Sometimes a little change can go a long way. I found that out back in 2006 when I saved change in a piggy bank for a year. After a year of dropping my pocket change into the piggy bank, I ended up cashing it all in for around $250. I was able to finance most of a trip to Milwaukee to see my beloved Atlanta Braves play. It's amazing how it can add up and you don't even notice it.
But these days, I don't ever have any change, because I don't use cash anymore. I know there are banks that will round up your purchases to the nearest dollar and put it in your savings account, which would be amazing, but I don't think our bank does that. I should ask.
Anyway, in the age of plastic, there are things that are definitely out of the question as far as purchases are concerned until new technology comes along. I've always wondered why they don't have card swipe things on vending machines. I mean, I can go the corner store and buy a coke for a buck and a half and use a debt card, why can't I use a vending machine the same way? I mean, there are just some things where you need cash, but I don't ever, ever have any. They have card swipe things on gas pumps, don't you think they could use similar technology? Perhaps it's not worth the cost to implement it? But I digress, per usual...
Like for instance, I always feel weird paying for something with a card at the Farmers Market. I mean, they're out there selling vegetables in a tent, and you want to swipe plastic? It just feels strange. Like, I should have cash in that situation. Also, things like parking meters and whatnot, you need change for it. So I have a bit of small change in my car in case I'm in a situation where I need meter fare. Boom, taken care of. But basically, I never have cash amounting to over a dollar.
I guess they have ways to pay for donations to the Salvation Army and their red buckets at this time of year, but I haven't seen it yet. I think I saw on the Thanksgiving day football games, during the halftime show with Enrique Inglesias, they had Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys dropping a bit of change into the bucket, and then they showed someone swiping a card along one of those iPhone/iPad card swipe thingies they have. I was like, "okay, first off, Jerry Jones is a billionaire, he can afford to drop in more than a handful of change, and secondly, I doubt that the dude waving the bell down the street at our Kroger has an iPad with a card swipe thing. Granted, I didn't look, but somehow I doubt it. So if I'm gonna donate, I gotta get some cash, which never happens.
So I hope that card swipe thing works out, I mean for the Salvation Army. I think people would use it. I would be a bit paranoid about it, but that's just me. Cash is simpler. I just don't have any. I really hope they put card swipe thingers all over the place. I would spend more money, which is bad, but it's just easier.
But these days, I don't ever have any change, because I don't use cash anymore. I know there are banks that will round up your purchases to the nearest dollar and put it in your savings account, which would be amazing, but I don't think our bank does that. I should ask.
Anyway, in the age of plastic, there are things that are definitely out of the question as far as purchases are concerned until new technology comes along. I've always wondered why they don't have card swipe things on vending machines. I mean, I can go the corner store and buy a coke for a buck and a half and use a debt card, why can't I use a vending machine the same way? I mean, there are just some things where you need cash, but I don't ever, ever have any. They have card swipe things on gas pumps, don't you think they could use similar technology? Perhaps it's not worth the cost to implement it? But I digress, per usual...
Like for instance, I always feel weird paying for something with a card at the Farmers Market. I mean, they're out there selling vegetables in a tent, and you want to swipe plastic? It just feels strange. Like, I should have cash in that situation. Also, things like parking meters and whatnot, you need change for it. So I have a bit of small change in my car in case I'm in a situation where I need meter fare. Boom, taken care of. But basically, I never have cash amounting to over a dollar.
I guess they have ways to pay for donations to the Salvation Army and their red buckets at this time of year, but I haven't seen it yet. I think I saw on the Thanksgiving day football games, during the halftime show with Enrique Inglesias, they had Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys dropping a bit of change into the bucket, and then they showed someone swiping a card along one of those iPhone/iPad card swipe thingies they have. I was like, "okay, first off, Jerry Jones is a billionaire, he can afford to drop in more than a handful of change, and secondly, I doubt that the dude waving the bell down the street at our Kroger has an iPad with a card swipe thing. Granted, I didn't look, but somehow I doubt it. So if I'm gonna donate, I gotta get some cash, which never happens.
So I hope that card swipe thing works out, I mean for the Salvation Army. I think people would use it. I would be a bit paranoid about it, but that's just me. Cash is simpler. I just don't have any. I really hope they put card swipe thingers all over the place. I would spend more money, which is bad, but it's just easier.
I've seen CC swipes on vending machines AND parking meters in quite a few places. What would be great is if CC companies weren't such jerks to small businesses, and made it possible for them to have cheap CC processing. Most farmers market places and small business can't handle the fees, which are often quite a high percentage on the total expenditure. Ridic!
ReplyDeleteEhh...I wouldn't worry too much about donating to the SA. I disagree with a few of their fundamental views, so I find charities that are more along my lines of human kindness.
ReplyDeleteI try to have cash on me for certain circumstances, but it's hard. I feel like cash is free money and I'll just blow it. I need to work on that.
I think with vending machines usually the debit/credit card fees charged by the card company will basically destroy the profit to Coke on that 60 cent can. Also they need some way to connect to the card network (phone or internet connection) which isn't always practical.
ReplyDeleteWe've tried to make it a habit to have 50 bucks stashed in the house somewhere in case we're going somewhere where we need cash and there's not an ATM on the way.