Have you heard people say “Don’t use plastic because you tend to spend more money when you do.”? That is another piece of financial wisdom I have decided to ignore. I never carry cash on me, and when I do get some greenbacks, I take it straight to the bank to deposit. A lot of PFers, Dave Ramsey included, preach the wonders of being on a “cash only” system. Their main argument is this: People tend to spend less when they pay with cash because giving tangible money tends to ‘hurt’ more than swiping a card.
I am absolutely, positively, 102% against the ‘all cash’ plan. It just doesn’t work for me. I’m a pretty disciplined dude, but dollar bills are my kryptonite. They sit in my wallet, taunting me, whispering from my right butt-cheek “Hey Ninja, why don’t you put me to use and walk over to Rite Aid and buy a tub of ice cream?” Seriously, cash is evil. If I have it on me, it will most likely be spent on unnecessary, unbudgeted, and unsmart things (I love making up words).
For me, it ‘hurts’ a zillion times more to put it on my credit card. I pay my CC balance in full each month. Do you know what that means? I get to watch the damage accumulate over my 30 day billing cycle. As the balance grows, I become more and more frugal. Paying between $1,000 to $1,500 each due date, totally motivates me to minimize my spending so I have to pay less on my CC balance. Seeing the damage in its entirety, as opposed to incrementally, influences wise spending choices.
I’ll be honest. I don’t have the discipline (or the desire) to work an envelope system. With the envelope system, you put X amount of cash in the “groceries” envelope and use that as your guide for the entire month. If you run out of grocery money, you starve (or borrow from another category envelope). If you have the discipline to stick to your budget ALL OF THE TIME, than the envelope system is definitely something you should consider. But if you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of a bada$$ and I sometimes like to spend outside of my budgeted parameters. Envelope system = good for people who have a lot of discipline. Envelope system = ineffective for 99% of the US population.
What about you all, Do you prefer using cash or a card? How much cash do you keep on you at any given time? Do you think you spend more when you swipe? Anyone out their like-minded and struggle to keep cash in their wallet?
