Go cashless to save money?

A blurb in the paper this morning said we should kill cash and transition to a fully electronic economy. The minting and printing of U.S. currency cost taxpayers $848 million in 2008 alone.

It must be similar everywhere else in the world. What say you POE members; would a cashless society be better?

Michael - Have any green ones? I like mine fried.

Jason - If we really became a cashless society then everyone would be forced to accept plastic regardless of the amount. Having said that, it would mean that a lot of mom & pop run businesses would not be able to survive because the cost of processing a five dollar transaction would cost more than the commodity itself!

LOL!!! Cash? What cash?

If your credit purchase is under $5 it costs the store more to process the paperwork then what the item is worth,  so what the store told me when I worked it. Cashless society...then what would we all be fighting over, shells and beads? Money came into it's own rite as the way of the person making an "seal of acceptance" for an need provided by someone else...before that it was what they called "Letters" to be given anything. I seldom carry cash these days, my hubby has for years been paid monthly, we keep an credit line because we have unexpected things happen to us an need it, like the $50,000 heart oepration, it takes months just to get in all the separate debts for what and by whom..and generally you pay an little down on an credit card until it ALL comes in, then if you have to borrow money in one big loan you can do that, but not "bit by bit" daily.So you need an high credit rating to establish putting things on hold more or less. Medical bills are unlike an car loan. House loan..whatever. Not to mention the insurance company looks things over also and pays what they feel is an fair amount. then they tell you what is allowable for you to pay, to stop the fradullent practice of what is called "double billing"..being both the insurance company and the patient. If we went cashless, what would be our "back-up"? right now it's Gold, but what about the public? If our Government can't live on what they make how do we?, as we pay them their wages to spend...and get double billed,...I just had to sneak that one in. As long as their is "Life" there are needs to be met rather we have money or not. to give to one sector and not all, is an Hitler type regiem...an elitest society and with it comes annilation of some type. If your asked to die, or your loved ones, you can bet you'll tkae arms against the purportator. Retirement is another subject also, you want to accumluate as much as you can before you retire an dgo on lower income. You realize how many people invested money for retirement income in later years to have to had drawn it out to cope with job losses these last say 10 years...quite an few.  Then last year many lost millions in the stock market alone. I already don't buy what I don't consider in the need of buying it to begin with. But my need is looked at differently also then in the past, some things I buy because I doubt we can afford them later on, one of those is anything made out of metal..Wood, or sometimes even glass. I buy things I don't think can be had later on for the price I'm paying for it now...and then there's the household maintence part of buying also. finally everyday needs. such as clothing.  What would need to be arrived at is fair value for fair goods...and what's out of sync right now...quality vs price, vs income.  

I never have cash or money period for that matter but I feel if i have checks I have money right,,,LOL

 At our office we only except cash or check, just to much crappy paperwork already. but I am afraid we are going to be headed down that path but i do agree with Jason i think there will be more fraud.

Yes, and I hope Our Prez stops the banks hiking up interest rates on credit cards, I can remember when the interest on them was tax free, and things were better then in the economy then they are now, buying to was stimulated. Yesterday I got an wedding announcement, something budget wise I had not planned for this month. that's why a person has credit cards. But if you ever live off one check monthly you'll see what I mean about using them more often. there are times when getting in on sales create more money also, and if you don't have the cash right then and there, your out of it on the sale itmes.  Also I think it is Papa Murphy's Pizza in Damacus,(local community)  they take cash or crefit card, no checks. But things are looking up, they are building one of our banks "new" in walking distance from me... instead of all the way over on the other side of town...in order to get cash out of their ATM. It's truly nice to never have anyting  but cash avaialble when you need it.... Yep, it really is.