Pay With Cash and More

A lot of financial planner types recommend using cash instead of credit cards.  Credit makes purchases very easy, sometimes too easy and leads to excessive spending.  (On that note, have you ever bought anything on credit at Target?  If it is under $25, it takes less time to swipe than it takes to bag the item, yet, the lines are still long.  Why is that?)

I want to take that a step farther:  Instead of cash, pay with change.  Pennies are best, as they are really difficult and a pain for both you and the cashier.  You really will resist the urge to spend if you have to painstakingly count out pennies.  But, that might be overdoing it. 

Quarters are too easy, it’s almost like spending dollars, and you will need quarters for vending machines (Not!) or laundry.  A good compromise is using dimes.  Easy to carry around but still an annoyance to use, which is what we want. 

Make sure you do use pennies to pay the odd cents that come up in every transaction.  If the price is $2.29 for that small latte, don’t pay with two dollar bills and three dimes.  Pay with one dollar bill, 12 dimes and nine pennies,  After the looks you get from the cashier and other customers behind you, you will think twice about going back there again. 

Money saved.   Cha-ching.