If before the start of WWII, and if people had realised what was coming, would they have tried to squirrel away food or other necessary things?
I have always put extra food away for emergencies. That could be for a sudden snow storm that causes difficulty with food deliveries resulting in panic buying in the shops. The first few days we lived here, we were cut off for a week, with a one day old baby! Luckily we had just been to the shop and stocked up as we were also in a new home. Don't want to go through that again.
It could be sudden long term ill health or losing a job, delayed government payments, needing to help out family members etc.
Remember Covid, all those queues, people literally barging you out the way to get toilet rolls, flour, yeast or pasta. Got caught out slightly with those few items but on the whole, we were okay.
We are gradually being shut off from being able to use cash in case you haven't noticed. ATM's closing, banks closing, some shops not allowing cash etc. It is all part of a digital and cashless society that is heading towards us like a bull in a china shop. No conspiracy theory, just fact.
The problem with a cashless society is power to charge it all. A short or long term power loss would result in not being able to use the tills or cash machines. What do you do with your food shopping? You would have to leave it. Without power to the computers in said shops, they wouldn't know what, if anything, is leaving the shop to order replacements.
Our son smiles at us as we still use cheques but we live in the back of beyond. Most local and even trades further away, still use cheques. My hairdresser, chiropodist, massage lady, all use cheques or cash. Have anything repaired?, cheques. It is different in big towns and cities where tradespeople can offer you a little digital machine to swipe your card through.
Do you have small denomination bank notes and loose change put away just in case?
Anything else anyone can think off? Let me know.
I've always kept well stocked cupboards, along with extras stored elsewhere in the house. I can honestly say that I've never come across anywhere that wouldn't accept cash, whether that's pubs, cafes, restaurants or shops. The tradespeople I've used recently like cash, cheque or bank transfer as some of the card machines have huge fees and can tie them in.
ReplyDeleteWe are still ok here but more and more supermarket tills are now card only, with less cash or card versions. Other people have mentioned though that a lot of their shops are gradually changing to card.
ReplyDeleteMany DEBT MANAGEMENT groups promote the old fashioned idea of keeping cash in separate tins [food, fuel. rent etc] as it is easier to keep track of. Many CHARITIES rely on people putting cash in the collection tin [I just bought my poppy by the cash desk in the shop ] And giving CHILDREN pocket money is a good way to help both their counting and budgeting skills. Lots of OLDER FOLK do not have smart phones/internet banking and rely on cash and cheques. And SMALL BUSINESSES do not want to pay hefty fees to card providers [well done SumUp - and a few others - who provide a less expensive option] But ALL those groups I have listed are the less wealthy in our society - the poor, the elderly, the children, the small businesses. And yet the decisions about pushing us towards 'cashless' are made by others [Rishi & the rich] I'm glad the Royal Mint have produced CIII coinage - we need to keep our real currency and not become totally dependent on 'virtual' . And as you say, in a power cut, you're stuffed!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. As always the wealthy determine what the rest of us ‘need’.
DeleteI rarely have cash in my purse nowadays - even the market stallholder I buy my cheese from has a card machine. I pay my hairdresser (a neighbour) in cash, but that's about it really. I'm not saying a cashless society is good though - I know for a fact my mother wouldn't have coped with it. And no, those in power (the millionaire Jacob Rees-Mogg springs instantly to mind) have absolutely no idea about how us normal people live.
ReplyDeleteI really dislike that man plus a few others!
DeleteI'm stubbornly still using cash whenever I can. All three children and their other halves never have a penny on them!
ReplyDeleteSame here, use it or lose it is our motto!
DeleteI am still firmly in the cash user camp. I find it much easier to manage expenditure handing over cash than swiping a card, and as you say it is impervious to power cuts.
ReplyDeleteLike you say, so much easier to keep track of.
DeleteStores here in Canada still accept cash. I do carry some in my wallet, but not a lot. Cash is still considered legal tender here and must me accepted. This isn't to say I don't use my debit, Visa or online payment methods. Mainly because I get cash back on my Visa, and online bill payments save me postage or running around wasting fuel.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
We too use both but when out shopping like to always use cash when/where possible.
DeleteI live in the US and here they want cash. If you use a credit card they charge you a round 3-4% on top of the price.
ReplyDeleteNever had a credit card but hubby used one all the time before we married. He made sure he paid it in full every month.
DeleteLast week I paid my water bill with a cheque in the post. I will cling on to these old fashioned ways of paying for things. Cash for food shopping and petrol.
ReplyDeleteMost bills paid online via direct debit but everything else by cheque or cash.
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