Does anyone else have an aversion to carrying large bills? I recently cashed a check at my bank so I would have cash to buy a barn find motorcycle. It was a few thousand dollars and when the teller asked how I wanted it I said all in twenties. She seemed surprised and asked why I didn't want it in hundreds as it would made a more compact package. I told her after years in the retail business I found most folks, especially in rural America, were not enthused about taking hundreds and fifties but readily took twenties. Not to mention the stories one hears about LEOs finding drug residue on hundreds, the preferred currency of the drug economy, and confiscating the money. Hundreds are also the preferred denomination of counterfeiters. I rarely carry more than fifty or sixty bucks in cash except when I am purchasing a vehicle in a private sale somewhere, mostly relying on plastic.
Large bills.
- Thread starter Autografe
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If your looking to chop a few bucks off the deal, the big duffle bag of banded twenties may provoke some impetus to close
Im with you on the 20's. I bought my barn find Suzuki T500 2 stroke road racer with a Teller Check NP though.
$100's are the way to go. $10k is pretty compact that way.
Originally Posted By: Autografe
Does anyone else have an aversion to carrying large bills?
Not at all. In fact, I'd LOVE to be carrying large bills.
I'm a working-class 32 year old with 2 kids and a wife. I haven't seen a $50 bill in 10 years!
Does anyone else have an aversion to carrying large bills?
Not at all. In fact, I'd LOVE to be carrying large bills.
I'm a working-class 32 year old with 2 kids and a wife. I haven't seen a $50 bill in 10 years!
The police are not going to confiscate your money unless....you posess money with drug residue in conjunction with a drug related offense (in which case the money is being confiscated anyway). And why would the police stop you, search you, and randomly test your money for drug residue? That would be a rather large violation of your rights without a valid exception to the search warrant requirement.
gathermewool
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I carry as little cash as possible. In fact, I haven't had a single bill in my wallet in over a week. Credit card points!!!
I only take out cash to pay for my parking spot at work and if I'll be going to dinner with friends. The only time I carry large bills (hundreds of dollars) is if I'm trying to get a cash-in-hand deal on something like used parts or from a small business where a Paypal gift isn't an option. For all other purchases, I use my CC.
I only take out cash to pay for my parking spot at work and if I'll be going to dinner with friends. The only time I carry large bills (hundreds of dollars) is if I'm trying to get a cash-in-hand deal on something like used parts or from a small business where a Paypal gift isn't an option. For all other purchases, I use my CC.
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$50's are more convenient. You can pay with them or break them most anywhere, with little hassle.
I have bought a car with cash...it was all $100s...and counting them off in front of the seller was a great way to negotiate..
Now, as philosophy...while I use the CC for everything, I always, and I mean always, have cash...mimimum $100...preferably in 20s for the reason you cite...and there are a couple of $50s tucked in the back of my wallet.
There are lots of places where only cash will get you out of a situation: tow truck in a snowstorm, taxi in a bad part of town, gas station after the hurricane when the phone lines are out, foreign country...
We've become dependant on electronic widgets (like registers taking CCs...) that always work. There are lots of situations in which they are not available and many in which they don't work. My kids assume everything (like their cell-phones, their car) will always work...they've never had the cell towers go down in a hurricane, a car break down in a snowstorm...I carry cash for the same reason there is a jacket, blanket, gloves, jumper cables and a few supplies in the back of the car and the truck...you have to prepare for the situation before it occurs...
Now, as philosophy...while I use the CC for everything, I always, and I mean always, have cash...mimimum $100...preferably in 20s for the reason you cite...and there are a couple of $50s tucked in the back of my wallet.
There are lots of places where only cash will get you out of a situation: tow truck in a snowstorm, taxi in a bad part of town, gas station after the hurricane when the phone lines are out, foreign country...
We've become dependant on electronic widgets (like registers taking CCs...) that always work. There are lots of situations in which they are not available and many in which they don't work. My kids assume everything (like their cell-phones, their car) will always work...they've never had the cell towers go down in a hurricane, a car break down in a snowstorm...I carry cash for the same reason there is a jacket, blanket, gloves, jumper cables and a few supplies in the back of the car and the truck...you have to prepare for the situation before it occurs...
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It is old school thinking that $50's and 100's could be counterfeit. Crooks fake the 20's and lesser denominations now too. It is probably safer for the seller/buyer to have large denominations, as most likely they will be tested with the magic pen/marker that I used all the time when handling large sums/denominations...more likely to be tested than a 20 or smaller bills.
