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Original poster

How important is it to have some cash in the house these days?

132 replies

AugustSeptemberOctober · 22/10/2021 08:06

Boring post sorry.

I've always kept £100 cash in the house for emergencies. I had to spend most of it yesterday and now I'm wondering if I should bother replacing it, as it seems that cash is almost being phased out these days. Even tradespeople usually carry a card machine now.

To be honest, it's more that Christmas is coming up and I could do without withdrawing money from my account! But I feel a bit nervous about not having an emergency pot. Maybe I could just keep it to £40 or £50. What do other people do?

OP posts:

SpiderinaWingMirror · 22/10/2021 09:37

I have no cash at all! Taxis take cards, dd has a debit card, school dinners are online.

AlfonsoTheDinosaur · 22/10/2021 09:58

I have a bit of cash in the house: it's useful for tipping delivery people and for small purchases like a pint of milk at the corner shop.

Alwayscheerful · 22/10/2021 10:09

I withdraw £ 200 and keep it in my handbag, I replenish it when it's nearly gone.
Someone told me to to leave £100 on the table in case of a burglary, those looking for drug money, just want to get in and out quickly. (I tend to not actually leave it in full view but would hope it might stop my home being ransacked.)
I don't tip supermarket delivery drivers.We don't eat takeaways on a regular basis, occasionally we order for large impromptu gatherings and I would always tip the delivery driver, takeaway drivers do a difficult job in the dark the pay is extremely low and they often using their own car.

I pay the window cleaner by bank transfer and the cleaner by bank transfer we don't have a regular gardener but I pay for any tree work using bank transfer and the banking app on my phone.

Athrawes · 22/10/2021 10:18

I have cash in small denominations to pay DS pocket money. I had hoped to move into direct debit into a bank account for him, as a big boy thing. But banks not open to open an account 'cos...covid.

IncessantNameChanger · 22/10/2021 10:24

I draw out around 200 then like a pp said let it dwindle to nothing then draw it out again.

Am I the only person who goes to cash only take away? My Chinese and kebab van only take cash. I have take away very rarely but then it's more guilt free as the cash has effectively gone from my budget when I drew it out. So I only to budget for it that once

beigebrownblue · 22/10/2021 10:29

I keep hundred too just in case.

But then I have a 'zombie apocalypse' cupboard.
Three sets of rechargeable military grade torches...
sixteen tins of beans
candles
matches
disinfectant wipes...

just in case...

Maggiesgirl · 22/10/2021 10:36

I cant remember the last time I had any cash. I dont have young children and have a blue badge, so dont often need to pay for parking and when I do it is usually a place I can pay with my card.
Even the local market now you can pay at most stalls with a card.
The nearest cash machine is in the next town as well, the one in our village disappeared during the first lockdown.

AppleButter · 22/10/2021 10:38

I have no cash at the moment but would like to have a few hundred at home for emergencies. If there is a power cut, you may not be able to pay by card so cash would be a lifesaver.

CovidinPrimary · 22/10/2021 10:39

I haven’t used cash since the tooth fairy came last (over a year ago!)

We even had the option to pay the Halloween dress down day pound online for primary school today!

MatildaIThink · 22/10/2021 10:48

I have £120 in the back of my desk and at home and it has not been touched since I put it there four years ago. I have some notes and change in my car but have not touched them for years, I have not personally used cash for more than two years, neither has my husband. With debit and credit cards, contactless, Google Pay (or Apple pay), online purchases etc. cash is now obsolete, even my daughter's school have said that their bonfire night celebrations will be cashless and everything will have contactless payment terminals.

Having not used cash for more than two years I have not once had a situation where I could not pay as somewhere did not take card, I have however been to several places where they only accepted card and not cash.

MatildaIThink · 22/10/2021 10:50

@beigebrownblue

I keep hundred too just in case.

But then I have a 'zombie apocalypse' cupboard.
Three sets of rechargeable military grade torches...
sixteen tins of beans
candles
matches
disinfectant wipes...

just in case...

Shouldn't that cupboard also have a shotgun, some holy water and a bandanna?

Comefromaway · 22/10/2021 10:51

I try and keep at least £10 in as our local corner shop doesn't accept debit card payments for under £7 and the chippy doesn't accept them under £10.

