I've gone back to paying cash or writing a check at small local businesses. Saves them money. I'm OK with losing the rewards on my credit cards.

Oh, and the piano technician. I pay him with a check too.

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:
I've gone back to paying cash or writing a check at small local businesses. Saves them money. I'm OK with losing the rewards on my credit cards.

Completely unrelated, you know what we’ve gone back to? Steve got sick of google/YouTube music not playing on our devices reliably, so he bought a small CD player at the pawn shop, and we’ve got it hooked into our stereo system and we’re back to playing music that way. Much nicer.

I purged a ton of CDs earlier this year but also kept a bunch that are my favorites.

The CD player on my old boombox is starting to get temperamental, so I decided to splurge and get a Bose Wave radio and CD player. A friend's son works for Bose and I got it for half price.

I still listen to FM radio, both at home and in the car. Our 2016 Subie has a CD player as well.

This geezer is all set.

I just recently had to pay by check, in the mail, with a stamp!!! To put a deposit on my driveway repaving.

The guy is the best in the business but he has been in that business for 52 years.

I had trouble reaching him, I drove to his site...I asked about his phone "Oh, I turned that off!" I asked about his website "Oh, I turned that off,too!" He was just too busy to take on new work!!!

He took my address down on yellow lined paper in his truck. He later, the same day, called me to say he had been by to measure.."Have I worked for you before?"

I told him I had only been here 6 years...He asked the previous owners names....

Turns out he resurfaced my driveway 40 years ago!

I will leave a check on the porch for him.

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:
Doesn't Venmo charge a fee?

Only if you want your money instantly. Wait 1-2 days and it’s free.

Zelle is even better. My bank to yours instantly. No fee.

quote:

Originally posted by jodi:
I take paypal and square for the art stuff I sell online. And I use PayPal to buy all sorts of stuff. And credit cards. I almost never carry cash. But I still carry the checkbook just in case.

PayPal is pretty much a relic these days. Venmo and Zelle work much better. The exception is eBay - they’re owned by the same people and PayPal works fairly well. Just don’t give them access to your checking account.

I pay my water bill by mailing in a paper check. And I pay the piano tech by check... I think that's about the only thing I pay by check anymore.

My state and local government accept credit card and electronic check payments for most things, and for a few of these things the credit card “convenience fee” substantially exceed that for the electronics check, while paying with a paper check requires no such fee at all. So there is still a bit of disincentive to pay by credit card or electronic check if you really don’t want to pay any “convenience fee”.

I sometimes order concert tickets online to avoid just showing up to an event that's sold out. The
"convenience fees" can be pretty aggravating on these sites, like $2.50 on a $10.00 ticket. Whereas if you use your card for purchase of most anything else online, there's no fee.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Miller:
What time is it in Montana?

1964.

not far off. one of the things i like about it.

quote:

Originally posted by jodi:
Oh, and the piano technician. I pay him with a check too.

who did you end up getting?

Most of the stuff I really need to have on hand is in my truck. Tool box. Flashlight. Headlamp. Paper towels. Box cutter. Multi-tool. Digital tire pressure gauge. Microphones. Sunglasses and prescription glasses. Backup camera and batteries. Bottles of water. Emergency food. Wool capote. Oil, fix flat, tranny fluid. And the purse stays in my truck, too, for the most part.

the purse has two checkbooks in it. One for my Missoula account, one for my Helena account. A wallet with credit cards and cash. Usually several pocket notebooks, a reporter's notebook, tons of pens, lots of lip balm. First aid in a ziplok bag with the usual first aid stuff. Reading glasses. Hand lotion. Throat lozenges. Mints. Receipts.

The phone stays on my person. I think this is a holdover from horseback riding.

When I ride I wear a fisherman's vest with lots of pockets holding everything I might need if I get separated from my horse. Back in the days of the mountain men they wore a "possibles bag" for the same reason--a small bag with a flint and steel, some fishing line and a hook, and of course they had a knife on their belt and a canteen over their shoulder.

In my mudroom I have a shoebox marked "possibles" for keeping the contents of my riding/fishing vest handy.

I write a lot more checks since I got a horse. The trainer, the chiropractor, the hay guy, the hay delivery guy all get checks. The barn owner where I take lessons gets cash for use of the arena. Otherwise I use Amex as much as possible.

I hate PayPal and use it only through my Amex card.

Kerri I love your story about the driveway paving guy. That sounds so much like Montana.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Miller:


PayPal is pretty much a relic these days. Venmo and Zelle work much better. The exception is eBay - they’re owned by the same people and PayPal works fairly well. Just don’t give them access to your checking account.

For comparison, I've had no end trouble with transfers through Zelle, and have found PayPal super handy (I heard they owned Venmo - had bought them to reduce competition. Not so?)

And as for "PayPal works fairly well. Just don’t give them access to your checking account."



WHY?

(Needless to say, they do. I pay people using them to withdraw the funds from a bank account and also receive small funds through them. I have quite a lot of money in that checking account too.)

Of course, I shouldn't, but there are several sources that send me payments set up through there - also largish automatically debited bills.
Not enough to justify that balance but interest rates have been so nonexistent it didn't seem to matter.

Now, I'm considering opening another account with a little local bank, exclusively for the purpose of Paypal. I'd keep as small a balance as I can without paying fees.

That, or having PayPal withdraw funds from a credit card, even though I think they charge a percentage.

Do you know of anyone who's had funds embezzled through Paypal? Don't they have any kind of guarantee about their online security?? No accountability?

(Will change my password there ASAP)