No cash for cash only

Like most Americans I don't live by my plastic credit card anymore. I do leave home without it.

Debt is a big buzzword these days, and everyone is looking to reduce their personal debt as jobs and money get tighter.

So, while I pay down my credit cards, I don't use them when I shop anymore.

I still rely on plastic but it's my debit card, which draws cash right from my checking account. That means if I can't afford it, if I don't have the cash to cover it, I don't buy it.

Pay as you go.

Carrying the debit card has become a lot easier than worrying about how much cash I might be carrying in my pocket. Swipe the card, enter the pin number and you're done.

Everywhere I go these days I assume I don't need cash.

So my wife Jane and I had the interesting experience the other day when we went to lunch on a beautiful sunny, warm day last weekend in downtown Portsmouth.

We ordered food from a bakery/cafe and when Jane went to pay with her debit card it was politely refused. Cash only, we were told.

Cash only? What I throwback, I thought. What an inconvenience, I then thought.

So I stayed behind as collateral in case Jane didn't come back while she went across the street to withdraw cash from a nearby ATM. She did come back, I didn't have to wash dishes, and we had a lovely lunch.

Ironically, the owner said she'd take check, which I found even more odd. I haven't carried a checkbook around for years.

It just goes to show that convenience can become an occasional inconvenience.

Of course all that convenience depends on one small matter ... that I remember my pin number.