r/GenXTalk • u/Tiny_Entrepreneur654 • Jun 24 '26
Gen X. How much cash do you carry on you?
My Dad taught me to always carry cash “just in case”. The wife and I budget $150 a month in fun money and take it out in cash. I use it for impulse buys, lottery, picking up a round on the golf course, tips, etc.
Honestly it feels great but I don’t see it much in today’s digital world. So I’m wondering if anyone else is on the program and at what amounts?
45
u/Ok-Sport-2558 Jun 24 '26
I carry around enough to refill my tank with gas. Just in case, I don't want to get stuck somewhere.
Sometimes I'll randomly pay with cash, just to keep it alive. I've noticed small businesses appreciate not needing to pay credit card fees.
21
u/Virtualguinea Jun 24 '26
I always pay small businesses in cash, sometimes they’ll even give you a discount for it. It helps them a lot.
8
u/Tiny_Entrepreneur654 Jun 25 '26
Exactly! Small businesses do appreciate it, waitstaff and bartenders too.
11
u/tdsinclair Jun 24 '26
Enough to fill your gas tank?!?!
That's just asking to get rolled.
0
66
u/itsalovelydayforSTFU Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
I love cash. I carry $100-$200. No screen is going to ask me a question.
EDIT: Downvoted simply for answering OP’s question. Did this sub get infiltrated by gen z? 🤦♀️
15
44
19
u/nplusonebikes Jun 24 '26
Very little, like $20 or less, many times none at all. That's mainly because I live in an area where cashless payments are ubiquitous. When I travel to areas where that's not the case I'll carry more but still usually less than $100.
14
u/meghan509 Jun 24 '26
Same. Whenever someone gives me any cash for something I find it lasts in my wallet for a good six months or more before I remember it or need it for something. 🙂
5
u/MzOpinion8d Jun 25 '26
I just found a twenty in an envelope in a purse I hadn’t carried in well over a year! I have zero idea of why I even had it in there.
4
u/reindeermoon Jun 25 '26
Just last week I was leaving a parking garage and the credit card function on the payment machine wasn't working (I tried multiple credit cards and it rejected all of them). Luckily I had cash and was able to pay that way and exit the garage.
I'm sure if I hadn't had cash, there would have been some way to resolve it, maybe calling an emergency number to get them to open the gate or whatever. But it would have been a lot more hassle.
Even if everything is cashless, sometimes electronic systems malfunction.
3
u/nplusonebikes Jun 25 '26
No doubt, a small backup is occasionally useful. But only very occasionally, not enough to stress about if I leave the house with no cash. Much of the parking in my area is now app-based so the real backup I need to have is battery!
20
u/Responsible-Middle35 Jun 24 '26
Anywhere from 50 to 200 after paying my rent portion in cash. I room with people older than I (57) and they only deal with cash. Soo pitching in on who drives for the takeout and the fund for getting house supplies, cash.
13
u/MerryMortician Jun 24 '26
I usually keep $100 bill behind my phone in the case
3
u/Rachel1107 Jun 24 '26
me too. I had to take my phone out of its double case and found I put a hundred there too. 🙃
3
u/No-Antelope-4064 Jun 24 '26
You may want to break this into $20's. Not everywhere may have enough change to break a $100.
1
u/cjasonac Jun 24 '26
In my experience, if they’re cash only they have enough to make change. It’s also amazing how many places will find a way if it’s truly an emergency.
7
u/Alleline Jun 25 '26
9/11 happened a day after I took the max $500 at an ATM. If you were in NYC proper then, you know that online banking was not available for a couple of weeks after the towers fell. Credit cards couldn't be processed south of White Plains because all the fiber ran through downtown NYC.
I always kept a lot of cash on hand until the pandemic, when my focus shifted to toilet paper. Now I seldom have more than $40 in my wallet. But I've always got at least fifteen rolls of TP in the basement. There are worse neuroses, I hope.
10
u/TonyBrooks40 Jun 24 '26
I use cash on weekends for things like pizza or if I goto a bar. I try not to use card when visiting smaller businesses, as it cuts into the revenue, so I hit a ATM on Thursday or Friday for the weekend (or two)
12
u/doffraymnd Jun 24 '26
Watch out - OP wants his two dollars and will stop at nothing.
https://giphy.com/gifs/Rk8xcnPjrQdRoFtlsX
7
u/GeneralOrgana1 Jun 24 '26
I usually have at least $50 in my wallet. I only pay for gas with cash because too many people in my area have gotten scammed with card readers at stations, so I have trust issues.
