Comments on: Best Method To Spend Money

By: Diana Dixon

Diana Dixon — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:25:51 +0000

CASH??? what is cash?..it seems since the plastic money is more convenient that’s all my husband and i use..not credit card..bank debit card..we bank through USAA because my husband is in the army..when we do need cash and have to get out of the atm machine..our bank reimburses our fees in full so it makes it a win/win situation..we do have one credit card that my husband has and we don’t plan to use it except for when we get ready to relocate to ft. hood, texas in a few months..but we did agree that the card will be paid in full each month! it’s crazy because financial experts say get out of credit card debts and some say own credit cards or a credit card in order to help your credit score!!..go figure! good luck to everyone

By: viper2127

viper2127 — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 16:04:07 +0000

I went to Alaska with a debit card and I didn’t have my register. This was one of the stupidest things I could have done. I ended up spending almost $700 in a week for stuff I didn’t need.

By: Get Rich Slowly » Carnival of Personal Finance #60

Get Rich Slowly » Carnival of Personal Finance #60 — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 12:56:45 +0000

[...] Personal Finance Jeffrey Stain at Personal Finance Advice has some — gasp — personal finance advice on the best way to spend money. His answer? No surprise, if you’re a regular Get Rich Slowly reade: Stain basically says to do what works for you. [...]

By: LuxLivingFrugalis

LuxLivingFrugalis — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 15:34:53 +0000

I rarely keep over $10 in my wallet anymore! Why? Because I’ll spend that cash faster than you can say Boo-Boo Kitty! If I need to spend something then it needs to be in the budget and trackable!! My own rules for self preservation…he-he! I’m disinclined to write checks for items not in the typical budget when I know I’ll have to A. juggle it out of some other category and B. make all the entries 1-into the checkbook; 2-into the budgeting software and 3-balance it in the checkbook. This tends to help me stick to the ol’budgetoroni! There is something to be said for bookkeeping work - it helps me to limit the number of checks/cc purchases/debit card usages.

By: princessperky

princessperky — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 12:18:09 +0000

With a billion CC options, plus my usual check card, I generally don’t have real cash, but I do have a ‘forgotten’ 20..cause 20 is enough for a cab, most of a tank of gas, a meal, and too big to break for a pack of gum. (heh also too big to hand over for the beggers)

But then I spend way less in a month than you do..so any ‘emergency’ amount I would carry would be less.

By: Poster

Poster — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 16:20:49 +0000

I don’t even include the amount of ’spare cash’ in my wallet budget wise. Usually it sits there for months until the city declares a snow emergency or such. I keep it in the back and don’t think about touching for anything but borderline emergencies. I always keep receipts if I use it. I also like to have a spare $100 or more just in case a merchants checkout system is down or for some reason my credit cards get demagitized/don’t work/etc.

By: junger

junger — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 14:22:34 +0000

I’m completely the opposite. I rarely have any cash in my wallet, even in the situations where I need it.

Most of the time it isn’t an issue, but if I find myself somewhere we I need it without an ATM, it can be a bit frustrating. My theory is that if I don’t have cash in my pocket, 1) I won’t make spur of the moment purchases like packs of gum, magazines, etc. and 2) Anything I purchase will be tracked and therefore I will remember to put it in my budget.

By: Poster

Poster — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 13:27:24 +0000

I just got back from Japan myself and found the same thing. I didn’t use a credit card the entire time I was there (aside from the hotel I paid for state-side).

I usually keep a spare $100 (minimum) in my wallet in the US for ‘backup’ for purchases and another $20 cab fare. I feel better with $200-300 in my wallet.. plus credit, debit, and checks.

By: edenz713

edenz713 — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 11:19:24 +0000

I think that it really depends on your lifestyle. I usually go to the ATM once a month and get about $60 - but then I almost never need to spend cash. But if you routinely need to spend cash - for parking, subway, etc. then you probably need more cash than I carry. I also find that for myself personally it’s almost impossible to spend cash - I just won’t do it unless absolutely necessary, and sometimes not even then.

Do you have any good tips for traveling to Japan on a budget? My husband & I want to go their for our (slightly belated) honeymoon but we’ve heard that it’s very expensive.