and carry it home. What's that tag with the funny symbol and some numbers after it? I dunno -- tear it off and throw it away.

[Brad Johnson]

People actually need to be told this? Jesus...

Remember, these are the same people who view eating detergent pods as a challenge.

Brad

[MechAg94]

Some people shouldn't get credit cards at all and should just use cash only. 

Do schools teach personal budgeting?  Not sure they did when I was in school except maybe in a home economics class.  Maybe one of those things parents should teach. 

[HankB]

Remember, these are the same people who view eating detergent pods as a challenge.

Brad

Forget the tide pod challenger - now there's the hot coil challenge.  https://mtonews.com/prank-viral-videos-likes

(Girls, don't date guys that do stuff like this - you don't ever want to risk helping them pass on their stupid genes.)

[K Frame]

"Do schools teach personal budgeting?"

These days, no clue.

When I was in school in the 1980s we had classes that covered budgeting, doing your taxes, etc. Civics, I think they called it in my school. Classes that would help you survived on your own and become a productive member of society.

These days those classes have probably been dropped in favor of mandatory classes in gender fluidity...

[HankB]

. . . When I was in school in the 1980s we had classes that covered budgeting, doing your taxes, etc. Civics, I think they called it in my school. Classes that would help you survived on your own and become a productive member of society . . .

Grammar school arithmetic.

[MechAg94]

"Do schools teach personal budgeting?"

These days, no clue.

When I was in school in the 1980s we had classes that covered budgeting, doing your taxes, etc. Civics, I think they called it in my school. Classes that would help you survived on your own and become a productive member of society.

These days those classes have probably been dropped in favor of mandatory classes in gender fluidity...

My civics was just state and local govt structure.  I had a recordkeeping class that did a little, but it was more of a accounting angle.  Never did get anything on paying taxes. 

In college, we took an engineering economics class.  In that, we looked at loans and formulas for calculating payments and interest charges and ultimately IRR.  I have used that knowledge probably more than anything.  If you can set up a loan spreadsheet so you can plug in loan amount and interest rates, it is a good tool to see how changes in load amount and interest affect monthly payments and interest charges.

[Perd Hapley]

I think people have been conditioned to not think of using a credit card as spending money. So many people use plastic for everything that they never reach into their pocket or wallet for cash to pay for anything. The notion of "money" is disappearing. Want something? Wave a piece of plastic and carry it home. What's that tag with the funny symbol and some numbers after it? I dunno -- tear it off and throw it away.

I was at a store the other day, and overheard some employees. Seems one of them didn't have her plastic money card, but needed gas to get home. She was bragging on her husband for being nice enough to come by and put some gas in the car for her.

Good on hubby for being a mensch, but wouldn't it make more sense for the coworkers to put together a few dollars of gas money, just to get her home? I wondered if maybe none of them had any cash on hand.

That's one reason why I keep a little cash in my car.

[K Frame]

I think a lot of people are carrying virtually no cash these days, especially younger people.

I've gone weeks, or even months, at a time with no cash in my wallet. I think right now I have maybe $40 in my wallet, and that's left over from my last trip down to Castle Key's. I always travel with cash on hand, just in case. But in DC metro, if I need cash and I don't have any there's bound to be an ATM within a few hundred yards.

[Ben]

I think a lot of people are carrying virtually no cash these days, especially younger people.

Yup. I'm a big cash person but still find myself paying with a card all the time. I still do cash at the local diner, or for small stuff at the local hardware store. I guess I kind of have a "$20 limit" where if it's under that, cash, if it's over that, card. Usually. And that's credit card. I do not use my debit card for anything but using the ATM.

Younger people seem to prefer using debit cards for everything, even if it's a $0.75 purchase.

[K Frame]

When Castle Key moved to the area where he is now I was amazed at a couple of things...

1. How friendly people are.

2. How readily people will contract a substantial transaction on a handshake, especially if they know you (lord have mercy on your soul if you don't come through, though)

3. How much cash changes hands, again, even for substantial transactions.

I still use my card when I'm down there, but mainly at the grocery and convenience stores. When I'm dealing with smaller local shops and the like I try to use cash.

The biggest problem I've really run in to when I go down there is remembering to take enough cash to cover me for a week or more.

[Ben]

2. How readily people will contract a substantial transaction on a handshake, especially if they know you (lord have mercy on your soul if you don't come through, though)

3. How much cash changes hands, again, even for substantial transactions.

I actually do cash for that kind of stuff here too. At least when it's a small business or individual contractor, like a plumber or whoever. Same "handshake" culture as where Castle Key is.

[dogmush]

I'm getting away from swiping card, and just pay with my phone most of the time.  Way easier.