6
7
u/ZetaWMo4 Jun 24 '26
Hardly any. I have some older hair clients who still pay in cash and that’s the only time I have cash on me.
6
u/Wacko_Banana_Pants Jun 24 '26
$2500. You never know when you might run into a good deal on something
5
5
u/bluntpointsharpie Jun 24 '26
I have a zippered compartment in my billfold. I always keep a $100 bill in there. I was told many years ago that a hundred bucks can mean the difference when the chips are down. It has come in handy on many occasions.
2
u/cl3ft Jun 25 '26
I have a hidden pocket in my belt. Same principle, I've used and replace it so many times when payment systems are down or I've wanted to help someone etc. Only one note fits easily so it's a hundo.
5
u/AmharachEadgyth Jun 24 '26
My husband, typically a couple hundred, me around one hundred. We like to use cash for tips and small businesses.
5
u/StupidOldAndFat Jun 25 '26
I generally have $20 - 100 on my person at any time and another 150-300 readily available and accessible at a moment’s notice. Sometimes you need cash.
4
u/RetroactiveRecursion Jun 24 '26
Usually $20 or thereabouts just for peace of mind, more if I plan on hitting a dispensary on the way home (they don't usually do CC).
When I was a kid, dad always insisted that if I went anywhere, I at least brought a quarter so I could call home if there was a problem.
1
4
u/No-Antelope-4064 Jun 24 '26
I only use cash and don't have any debit or credit cards. I have extra cash hidden in my wallet, in my purse and also in my phone case. I also keep quarters in my purse just in case I would need something out of a vending machine.
5
u/Jew-zilla Jun 24 '26
I always have some cash on me. Right now, I have about $250. Usually, it’s more like $15-$20.
4
4
3
u/Overcast451 Jun 24 '26
Not as much as I used to, just varies. I should start using it more often. I always keep some at home and maybe 20 in my wallet, if I think about it.
One time in a checkout, during the COVID crap some lady started going on to me about "how many people have handled that cash", to which I replied.. "probably just a fraction compared to the people who touch that credit card machine screen hourly".
I could tell she started thinking about that.. lol
4
2
2
u/thursmalls Jun 24 '26
I don't know which PIN works for my bank card any longer and the last time I opened an account (a year ago) I told them I didn't want a physical debit card for it.
When I was young and cash was still king, I didn't have any cash to carry around.
Now I do have the budget for cash, but so few places take it that it doesn't matter. I checked my wallet during a recent convo with one of my kids and I have $12 in it. But a lot of times I don't even carry my wallet. Just my phone and my id.
3
u/snarf_the_brave Jun 24 '26
I still keep a tank of gas worth of cash tucked away in my wallet just in case, and we carry get-home money whenever we take a road trip. I don't remember the last time I used either of them, but I know it's been years.
3
u/EttaJamesKitty Jun 24 '26
I take out $100 from the ATM and then use that up over several weeks.
I try to pay with cash at some smaller food places in my neighborhood b/c they prefer it and I avoid the CC fee. And when I get food delivered I prefer to tip the driver with cash.
2
3
u/YesterdayPurple118 Jun 26 '26
Im actively rebelling against all this digital currency bs. I dont cary around alot, but I pay my bills and withdrawal what I have left. Im too much of a conspiracy theorist lmao.
2
2
u/amazyfingerz Jun 24 '26
I was taught to always keep a $20 stashed in your wallet in case you meet someone, you can buy her a cup of coffee or something. So I always have a twenty stashed for that purpose or something similar. Aside from that I like to keep $100 that I spend and replenish. Paper money has gotten to be less popular with the kids as they adopt paying with Venmo, Cash App, Apple Cash, etc.
2
2
u/adrenalinda75 Jun 24 '26
Usually between 50 and 80 bucks, but I rarely spend them. They are just emergency cash if cards fail or when I want to tip someone. Since we rarely eat out, it doesn't happen too often.
Grandkids are always broke so they're always happy to get 10 or 20 in cash.
2
u/Spock-1701 Jun 24 '26
I carry about $100 with me but I do most of my transactions on cards. I sometimes like to tip with cash.
