So for the entire month of May, I think, Ive been paying for things with cash only. The inspiration for this was when my dad found $1,200 cash on the street in Lincoln Park. He put an ad on Craigslist about it, nobody called, save for me in a silly British accent. He affectionately called the windfall his wad, and subsequently blew it on a new TV for the master bedroom and other stuff. However, he gave the last hundred or so to my mom, to give her a starting base for a wad. She used this cash whenever possible, never used the card, and ended up spending way less money. So she got on the horn and said that my brother and I should forget about cards, and use cash only. She gave us each a $50 that we are not to spend, only in an emergency, to carry around at all times.
If you havent been in a college town, everyone there uses a debit card, most likely a Chase Check Card. The kids will put every expense on it, because its easier, no fiddling with coins, and you feel less vulnerable to muggings, etc. I quickly realized the silliness of charging things that cost like 2.45 on the card when I talked to Angelo, and got the score on Visas costs to the local businessman. He upped the limit for a charge transaction to 7.00, and I think he should go all the way to 10. Sure, someone like Chipotle or something doesnt mind the extra charge, but its nice to know that when I pay cash, all the moneys going to the guy I exchanged goods or services for (and if theyre particularly shady, the taxman wont get a slice either! Zing!)
Plus, carrying around a wad feels cool. Paying things for cash is pretty sweet. You look like some high roller when you pay for like a $50 bar tab in cash. Im of course, not a high roller, I felt a $60 profit in the casino was like winning the lottery, and the cash in my pocket is the majority of my check. I dont even know where exactly my debit/atm card is. Its somewhere in my apartment, I know, but hey, who cares? Ive memorized my account number so I can fill out the slips at the bank and deposit or withdraw anything I need, as long as its during business hours. Waiting at the teller window and getting money from a human being is a throwback, for sure, like smoking an unfiltered Lucky Strike and buying a war bond. When its in a building partially designed by Sullivan, all the better!
Paying for cash during a group restaurant outing is much easier than having to write instructions on a receipt, which often happens when large parties of college kids dine at real restaurants, and have to charge their shares on an unsplit ticket. Now you may say: The problem actually rests on the restaurant, who gives a table of 10 college kids one check! Come on, its the 21st Century! Everyone pays with credit chits now! Sorry, I dont buy it. Little strips of linen with statesmen on them still beat out some magnetized plastic for me. Its the cachet. I mean really, who is cooler, Bogart or Christian Bale? Im a 20th Century Boy!
. 20th Century Boy I wanna be your toy
If you havent been in a college town, everyone there uses a debit card, most likely a Chase Check Card. The kids will put every expense on it, because its easier, no fiddling with coins, and you feel less vulnerable to muggings, etc. I quickly realized the silliness of charging things that cost like 2.45 on the card when I talked to Angelo, and got the score on Visas costs to the local businessman. He upped the limit for a charge transaction to 7.00, and I think he should go all the way to 10. Sure, someone like Chipotle or something doesnt mind the extra charge, but its nice to know that when I pay cash, all the moneys going to the guy I exchanged goods or services for (and if theyre particularly shady, the taxman wont get a slice either! Zing!)
Plus, carrying around a wad feels cool. Paying things for cash is pretty sweet. You look like some high roller when you pay for like a $50 bar tab in cash. Im of course, not a high roller, I felt a $60 profit in the casino was like winning the lottery, and the cash in my pocket is the majority of my check. I dont even know where exactly my debit/atm card is. Its somewhere in my apartment, I know, but hey, who cares? Ive memorized my account number so I can fill out the slips at the bank and deposit or withdraw anything I need, as long as its during business hours. Waiting at the teller window and getting money from a human being is a throwback, for sure, like smoking an unfiltered Lucky Strike and buying a war bond. When its in a building partially designed by Sullivan, all the better!
Paying for cash during a group restaurant outing is much easier than having to write instructions on a receipt, which often happens when large parties of college kids dine at real restaurants, and have to charge their shares on an unsplit ticket. Now you may say: The problem actually rests on the restaurant, who gives a table of 10 college kids one check! Come on, its the 21st Century! Everyone pays with credit chits now! Sorry, I dont buy it. Little strips of linen with statesmen on them still beat out some magnetized plastic for me. Its the cachet. I mean really, who is cooler, Bogart or Christian Bale? Im a 20th Century Boy!
. 20th Century Boy I wanna be your toy