[K Frame]

I'm getting away from swiping card, and just pay with my phone most of the time.  Way easier.

Yep, same here.

These days about the only places I actually use the chip on my card is at Walmart (why they don't have scanner terminals for phones is beyond me), Seren's day care, and the gas station.

Hell, I got to the grocery store the other day only to discover that I had ZERO forms of payment on me other than my phone.

I didn't have my wallet on me, so no credit cards or cash.

I also forgot to put my ID folder in my pocket. I keep my driver's license and a separate credit card in there, sometimes along with a couple of $20 bills as a backup.

I only had my phone, which is connected to my primary credit card with Samsung pay.

I'm just glad that I didn't need gasoline.

[dogmush]

I'm just glad that I didn't need gasoline.

My preferred locally owned gas station updated their pumps to NFC readers last month.  I was super excited.  My last common cash purchase was my barber, and she got a Venmo business account in July, so now I basically never use cash.

[MechAg94]

I would use cash everywhere if it wasn't so easy to use a card.  I really don't want to go inside every time I get cash.  The card is just easier.  At least with cash, budgeting can be done on the macro like I got $100 in cash for this week.  If it is gone on Wednesday, cut back.  If I do that with my card, I might not notice until later in the month. 
So maybe it is just good for me.   

I am very reluctant to use anything on my phone, but I guess that is becoming the thing. 

[Ben]

The card is just easier. 

I am very reluctant to use anything on my phone, but I guess that is becoming the thing.

Easier, plus when you pick your cards right, the rewards can be really good. I like using the card for convenience, but I NEVER want to see us go to a cashless society. That may be a failed dream the way things are going.

I've not used my phone for payment. I have Samsung Pay on my Garmin Fenix watch, and while I was still doing "retirement search road trips" would use it occasionally. When I was still looking for property here, I would stay at a riverfront hotel in Boise, and often during runs along the river would stop on the way back to the hotel to have a beer and some food. It was cool, while in running gear, to not have extra stuff in my pockets and just pay with the watch. Did the same when I was still going back to Santa Barbara for visits and doing beach runs there.

I haven't used the Garmin Pay in a long time though. With contactless scanners, it's just as easy for me to wave my card.

EDIT: Oops. I meant Garmin Pay.

[MechAg94]

The other benefit of cash on the other end is no fees.  The business doesn't have to pay percentages.  At least one of the gun shops I deal with adds a charge for using a card.  There might be some value in knowing that no all your transactions have electronic records.

[Ben]

The other benefit of cash on the other end is no fees.  The business doesn't have to pay percentages.  At least one of the gun shops I deal with adds a charge for using a card.  There might be some value in knowing that no all your transactions have electronic records.

This too. I waffle between using a card for guns and paying cash where there is no 3% charge. I like the idea of paying cash so at least financial institutions don't have a record of it. On the other hand, I really like using my Cabelas card to buy guns at my LGS, then using the points to get a free gun at Cabelas. 

Where there is a card surcharge, I pretty much always pay in cash. The surcharge pretty much cancels out the points on even the best cards.

[MechAg94]

I think the biggest part for me is knowing that once I pay with cash, the transaction is over and there is no bill or balance to pay off later.  It simplifies budgeting.  Yeah, I could use a debit card, but I have other reasons I don't want to do that.

[AZRedhawk44]

I'm getting away from swiping card, and just pay with my phone most of the time.  Way easier.

What NFC payment systems are available out there?

I've loathed Apple with a passion for probably 30+ years, I refuse to use theirs.  I'm not about to let Google get their tentacles into my finances and purchasing patterns.  Whose NFC payment mechanism are you using, and what one do you think it best?

[AZRedhawk44]

Also, cash is about to become a lot less anonymous under this if it goes through:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/irswatch/2021/04/28/banks-will-be-required-to-report-account-balances-account-outflows-and-inflows-to-irs-under-new-biden-plan/

[dogmush]

What NFC payment systems are available out there?

I've loathed Apple with a passion for probably 30+ years, I refuse to use theirs.  I'm not about to let Google get their tentacles into my finances and purchasing patterns.  Whose NFC payment mechanism are you using, and what one do you think it best?

Google pay or Garmin Pay depending on whether it's phone or watch.  Google pay works better though.

[K Frame]

What NFC payment systems are available out there?

I've loathed Apple with a passion for probably 30+ years, I refuse to use theirs.  I'm not about to let Google get their tentacles into my finances and purchasing patterns.  Whose NFC payment mechanism are you using, and what one do you think it best?

I'm using Samsung pay. I have a Samsung phone, so it was on it when I bought it.