Cold hard cash

When I was in college, my parents would visit me occasionally on campus and before they would leave, my mother or father would reach into their pocket and pull out a $20 or $40, if I was really lucky, and tell me to use it wisely. They didn’t have a ton of money so it was always appreciated.

I would make the money last as long as possible.

When we visit my son in college, I always ask him before we leave how he’s doing and I’ll inevitably pass along a few bucks via a mobile payment app. I tell him that I want him to be responsible, but I also don’t want him worried about money like I sometimes found myself.

Out come the Andrew Jacksons

When I think about my cashless experience now, I’m amazed to think how times have changed. We used to use cash for everything. I liked having lots of Alexander Hamiltons, but Andrew Jackson was preferred. For those not in the U.S., Jackson’s image is on the $20, Hamilton on the $10, Abraham Lincoln on the $5 and poor George Washington on the dollar.

Now I can’t remember the last time I used the green stuff. Oh, scratch that, I actually do remember. Earlier this summer, we went to a wedding with an open bar and I wanted a few dollars to tip the bar tender, so we stopped quickly at an ATM machine. Before that, it’s been a while. A very long time.

My last visit to an automatic teller machine to withdrawal cash was such a long time that it took me a second to remember my pin number. As I waited for my money to whirl out of the machine, I found it surprising we even use pin numbers anymore. Where’s the new technology? Where’s the DNA sampling or Biometric Eye Recognition Scanning?

A big reason that I don’t use cash as much is the ease. Hello Jetsons. I’ve entered your world.

Free cash

Oh, I’m not passing my nose up at free cash if anyone want’s to give me some. I’ll take all the paper money in the world if you want to give it to me. No, I’m just amazed at how far we’ve come.

As a kid, I used to keep all my money in a little yellow bank in my room. I loved adding to it and counting it out. I would forget the combination on the kid bank, but if you pushed the door in enough, it would still open up. Yea, I learned my bank robbing lessons at an early age. Hello Bonnie and Clyde.

Despite the door issues, I liked adding to my little stash. I would collect coins left around the house and add them to my loot. Yes, “finders keepers, loser weepers.” I guess I somehow thought that my stash might multiply on its own. Now I check my financial accounts online and watch them go up and down digitally. It still has the same power.

Yes, yes, times have changed, but maybe, that’s good too.