How much cash is too much to have on hand

[Ciddy]

We have the odd store/restaurant around here that doesn't accept anything other than cash (yes, those still exist). I carry $30-$40 on me just for stuff like that. But yeah, I use debit for most purchases these days.

Also: I feel kinda dumb using my debit card for small purchases (bottle of Coke from a gas station or something), so I use cash for those. A few stores here actually won't accept debit/credit for purchases under $5.

[Ranei]

In the US, police are legally allowed to mug you of your cash on hand under threats of violence, kidnapping and holding you hostage in a cage. It's called "Civil Forfeiture", and it's for that reason I will never carry anything higher than $10-20 with me.

[Khaza-R]

I see no reason to keep more than $50 in cash unless you know you're going somewhere specifically that doesn't accept cards..

[announced]

$100 or less seems safe. usually $30-50 is the max ill have on me. mostly incase i get robbed. although banks start charging when you want to withdraw money ($2 per transaction) or even for depositing money.

[Boricha]

I'm weird. I have like $400 in my wallet but I use my credit card for almost everything.

[Drsolders]

That is a pretty shitty attitude for the police to have and reminds me much more of a police state than of a sense of community and safety. In the end that is probably the biggest difference between the (incompetent and murderous) police of the US, and the police in West-European countries. Over here the cops are drilled to be community minded, drilled to be friendly and helpful, drilled to make sure they bring a sense of safety instead of fear. There are still going to be assholes among them, but this facist approach of "obey the law!" only seems to encourage there to be even more of them around. But hey, I guess we don't have corporate prisons to keep full or need fines to keep the police funded.

Secondly... this whole US thing of the cops being allowed to confiscate your money is absurdly corrupt nonsense too. I don't even understand how people can just be okay with it and nod their heads at it. Lots of guns, almost no freedom and no justice, makes sense.

They have assumed that role and want it, but that doesn't make it a police state. In Western Europe the police have only one required roll, to enforce laws. If they want to be a building block of a community they can! However, it not a legally required part of their government. In the US cops are a part of the executive branch (the branch that enforces the laws) and as such are supposed to do so. Also obeying the law is the whole point of our government. People vote for representatives to pick the laws THE PEOPLE want. Sure you will see wide outrage at these laws on Reddit/MMO-Champ but that is a very small, very liberal, and very young section of this country. There is a large support for it. So if you don't like that and consider fascist then you seem to be the one that is fascist. If a majority want something, and you would seek to overrule and suppress them then you would be a very small group trying to enforce your way of life on them and as such are the fascist.

Also I don't see how you get police state from that.

a totalitarian state controlled by a political police force that secretly supervises the citizens' activities. That would define any country trying to enforce laws. Cops sitting on the side of a road trying to catch speeders would be considered a police state as well. Also we have plenty of freedoms, some much stronger than even some European countries. Our freedom of speech and gun rights are far above many European nations. However, there are other rights we fall behind in. The most common being privacy.

Oh wait im talking to yet ANOTHER true anarchist account so none of this will get through.

[Drsolders]

That is not true actually. The emphasis on police training here lies on community and enforcing safety and the 'spirit of the law', not the letter of the law. Heavy handed enforcement of the law typically doesn't happen unless people are posing an immediate threat to public safety and well-being.

Somehow defending the idea that the cops are allowed to confiscate your money because you might be out to buy drugs is exactly what I'd call a police state attitude, wether or not the ignorance of the uneducated masses supports it.

Never once said I supported it. Never said a majority supported it. Even if they did, you would be a fascist to believe you could overule them.

Training also =/= actual responsibilities. Pretty much all enforcement has to do is uphold law, they can chose the literal or the spirit of the law if they want, but in no way are they required by law to follow the spirit of the law. They also train police officers to be friendly, they don't have to be though. They don't have to treat you nicely either, assuming they aren't breaking the law doing so.

[Fencers]

Over $100 is typically unnecessary in my view. Any purchase larger and I'd be better off using my credit card.

[belfpala]

I usually have about $200 with me, more at home. Hate using my card to buy a coffee, hate tipping people on my card (they enter the tip after the fact). Hate using my card to order food (same reason). Etc.

[Tasttey]

I suppose, I'm the odd man out here. While I typically only keep about $100 (give or take $20) in my wallet at any given time, I've got just shy of $10k in the safe. It may seem odd, but on certain types of items (particularly cars/guns) I like to haggle, and cash is king, so having that much really just makes sense to me.

[Deleted]

You do not have a stash of cash that you use in case you need to buy something quickly, or want to negotiate a price on something?

i don't because i don't do drugs.

[anveena]

I have around $1000 at the moment. Only carry like $60 on me unless I'm going to purchase something with cash.

[Ihnasir]

$200, at that point you're looking for trouble.

[haxartus]

Was given a hard time in a police stop for having $500 in my wallet one time.

What ??? Seriously ?

[belfpala]

$200, at that point you're looking for trouble.

What kind of trouble? I work in a restaurant, and I regularly tip out servers for $200 or more.

[Rhine101]

Beats me. It's your money.

I prefer to n ot carry. If I do I carry what I think I will need and what I do not mind losing if I get robbed. But fuck those cops for harassing you. If all they did was ask you what was up then that is cool I guess. But if they seriously were acting like having 500 bucks makes you a damn criminal, fuck em.

You can carry 9,999 USD through customs without having to declare it. Same with depositing money in teh bank. So I see that as teh US gov saying that is the limit of hat you can carry and do whatever with and not have to tell anyone or worry about it.

[Deleted]

I like to pay for things with cash but don't like to have more than £100 on me at a time, just in case I get mugged, or - more likely - lose my wallet.

I took 5000Euro (of my business') to a convention a few years back because things can only be bought with cash there and customs gave me a hard time over it even though it was below the legal limit. They asked how much cash I had on me and I was honest and then they acted like I was going to buy a kilo of cocaine or something. They must have had my license place on file then for when I returned 2 days later, I was pulled over at customs and they searched the car. I kept receipts of everything for business records so it wasn't a problem but was an inconvenience.

[Kerath]

I seldom carry cash these days, and when I do, usually €50 or less.

[Nadiru]

How much cash is too much to keep either on your person or home in your "stash"

Was given a hard time in a police stop for having $500 in my wallet one time.

Several years ago I kept $1500 in rolled half dollars under my bed until I finally spent them all.

In a legal sense? Pretty much any amount can be used as a pretext to track your financial movements. Cops will give you a hard time if you have more than a few hundred dollars and don't look wealthy because they'll assume you're a dealer.

If you're not hiding your money there's not much reason to have it out of a bank. That said I think pretty much everybody could benefit from having an emergency stash of cash somewhere, preferably not in one's house.

[Deleted]

Why would one have cash in the first place?
I just PIN everywhere i go.