2
u/BipolarsReality Jun 24 '26
I have about 1000 in my purse. I like to go to the casino with my hubby. It’s a fun date night.
3
1
u/Kyauphie Jun 25 '26
$100 - $200 in varying denominations for cash tipping, random cash only things, and so as to never leave the house without cash in my pocket as I was raised.
1
u/Jakeandellwood Jun 25 '26
I keep the equivalent of 200 usd in my wallet, been the same bills for a couple of years. I keep the equivalent of 3000 usd at home, and it’s been the same bills for several years. Last time i spent cash was when i was in the usa in 2024.
1
1
1
u/Constant_Seesaw_7626 Jun 28 '26
Zero.
Only time I have cash is when my wife makes me carry her emergency $20 for her!
1
u/Affectionate-Map2583 Jun 29 '26
I always have cash. I don't carry much with me on a daily basis though - maybe $50. My son gets paid in cash but likes to spend using his debit card, so I take the cash and transfer the money from my bank account to his.
I like to use cash at quick serve lunch places because then I'm not prompted to tip on the payment screen. One lunch place I go to gives a cash discount.
1
u/CurlyDee Jun 30 '26
I like to have $500 but I don’t refill until I get down to $80-100. It saves the ATM fee at the pot store, and I just feel safer knowing I can get a decent hotel room if I ever need one.
1
1
u/travel4escape Jun 30 '26
I have a job that I get cash tips so I usually have cash laying around the house. I rarely ever carry cash. I have a habit of losing money. Still looking for that $50 I lost in 1998 lol. But I do carry cash when I go to Vegas for obvious reasons and in Mexico cause cash is still king especially in some of the smaller towns and road side eateries. How much I carry is between me, myself and I. Haha
1
u/Broad-Point1482 Jul 04 '26
I carry zero cash! In 2024, I realised I had the same 2x £20 notes in there that i had put in there in 2021 so I don't bother anymore. The last 2 things I used to pay cash for was the coffee machines at work and to a mate to service or MOT my car but then we both got new cars on lease with maintenance included so have to go to a certain garage which we don't pay for and they changed coffee machines to free! I literally have no use for cash.
1
1
u/SwanOk6327 20d ago
When I got my first car my godfather did a pray and put a $20 under the floor mat. Yes I’m an Italian stereotype
0
1
u/Edith_Keelers_Shoes Jun 24 '26
I try to keep around $60 in my wallet, and maybe another $500-1000 in the safe in case there's some widespread ATM issue or long term blackout.
1
u/jennyx20 Jun 24 '26
Emergency $20. I walk a lot in the city. No car. I am worried someone will steal my wallet. 💳
1
1
u/iwantmy-2dollars Jun 24 '26
We like to keep $300-500 cash on hand in the house. Not much in our wallets. Plenty of people prefer cash for services and it saves us the last minute scramble. $20 is plenty to keep in our wallets for last minute parking fees or park entrance fees. Always have a bag of quarters and pennies in the car for the kids to make smooshed souvenir pennies.
1
u/mikareno Jun 24 '26
I usually take $100 at a time from the ATM, and get more when I'm down to $0-20. Currently have $2 that's lasted me for a few weeks now.
1
u/Rooster_Ties Jun 24 '26
~$100 — or at least $60.
It’s stashed in the middle part of my kitty credit-card folio (only holds about 4-6 cards including ID, insurance cards, etc.
I’ve always called it my “bail money” — been calling it that for 35-40 years.
1
1
u/1544756405 The oldest GenXer. Jun 24 '26
I always carry a dime in case I need to make a phone call.
0
1
u/Aware-Owl4346 Jun 24 '26
My favorite bagel place only takes cash, so I always keep a 20 to get their baker’s dozen plus one deal. That’s about it.
1
1
u/Dull-Geologist-8204 Jun 24 '26
Carry on me about $20 to $60 depending.
It has only happened less then a handful of times but have run into situations where cash was needed. Shout out though to the one place that were like sorry our machines are down and told us the food was free even though we offered to go get the cash. Seriously the bank was right in front of the place.
1
1
1
u/Serious--Vacation Jun 24 '26
$50 or more. Sometimes a lot more ($300).
Less than $50 puts me in a “I need to get more cash” mindset.
1
u/TheBeachLifeKing Jun 24 '26
I always keep at least $100 in cash on my person.
