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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how much cash you have?

217 replies

Member786488 · 12/12/2023 22:09

For various reasons I’ve been thinking that I need to be able to have cash to hand in case of emergencies…
usually in my house we have about £20 or so between 3 adults…

how much cash could you actually lay your hands on tonight if the banking system went down?

OP posts:
ManateeFair · 13/12/2023 16:18

In my purse is £40, some spare change adding up to about £2.50, 20 US dollars and 10 euros.

(I realise this makes it sound like I regularly jet off overseas and keep foreign currency to hand for this eventuality, but in reality I've been abroad twice in the past 18 months and just keep forgetting the notes are still in my purse.)

DP, apparently, currently has £20 in his wallet and about a fiver's worth of change.

ManateeFair · 13/12/2023 16:19

peakygold · 13/12/2023 11:37

200 in euros (for a birthday gift), and almost £180 sterling. I pay in cash everywhere, and if they don't accept cash, I dump whatever I was going to buy and walk out.

Weird that you say that like you're proud of it

Coastalcreeksider · 13/12/2023 16:20

At this precise minute, around £130, but I will be drawing about £500 in the next few days, some for money gift at Christmas.

I love having cash, would never be without having at least £50-£100 at home or in my purse.

Elvis1956 · 13/12/2023 16:21

About £1k, made up of about £150 in 3 separate every day carry wallets, bag etc for emergencies when out (including coins for public loos and parking).£400 ish in various holiday money currency.
I keep £500 for the crash of the banking system...or rather if I ever lose all my credit/debit cards again!
Also about £1k in gold should society collapse!

LauderSyme · 13/12/2023 16:29

I saw this thread yesterday but didn't post cos I got all paranoid thinking "why do you want to know?" 😳 Logic and sense have resumed today.

£150 hidden in a cupboard, just in case, plus £16.84 in my purse.
Ds's mini bank vault moneybox full of coppers (absurdly heavy totalling princely sum of less than a tenner).
A small collection of random foreign coins.

insideoutsider · 13/12/2023 16:37

People are so very trusting in their lives (in the UK) to hold little to no cash. I'm an immigrant, been in the UK over 20yrs and still I hold a couple of grand just in case I need to grab my children and run. I guess it's a result of my past experiences.

I remember having to change it a few years ago when we changed currency. I don't count it as part of the money I have, so much so that whenever I've needed money, I'd scrape my accounts together to get what I need. I've had it so long that I probably wouldn't be upset if it disappeared.
Apart from that, I probably have hundreds in dollars and euros and some in my home country's currency.

insideoutsider · 13/12/2023 16:40

@LauderSyme
I just thought after I posted that hopefully Mumsnet wouldn't hand over all our info to the 'Feds' or some underground mafia or something 😂

Daisybuttercup12345 · 13/12/2023 16:47

32p

Dontcallmescarface · 13/12/2023 16:55

£1.90, $HK5, $Aus7.

Stress101 · 13/12/2023 16:56

2k that I jeep meaning to put in the post office.

A few coins in my jacket pocket because kids usually need a euro or two this time of year going to school for Chridtmas Fair,book fair, hardly etc..

Oldandcobwebby · 13/12/2023 17:13

£540 - just counted! I withdrew it some time ago to buy a tablet on Facebook marketplace, then changed my mind. Keeping it aside for the time being.

Ghostlyglow · 13/12/2023 17:26

Don't have any. Haven't used it for years

Mimilamore · 13/12/2023 17:29

£20 emergency note, tucked away and 86p in small change

imnotthatkindofmum · 13/12/2023 17:35

About £150 but only because I've sold a few things this last couple of weeks and I have my daughters birthday money!

Usually have nothing tbh

SquigglePigs · 13/12/2023 17:37

I aim to keep £100 tucked away in a drawer but it's often dipped into and then topped up again so varies as to how much is actually in it. Assuming it was all there I could probably pull together £160-180.

There's an emergency £10 and a handful of change (prob about £5) in the glove box of the car. There's probably £20-30 in each of mine and DH's wallets. Also I collect loose £ coins in a purse as they're still useful for things with DD. Anything from £2-10 in that at any given time. I used to keep a spare £10 in the nappy bag too when I carried that around.

Montydoo · 13/12/2023 17:52

about £60 - but it varies to £160

GnomeDePlume · 13/12/2023 17:57

I'm struggling to think of a crisis which would leave banking locked out but Tesco checkouts open for cash. Especially given the whole system is easily floored by a wonky label!

A few hours maybe.

Beyond that we have a freezer full of food assuming the electricity is still on. We also have home made sauces, jams and cider ready if we become a bartering economy.

the80sweregreat · 13/12/2023 17:58

£5 in coins in an old pickle jar
Big time cash horders

TheChosenTwo · 13/12/2023 18:06

About £200 in the bowl, ds has £200 in his money box, the dds probably have a small amount of cash and there is always a £20 note in each of the vehicles in case of emergency.

PinkArt · 13/12/2023 18:13

I took out about £50 just in case cash in March 2020. That same £50 is still in my purse.

Zanatdy · 13/12/2023 18:17

About £80

43ontherocksporfavor · 13/12/2023 18:23

Wow @PinkArt that’s amazing!

BarbedButterfly · 13/12/2023 18:24

Absolutely zero. I never use it, but has made me think I should take some out for emergencies

SnowsFalling · 13/12/2023 19:49

I've got small amounts of several different currencies.

If I needed Stirling, I'd have to raid the kids money boxes.

PinkArt · 13/12/2023 20:59

Yeah, I realised recently that I've not been to a cash point in years @43ontherocksporfavor !