And By "Green," I Mean "Cash"

Does anyone carry cash around anymore?

Last week, I attended a luncheon with some successful local businesswomen.  Lunch was almost secondary to making contacts and networking our businesses.   Yet, when the bill came, several women had to pay with their credit cards.  Luckily, restaurants are accommodating to people looking to split a bill via credit card.  However, with close to 10 women splitting the bill, wouldn't it have been advantageous for them to all carry extra cash, so there was no awkwardness at the end of the lunch?

I get that we were business women, and some like to keep track of their business expenditures and travel/entertainment expenses by isolating their spending habits.  But this seemed like a good a time as any to discuss -- how are we splitting the check?

It's times like those that I wonder just how far we've come with credit in this world.  I got my first credit card in college, probably like many, and quickly found myself reaching for the plastic soon after without really knowing the consequences behind it.  See, that's where they get ya!  In college, when you want to do stuff and your cash flow isn't exactly kicking in yet.  When I graduated it wasn't much better.  Besides the student loans, I had a lot of credit card debt.  Again, not an uncommon story for young folks making their start in the world. 

Yet, I start to wonder, what got me to that point?  I remember when I was in high school, and I worked at the mall, when I wanted stuff, I paid in cash.  If I didn't have the cash, I just didn't buy it.  Novel concept, right?  Yet, credit is doled out like candy on Halloween to some people, most people, actually.

I wonder if sometimes the greening movement that's going on right now is one that would require us to carry cash around, and try to conduct more transactions using good old fashioned currency.  Chances are, you can survive without cash more than without a credit card.  Shocking, I know.  But if you think about it, many places are equipped to take credit cards to give their customers more options.  Like taxi cabs in New York City.  Just a decade ago, if you didn't have cash, you were relegated to walking or hitting an ATM before getting in one.  Now it's almost expected to pay with a card.  You get something on a revolving basis, you need a credit card.  Want to travel?  Give your credit card number.  Need to pay for your pet's vet visit?  Break out the plastic. 

Sites like eBay have PayPal as a means to exchange currency virtually and electronically, as opposed to waiting a week or so for a check or money order payment.  Yet, these are not without their faults.  If I sell something on eBay and the invoice is incorrect, I have to issue a refund.  That's not so bad, but I get levied a charge on interest to do a straight cash transaction.  It's cents as opposed to dollars but still...it does add up and it's nickel and diming from the corporation.

PayPal also has a means of taking the guess work out of splitting a bill for individuals, by allowing a mobile payment system to exchange currency by simply bumping your phones.  Fascinating, huh?

But wait - there's more!  There is an app for your phones called "Square," that makes it easier for those who don't carry cash around to exchange on a different level.  It's essentially a way to make your phone into a cash register...of course, without the exchange of physical cash and another way of using your credit cards to make exchange of service or splitting a check more feasible.

Oh and fear not...if you are a mobile business (think of those folks who do arts and crafts at fairs but only take cash), you can make your phone or tablet into a portable cash register by using an app called Swipe.  

After all, the greening of our economy and our lives AND our wallets is for convenience.  And the more options we have, it seems the more we gravitate towards getting away from using cash and paper money.

Since I was a kid, we've all been trying to convenience ourselves out of being personal and all business.  Smartphones, credit cards and portable entertainment have given us a way to retreat within ourselves to be more reclusive, yet forge relationships with others.  It's a paradox, but at the same time, it gives us options to be a more well-rounded society.  Isn't that somethin'?