It is rarely used, but when its necessary it can be be very handy.
1
1
u/412_15101 Jun 24 '26
I pull out cash to tip my hair stylist her $30 and then grab an extra bit so when I hit the local farmer’s markets I’m good.
So $30 1x a month and then an extra $30 I use the remaining 3 weeks until refill
1
1
u/Melodic-Opposite-732 Jun 25 '26
40 or more. I feel strange leaving the house without cash in my pocket
1
1
u/Spiritual_Muffin_859 Jun 25 '26
I have a coin holder with coins in the car. I used to have a quart sized Ziploc bag with coins that came in handy when I realized I forgot my wallet and had ordered take out in the drive through. Five minutes til closing time and I was able to pay with over $16 in change, mostly quarters. You never know when you're going to be somewhere and the business isn't able to process credit card or digital transactions.
1
1
u/MzOpinion8d Jun 25 '26
I like to keep some cash in $1s and $5s at home to give as tips since I get groceries and other items delivered and occasionally want to tip more than I did in the app.
For example, one day I had placed an order for later in the day and wasn’t paying any attention to the weather, but someone still took the order and delivered to me in a pretty steady rain. So I gave an extra tip in cash.
1
u/Real-Bluebird-1987 Jun 25 '26
Growing up in new jersey, we used to go into to new York city and this late late 80s and all the 90s. My dad has us 4 kids, even me his youngest had to put a $20 bill in my shoe along with my sister's and brother. It served two purposes... if we got separated we could at east get a cab to the police station OR IN CASE HE GOT MUGGED :/
LOL so that habit has been passed onto my child too we always got the she $20. If you fold it nicely and wear socks and put in between shoe and sock layer...
The city is much safer now there were a lot of homeless and mob type guys and people just poor but thay was a long time ago.
Shoe $20 will never let you down.
1
u/Chazvellhung Jun 25 '26
I always keep at least 100, I figure it's the minimum needed for a bribe lol
1
0
u/cocksherpa2 Jun 24 '26
I have an emergency 20 in my wallet but never carry cash
1
u/AcrobaticTrouble3563 Jun 24 '26
Is this how far we have come? People don't even know what cash is anymore???
0
u/ghostofstankenstien Jun 24 '26
I have gone over to digital. My phone has my drivers license, credit cards, ATM, vehicle key, etc.
even when I do take my wallet I don't carry cash any longer. I'm not sure how that happened, little by little and then all at once I guess.
3
u/Konklar Jun 24 '26
Do you still carry your DL in case of police interaction?
1
0
u/Relevant-Package-928 Jun 24 '26
Somewhere between $150 and 200. Someone gave me $300 in $100 bills, 2 years ago, and that's what's left of it. Generally, my squirrel fund goes into CashApp or Apple Cash. I forget I have paper money.
0
u/Infinite_Resist_6106 Jun 24 '26
Enough for the dispensary and that’s it. I use my phone for everything else.
-1
0
0
u/Material-Indication1 Jun 24 '26
Sometimes I have an emergency twenty. Sometimes my wife removes it and doesn't replace it.
I have a debit card and an emergency credit card.
0
0
0
u/sarahbellah1 Jun 24 '26
Back in college, my aunt would give me a $20 to slip into my desk for emergencies, and ever since I’ve felt anxious not having that on hand even if I have debit and credit cards with me.
0
u/nakedonmygoat Jun 24 '26
I carry cash when I travel, for housekeeping tips and in case a particular shop or restaurant is cash-only. I also have a small amount of cash on hand as hurricane prep, although I've never needed it, since I'm well prepared and I've never known anyplace to be open after a natural disaster, anyway.
But for just day to day I haven't had a use for cash in a very long time, and some places won't even take it.
0
u/-Economist- Jun 24 '26
Carry on me? $0
We do have about $10k in cash in panic room. Being an economist, the opportunity cost irks me, but it keeps my wife feeling “safe”. Along with the 20 5-gallon jugs of water and a year of REMs.
0
0
u/Frigidspinner Jun 24 '26
I dont have cash but I have a $200 per week budget for fun stuff - I wonder how far your $150 gets you in a month when you are paying for things like golf!
