Does paying cash matter?

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Does paying cash matter?

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July 28, 2011

I wrote a recent article about not becoming a slave to your possessions. It made be begin to ponder the question about what kind of impact paying with cash only would make on your financial future if that was the only methodology you had to buy new things. In the past six months, I have been testing this exercise by going through some stretches of time taking out cash only and making it the main form of buying day to day items. I've always been a fan in the past of using credit cards to get frequent flier miles and floating your cash if you had the financial means to be able to pay off that bill each and every month. However, I've begun to consider the real impact paying with cash has on how you think about the purchases you make. Here are three reasons why paying cash might matter:

  • It feels real because it is real - Credit cards and debit cards almost put us into some sort of hypnotized state of mind when we purchase goods. When the person behind the cash register tells us what the item is going to cost, and we know that no matter what they tell us we can get that item because our swipe card will take care of it. When you finished your last run through the grocery store and they told you it was going to be $212.46, did you even think twice that you wouldn't be able to afford it? Next time you do something simple, try to pay in cash and notice the difference about how your brain processes the transaction. I took my family out the other night to the movie theater and paid in cash. It made me realize several things. First, that the price of an adult ticket is currently $11.50. Second, that children now officially end at 11 years old (really 11 years old). I guess I don't know who became king and decided that 12 should be the official age of adult. Last, that a medium drink at the movie theater is almost 4$. Heck, I could get a whole case of soda for $4. By paying this way, it really made me consider how I would approach taking the family to the movies next time.

  • It forces to you a finite budget - Next time you go to shop for clothes or sporting goods, take cash only to make your purchases. Before you even get in the car to go to the department store, it will actually put some pressure on you to determine what your budget is when you go shopping. Many people can create a spending plan or budget on an excel spreadsheet, but the practicality of that often goes out the window when you pay with credit cards. If you figure that you only have $150 when you go to the clothing store, it will force you to consider where you can and cannot go shopping. Once you are in the store, you will create a different strategy about what you really need and which parts of the store may give you the best bang for the buck. Many years ago, families deployed an envelope like method to stretch their paychecks when times were tough.

  • You feel emotional gratification - Remember when you made that final payment after 48 months on your automobile. It was that feeling when you sat on your couch and thought, "Yes! I finally own that car!" When you pay cash for something, what's done is done. There's something that happens to your psyche when you pay for things in cash. You have a sense of gratification about what the purchase means to you. You bought it, you own it, and nobody can take it away from you. That feeling makes cash a very powerful emotional tool in our financial toolbox.

It may be inevitable that we don't even carry cash someday with all of these high tech gadgets that will act as an electronic wallet. I think that a cashless society would be a huge mistake and disservice to all of us. There's still no feeling in the world like pulling out a $100 bill when you pay for something. It gives you this sense of pride and attitude that says, "Yes, I am paying for this right now and I am paying for it in style. Check please!"

If you have been struggling with how to get your financial house in order, perhaps you should try to go a weekend in your life with cash only. Budget what you want to spend for the weekend, and then see if you can make it through the weekend without using any debit or credit card at all. I think you'll see in just a few days about it shifts your attitude toward the things you buy and how it makes you feel. Good luck!

Written by:

Ted Jenkin, CFP®, AAMS®, AWMA®, CRPC®, CMFC®, CRPS®

Co-CEO and Founder oXYGen Financial, Inc

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Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. oXYGen Financial is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS. Kestra IS and Kestra AS do not provide tax or legal advice. https://Bit.ly/KF-Disclosures

This site is published for residents of the United States only. Registered Representatives of Kestra IS and Investment Advisor Representatives of Kestra AS may only conduct business with residents of the states and jurisdictions in which they are properly registered. Therefore, a response to a request for information may be delayed. Not all products and services referenced on this site are available in every state and through every representative or advisor listed. For additional information, please contact Kestra IS Compliance Department at 844-553-7872.

PLEASE NOTE: The information being provided is strictly as a courtesy. When you link to any of the web sites provided here, you are leaving this web site. Kestra IS and Kestra AS makes no representation as to the completeness or accuracy of information provided at these web sites. Nor is Kestra IS and Kestra AS liable for any direct or indirect technical or system issues or any consequences arising out of your access to or your use of third-party technologies, web sites, information and programs made available through this web site. When you access one of these web sites, you are leaving our web site and assume total responsibility and risk for your use of the web sites you are linking to.