Now my kids are older and have debit cards & Apple Pay (and college lunches/bus companies also accept cards) I don't need anywhere near as much cash as I used to.

user1497207191 · 22/10/2021 10:54

I have a couple of hundred in the house. I use it to "top up" the cash in my pocket with a tenner or twenty or so if I've been out and needed to spend some cash.

Having some cash in the house was very handy during Storm Desmond a couple of years ago when our city was badly flooded and the substation flooded, meaning no power for several days. Cash was the only thing you could spend as card machines in shops/buses etc wasn't working, nor were the cash machines. If you didn't have cash, you couldn't buy anything or go anywhere.

Vbree · 22/10/2021 10:57

I like to have enough change for tips. That's about it.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 22/10/2021 10:59

I have £120 in the back of my desk and at home and it has not been touched since I put it there four years ago

Is it 'old' notes or new ones ( the plastic ones)
My Dad used to keep £1 in a jar to save for my DC , when the old £1 coins were changed I reminded him to swap them at the bank as after the cut off date they'd be worthless .

I used to save £2 coins in a sealed tin, it was one of the highlights of the year to open and cash it in
Not had one for the last couple of years now .

I keep a glass jar of £1 coins near the door ( takeaway driver tip) .

Wegobshite · 22/10/2021 11:04

I have cash in the house - quite a bit
And I always have at least £100 in cash in my purse

Plantstrees · 22/10/2021 11:08

I have always kept a £20 note hidden in my handbag (not in my purse) to cover an unexpected taxi home but rarely use it. I also keep a purse of coins in the car for parking meters. I think both of these are probably now unnecessary but the coins do get used for other things like hedge veg.

MatildaIThink · 22/10/2021 11:12

@70isaLimitNotaTarget

I have £120 in the back of my desk and at home and it has not been touched since I put it there four years ago

I used to save £2 coins in a sealed tin, it was one of the highlights of the year to open and cash it in
Not had one for the last couple of years now .

I keep a glass jar of £1 coins near the door ( takeaway driver tip) .

I just checked, they are the new ones. My husband said he changed them as a friend told him about the old ones going out of use and he remembered.

Good reminder for anyone who has stock of the old paper ones though!

marieantoinehairnet · 22/10/2021 11:13

@ItsAllMumboJumbo

Do people tip food delivery drivers? I never knew that

I hope not as I pay a bloody delivery fee

reluctantbrit · 22/10/2021 11:23

I always had small change in a jar for parking fees but I can't replace what I used as I don't use cash a lot anymore. I am annoyed to pay the app charge when I park though, I may go back to small change.

I normally have a £20 note plus some small change in my key purse, enough to pay for my train ticket and lunch in case I forget my cards. I started it when it happened to a colleague of mine around 15 years ago.

I tip the hairdresser so I normally try to pay with a £10 note the week before to break it up. Similar with restaurants as not all allow tips to be added to the card payment.

DD is in secondary but hardly needs coins for charity things so what we have is normally sufficient.

My in-laws always have €100/150 in cash in the car for emergencies when out and about. But even they are now mainly cashless but still can't stop keeping it.

TattiePants · 22/10/2021 11:33

I never keep cash in the house. On the odd time that I suddenly need cash it's whatever I have in my purse, raiding the kid's money box or spare change in the car. Although, the kid's have prepaid cards now and I rarely have cash in my purse so I'm stuck!

DiamondBright · 22/10/2021 11:33

My window cleaner only takes cash so I try to keep enough to pay him on the hall table, other than that I rarely have much cash in the house. DD is more likely to have cash and occasionally subs me, although she's 17 so has a bank card and Apple Pay.

whatisthisinhere · 22/10/2021 11:42

I used to keep £50 in the house, but haven't bothered for a while . I used my last £1 for my ds's school's latest charity day

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 22/10/2021 11:50

Pre-Covid I used to draw money out every week for “spending” and only used cards for shopping online. (Bills on direct debit.) Since last March I set up Apple Pay and now use that for everything. There’s a jar of change in the kitchen where we used to empty coins into every day, which is probably quite a respectable amount of money now, but neither of us have added to it in the last 18 months.

Comedycook · 22/10/2021 11:53

No I don't keep large amounts....I usually try to keep about £5-10 in change for car parking and last minute requests from school for a pound!

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