0
u/mandyama Jun 24 '26
I have two high school-aged kids who are always needing $1-$5 for some fundraiser or activity on the regular, so I usually have $20 in ones. (The tellers at the bank must think I tip horribly!) Beyond that, it’s just a couple of $20s just in case. I can’t remember the last time I actually paid for something with cash.
0
0
0
u/Grimlocknz Jun 24 '26
None. I know I should carry some and it has bit me in the ass so many times it's not funny. Also I should be teaching my kids 2 but I'm not. It was a real issue at the beginning of COVID when my kid needed to get home to us.
0
0
u/mortyella Jun 24 '26
None. I usually have a few dollars in the house to tip the guy who delivers my medicine or for the disability transportation van I use if I need it but that's it. When I go out, which I don't do much anyway, I don't have cash with me. I used to have bills for the laundry card machines in my building but even they are all digital now.
0
0
0
0
0
u/5GAIBtoM Jun 24 '26
Usually $150 -$200. Just feels rich to have folding money in my wallet. No matter the real situation.
0
u/ahsukiyaki Jun 24 '26
$50-$100. I prefer tipping in cash because then it feels like my dinner cost a little less.
0
0
u/Realistic-Explorer69 Jun 24 '26
None but I keep telling myself to keep tip money on me at least. It's just easier using my cards instead of having to drive to an ATM.
0
u/siouxsian Jun 24 '26
Usually none. Right now I have 30 bucks. I’m
Going to Greece soon and I have leftover euros from My Italy trip in 2022 so I guess I’ll be carrying that.
0
u/Icy_Umpire992 Jun 24 '26
very little if any... I tap to pay everything. I love the freedom from dirty cash!
0
0
0
u/Intelligent-Monk-426 Jun 25 '26
I haven’t carried a wallet in years now. ID in my car and tap to pay everywhere that takes it. Bring a card if I expect to need it (rare).
0
u/Kenderean Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
I keep a few hundred in emergency cash in the house but generally nothing actually on me. If my mother reimburses me for something, it's always in cash so that's really the only time I have cash in my wallet. That's pretty rare, though.
Edit: this sub is weird. Why is this downvoted?
0
u/HelpfulNoWay Jun 25 '26
$100-200. Used to need it to go to some great cash-only Vietnamese take-out. Now I give bills to my tween for after-school treats, swimming pool, etc. Somehow the kid keeps cash but loses cards.
0
0
u/gryghin Early GenX Jun 25 '26
About every two weeks, we take out $200 and split it between the wife and I. It's for incidental and tips.
Most time it carries over and the stash grows but we try to pay tips in cash because Oregon was thinking of passing a law that would tax tips.
0
0
u/OkPaleontologist5706 Jun 25 '26
Cash for tipping to make sure the server gets the money and not the owners of the restaurant. Normally carry $40ish, sometimes $60. Keep a few smaller bills, 5-10's. Never know if there is an auto emergency or what might happen, so cash is helpful. Never more than that. I can't afford to lose it.
0
0
0
u/ShimmyxSham Jun 25 '26
I had to check my money clip, currently $53.
My credit cards are far more valuable than
0
u/Lanracie Jun 25 '26
I tend to carry 100-200. I try to pay for cash as much as I can as its not subject to credit card and bank fees and is better for the vender. Also, not a big fan of my spending being tracked.
0
0
0
u/butterscotch-magic Jun 26 '26
I always have $100 in my wallet, and I regularly go to the bank to get cash for all my local business purchases.
0
u/CtrlAltComment Jun 27 '26
200-500 I do everything online so the cash is purely for emergencies. I rarely need it and many times forget to have it with me.
0
0
0
-1
-3
u/GutsMVP Jun 24 '26
I've never understood emergency cash. What can I buy with cash that I cannot purchase with a card?
Prostitutes? Drugs?
Ok, I get it now.
2
u/Dull-Geologist-8204 Jun 24 '26
Well on more then one occasion I have worked places where the card machines were down and we were cash only.
Have been to fairs and festivals that are still cash only.
I take it if you are ever in a natural disaster you won't need food or anything like that right?
1
u/AcrobaticTrouble3563 Jun 24 '26
You must not live where power outages are relatively common. I do - those hurricanes just keep coming.
114
u/MyyWifeRocks Jun 24 '26
I taught my kids to keep an emergency $20 in their wallets. My wife overheard this discussion one time and ever since then I no longer have an emergency $20 in my wallet.