I carry cash, but CC's are the way to go for me. The only reason I pulled out a bill yesterday was because I had enough CVS "Extra Buck" coupons to make my purchase almost free, all I had to do was cough up $0.28 for tax, and I wasn't going to put *that* on a CC....
Lots of stores have signs asking for, or flat out saying that they won't take anything larger than a $20, so unless I plan to go to my bank to deposit the money, I ask for nothing larger than a $20.
Lots of stores have signs asking for, or flat out saying that they won't take anything larger than a $20, so unless I plan to go to my bank to deposit the money, I ask for nothing larger than a $20.
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Last time I got a $50 I ended up taking it to the bank for change. No one would accept it.
Now I insist on 20s only.
John
Now I insist on 20s only.
John
Two twenties are usually all I need for a while.
I carry a sidearm, usually anywhere from 500 to 1,000 bucks, mostly a few 20's and the rest in 100's. Also a debit card with a hundred bucks on it so I don't have to run inside to pay for gas. No Credit Cards. What I have, I own, from my house, car to the groceries in the sack. But I do have excellent credit.
Originally Posted By: Autografe
Not to mention the stories one hears about LEOs finding drug residue on hundreds, the preferred currency of the drug economy, and confiscating the money.
Nearly all currency bills have drug residue on them. No, really. 4 out of 5 US one dollar bills tested positive from Argonne Nat'l Laboratory in 1997 (source). And there's thousands of other residues on your money... you don't want to know!
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Not at all. In fact, I'd LOVE to be carrying large bills. I'm a working-class 32 year old with 2 kids and a wife. I haven't seen a $50 bill in 10 years!
You and me both, Hokiefyd. They make bills with 50s on them now? Who knew!
Not to mention the stories one hears about LEOs finding drug residue on hundreds, the preferred currency of the drug economy, and confiscating the money.
Nearly all currency bills have drug residue on them. No, really. 4 out of 5 US one dollar bills tested positive from Argonne Nat'l Laboratory in 1997 (source). And there's thousands of other residues on your money... you don't want to know!
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Not at all. In fact, I'd LOVE to be carrying large bills. I'm a working-class 32 year old with 2 kids and a wife. I haven't seen a $50 bill in 10 years!
You and me both, Hokiefyd. They make bills with 50s on them now? Who knew!
Originally Posted By: John_K
Last time I got a $50 I ended up taking it to the bank for change. No one would accept it.
Now I insist on 20s only.
John
I guess it's one of those YMMV things. My wife just paid for her lunch at Burger King with a fifty.
Last time I got a $50 I ended up taking it to the bank for change. No one would accept it.
Now I insist on 20s only.
John
I guess it's one of those YMMV things. My wife just paid for her lunch at Burger King with a fifty.
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I'm all plastic, the most cash I ever carry is 20 bucks, I have only held one 100 dollar bill before in my wallet and I'm 20, lol
Originally Posted By: bigmike
I carry a gun, a few credit cards and a cell phone. No cash.
so...if the CC doesn't work...do you plan to use the cell phone? Or the gun...
I carry a gun, a few credit cards and a cell phone. No cash.
so...if the CC doesn't work...do you plan to use the cell phone? Or the gun...
I have no problem carrying cash for a transaction like I conducted on the bike. I just find that if I need to buy a tank of gas or a burger in the boonies I have an easier time with a twenty than a hundred. As far as bulk is concerned the total amount I carried was about $2500 so it wasn't a huge wad. As far as loosing contaminated money goes it does happen. My friend reminded after I posted that reportedly 90% of currency of all denominations shows some drug contamination. Have I ever been stopped? No but I am an old, really square looking dude who rarely exceeds the speed limit on public roads. I guess my basic question are others having trouble using big bills when away from the big city.
I have a small "snow shack" business which my kids run in the summertime. On a normal day we start with just $60 in change in the till. We might get a $50 dollar bill once every three days or so. Most of the time we have change on hand to make change. If that ever changes, to where we start getting more $50s, we'd just need to start with more change... but I would also get leery of kids having $300 in small bills to start the day, for example.
Larger things like fast food joints, I would think that they have no problem with it.
I actually spend a not insignificant amount of time counting out small bills and coins at the end of the day. In that sense, the occasional $50 is a blessing. Less work for me.
Larger things like fast food joints, I would think that they have no problem with it.
I actually spend a not insignificant amount of time counting out small bills and coins at the end of the day. In that sense, the occasional $50 is a blessing. Less work for me.
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