If someone came along and invented cash money today (with credit and debit cards being in such wide use) it would probably seem like a crazy thing. How to instill a sense of value in hand-exchanged notes and coins? But I’ve really been enjoying cash more than ever recently. A lot of it has to do with being able to better track my spending emotionally — parting with paper money still means something to me. And I’ve been talking with Ivan, Josh and others about the problem with Wal-Mart and the benefits of local economy and local joints. Nothing too new here, but I do notice that a few of my favorite local joints prefer cash as they don’t get hit with credit/debit card processing fees. It does a small part in evening the playing field between the big and small players. Staying more local-focused in my activities feels right when I walk to a place, spend cash and feel good about immediately supporting my local hangouts without burdening them with processing fees. Example: some coffee stands near my house either don’t take credit cards or add on an additional fee for charges under, say, $5. It’s expensive to process those cards when people are buying a $2 drink from you! Also, the other night at Town Hall I handed over a $5 bill and the line moved right along — no credit cards makes for an efficient line. One fella was insulted that they don’t take credit cards. I say keep it that way! It’s easier for Town Hall to count the money at the end of the night, the line moves fast and the price point can remain at a comfortable $5.
I don’t know if tracking all my small, local purchases online is really that helpful to me as much as seeing the money in my pocket and feeling the value as I hand it over. Long live green.
Daniel Spils 
I really have no idea how I found this site, but glad that I did. Hope all is well with you and it was fun and funny to read about our yearbook/photo times. I am alo still using a Mac (iMac G5), still taking pics, and … thankfully … not writng anymore hall passes!
Can you get me Weston’s email?
Take care, Mr. D.
This is a great post. I was always aware of these fees but never really thought too much about how it can burden very small businesses. The really big point I think is that it really isn’t much of a burden for me to use cash most time. Zeitgeist Coffee in Seattle doesn’t take credit cards but it certainly doesn’t stop me from getting my coffee. Honestly, I don’t track small discretionary spending (e.g. coffee, lunch) anyway although I probably should. But, most people don’t. So, using cash in small joints really shouldn’t be a problem for most people. Thus, it should be encouraged.
Hey Kelly. Yeah, that’s a big win (I think) in using cash. It forces you to track your spending a bit more than credit card usage. When you run out of cash in your pocket you can feel how much you’ve spent. And I imagine the smaller vendors appreciate the support.
My husband and I moved from Seattle to Brooklyn, NY, two years ago. I could not believe the cash economy here. Most places with transactions averaging under 50 dollars prefer cash. Sometimes even the big guy, like well-known restaurants, won’t take credit. We must ATM at least twice a week. There’s loads and loads of cash just floating around. No wonder mugging’s a popular sport. No gaurantees you’ll live close to your bank, either, and since cars are a pain in the katoosh, you usually bite the bullet and fork over the two dollar transaction fee at the nearest ATM. Took a while to adjust.