C: The Times, They are Changing

Notice to those who have designs on snatching my purse:  There’s never any cash there!  If you get my cards, I’ll cancel them pronto…you may as well give it up.  The only thing that will be accomplished is aggravation to me as I go through the rigmarole to replace my identification and credit cards.

I remember just a few years ago first hearing the talk that we were moving to a “cashless society.”  I scoffed at the idea.  I’m eating my words; I think I’m there.  I never have any “folding money” in my pocket these days.  And when I do, it is likely because I ran by the ATM machine, not because I held out from a deposit or cashed a check, like the old days.

Remember asking the grocer if you could write a check for $20 more than the grocery bill?  I used to do it so that I’d have money for lunch or gas.  Doesn’t happen for me anymore.  I just swipe my debit card instead.  Everywhere.

Just the other day I was in the bank grabbing a deposit slip form and thinking, “I never seem to have enough deposit slips!”  Unfortunately, it’s not that I am constantly putting money into the account, eating up that supply of deposit slips.  Rather, it’s that I just don’t seem to write checks any more.  About the only non-electronic banking I do is manually deposit my paychecks—they are not auto-deposited.  My deposit slips run out far before I am out of checks.

My utilities, my credit cards, my mortgage….all of these payments are made online.  I cannot think of a single bill for which I write and mail a check. 

It’s no wonder the postal service is having budget problems.  We do so much by e-mail and internet these days.  Even in our business, lots of what would normally have been mailed out is now e-mailed.

MIL and my mother neither one want to do the on-line payment thing.   I cannot convince them of the convenience and the safety of this method.   They are accustomed to the paper thing and both regularly mail out stacks of bills, going by the post office to get stamps. 

Me?  I have a postage meter at our office for those legal documents I need to mail.  Other than that, I rarely need postage anymore.

It’s just another part of life that’s on the move.  Into the 21st Century. Is it my perspective, or is life changing more rapidly than it used to?  I think back to three centuries ago as opposed to two centuries past.  Did the folks in that one-hundred-year span have to experience the rapid changes we do today? 

I know one thing: those panhandlers asking for “spare change” are up the creek where I’m concerned—there’s rarely any currency in my pocket to share!  C

Comments

Anonymous said…
This is surely a sign of the times. I love paying bills and electronic banking. My husband does not. We have three accounts his, mine and ours. He is forgetting to pay the bills from our account and how easy it would be to just do online paying, but he will have no part of it. Just hope we stay safe. Great previous post too. So sad.
QMM
Debbie said…
I know what you mean. My wallet hasn't seen green in a long time. Change seems to last forever, if you get any. We put all the loose change in a jar and periodically take it to the bank to deposit it into our debit account.
I love the convenience of the debit. Some folks refuse to use those or credit cards, thinking it makes them more vulnerable to theft. I don't think the thieves are hindered by our fears of paperless spending:)
I won't say I will never bank that way, because I have learned never say never. With computers taking so much time and information from us tell me will you be willing to change when something new is introduced to you. It is difficult and hard to explain.
Vee said…
My son is an accountant for a large department chain. He says that more and more people are now paying with cash. The numbers are astronomical actually. Next time you're in a long line, watch and see how many are pulling out bills instead of cards.
Vickie said…
Yes Ma'am - times are going faster. I notice it most with electronics I guess. You finally get your new digital tv that you've been saving up to buy, cameras, videos, or whatever, and then they change the technology! Now, we've got hundreds of DVDs and VHS tapes! What to do with them now that cable has gone and added Pay Per View with all the movies that you could ever want???? It's a racket, I say! All the different facets of technology are competing against one another to get our hard earned $$$. Wish things could just stay the same for a few years and let us get the "latest thing" paid for before they change it again! My gripe for the day.

Actually, we do not fall prey to this way of thinking. We keep our appliances until they fall apart. We don't watch much TV or movies and I'm NOT going to add more cost to my cable bills. I'm about ready to jerk the stupid thing out of the wall anyway with all the filth the networks allow to be spewed out into the airwaves...

OK, I'm through now....
Melissa said…
Times are a changing.

I often wonder how different life will be in the future.
Joolz said…
I had to write a cheque out yesterday for Brianna's school photo ($32 mind you!) and I noticed that I had had my cheque book since 28th June, 2007 and I have only written 8 cheque out in that time - and 3 have been for the school photographer!! Like you, nearly all our banking and bill payment is done on-line (and I now pay some of our bills in advance so that when the accounts come, I am either in credit or nearly paid up). Times they certainly are a changing...

Cheeers - Joolz
Sandra said…
I've noticed too how long the little bit of cash in my wallet lasts and also the checks in my checkbook. Times ARE changing.

When we first got ATM cards (maybe 25 years ago?)I remember I would go to the ATM machine and get $20 at a time. Oh, my -- times really HAVE changed! :)
Jody Blue said…
We still have teenagers...that explains my lack of cash:) We are about 50/50 on the paper and online bill paying, heading closer to no paper sooner than later.

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