MyDoorsAreOpen
Bluelight Crew
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2003
- Messages
- 8,549
I've always had a weird, not-fully-rational but highly intuitive envy of people who deal only in cash, no matter how large or small the purchase. There's something highly tangible to it, but more importantly, if the person lives a middle class lifestyle or better, it shows unmistakably that the person lives within their means and does a good job managing their money. It also shows that that person is seldom in situations where carrying large amounts of cash is an unsafe choice, either because they carry themselves in a way that deters any would-be muggers, or because they're street smart enough to avoid situations where they're highly likely to encounter a mugger. (Think Rick Harrison from Pawn Stars.)
I despise borrowing money. At all, for any reason. I like to save. I take great pride in living within my means. I don't support the way the financial industry traps ordinary citizens into de facto indentured servitude by baiting them with easy ways to borrow money they likely won't ever have. I don't see it as problematic how everything in the third world is done in cash for most people, because without the availability of nontangible monetary instruments, people are forced to learn good money management.
And last but not least, I like my privacy. I don't like the idea of any institution, government or privately-owned, having a long and complete record of how I spend my money.
So, what would the major drawbacks to getting rid of all my checks and my one credit card? Going to the bank in person to cash my paycheck, and leaving with an envelope of cash, doesn't give me the heebie-jeebies. Nor am I turned off by the idea of going to the utility and phone companies' windows in person and paying my bill in cash. I don't order much online or through mail-order catalogs, but sending a money order would not faze me greatly the few times I do.
I'm sure there are plenty of people here on BL who operate only in cash, either because they've never been deemed creditworthy, or for the privacy related reasons mentioned above. For any of you who live in North America, please regale me with the pros and cons of such a lifestyle choice.
I despise borrowing money. At all, for any reason. I like to save. I take great pride in living within my means. I don't support the way the financial industry traps ordinary citizens into de facto indentured servitude by baiting them with easy ways to borrow money they likely won't ever have. I don't see it as problematic how everything in the third world is done in cash for most people, because without the availability of nontangible monetary instruments, people are forced to learn good money management.
And last but not least, I like my privacy. I don't like the idea of any institution, government or privately-owned, having a long and complete record of how I spend my money.
So, what would the major drawbacks to getting rid of all my checks and my one credit card? Going to the bank in person to cash my paycheck, and leaving with an envelope of cash, doesn't give me the heebie-jeebies. Nor am I turned off by the idea of going to the utility and phone companies' windows in person and paying my bill in cash. I don't order much online or through mail-order catalogs, but sending a money order would not faze me greatly the few times I do.
I'm sure there are plenty of people here on BL who operate only in cash, either because they've never been deemed creditworthy, or for the privacy related reasons mentioned above. For any of you who live in North America, please regale me with the pros and cons of such a lifestyle choice.