Author Topic: Cellar Scribblings  (Read 8733786 times)

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15000 on: May 24, 2017, 08:44:36 am »
I write about 2 or 3 cheques per year, mainly to the lawn mower man if I do not see him and the amount builds up.They are talking about phasing cheques out in Australia. It is mainly elderly (older than me  ;D) who still use them, I pay all my bills online using my credit card (and get points) or by direct debit. I have been thinking of asking the lawnmower man if I can have his bank account number but I think he prefers cash to avoid taxes.

Do you have PayPal there? If so, he'd only need an account connected to his bank account, so it would be like getting cash. You could connect your account to a credit card to get the points.

PayPal doesn't generate any documents to be used in taxes, at least not yet, so for him it would be almost like getting cash.




Offline brianr

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15001 on: May 24, 2017, 10:51:49 am »
Yes we have Paypal but it is just $35 per cut (every 2 weeks in summer and none during winter except he cuts the hedges then). I never know when he is coming dueto weather and am often not home then it builds up in amount. I am not sure he would want to be bothered. I left him a cheque for $105 in his mail box nearly 2 weeks ago to cover my being away until July and it has still not been presented. I am sure he likes cash in hand but of course it is illegal for him not to declare it butI do not ask questions. He would have to declare some income to avoid suspicion.

Offline brianr

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15002 on: May 24, 2017, 10:56:27 am »
I organise a weekend away for our walking group (over 60s) each year. First they pay me a deposit several months head then the balance a few weeks before. I am encouraging them to pay by bank transfer and over half do. A few pay cash and some still use cheques although I ask for 50 cents more. The bank charges me 30 cents for each cheque deposited and I think my having to stand in line at a bank is worth another 20 cents  ;D  It is almost the only time I go into my bank. I have never felt secure depositing into a ATM although I guess cheques are safe.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15003 on: May 24, 2017, 08:18:27 pm »
I have never felt secure depositing into a ATM although I guess cheques are safe.

Me neither, although these days the ATMs scan the checks, right? In the old days you had to put it in an envelope and hope for the best.

The thing I hate most is when well-meaning relatives send birthday checks (to my kids, primarily) for $20. So you have to make a whole trip to the bank (or, if you dare, at least an ATM), when a) a $20 bill is pretty safe to mail and b) even if it did get lost or stolen you're only out $20. My stepmother boldly sends my kids $100 bills for big occasions and I'm really grateful.



Offline brianr

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15004 on: May 24, 2017, 09:40:32 pm »
Just before Christmas I had to pay the deposit for the weekend and tried to do it by bank transfer but for some reason it was returned to my account so I went to the bank of the accommodation provider (not my own) and was standing in queue. A young man came and offered to show me (an old fellow) how to use the ATM and yes, it scanned the cheque. I did not like to explain to him that it was not my bank so his little lesson was not much use to me.
When I paid the balance (several thousand$) the manager said she preferred credit card so she did not have to go to the bank. I was very glad as I received the points and every $18,000 I put on my credit card I get $100 to spend at the hardware/garden centre.

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15005 on: May 24, 2017, 10:28:58 pm »
Me neither, although these days the ATMs scan the checks, right? In the old days you had to put it in an envelope and hope for the best.

I've never deposited into an ATM either. I don't really get how that works. I also use only my own bank's ATMs for withdrawals. At least for now, the bank doesn't charge you to get your own money out of their own ATMs.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15006 on: May 25, 2017, 09:25:33 am »
I've never deposited into an ATM either. I don't really get how that works. I also use only my own bank's ATMs for withdrawals. At least for now, the bank doesn't charge you to get your own money out of their own ATMs.

No. In fact, many nice banks won't even charge you for getting your own money out of other people's ATMS.



Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15007 on: May 25, 2017, 09:41:34 am »
No. In fact, many nice banks won't even charge you for getting your own money out of other people's ATMS.

That's interesting news to me, but I suppose you need to find that out from your bank?
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline southendmd

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15008 on: May 25, 2017, 09:44:04 am »
Many banks have mobile banking.  I can deposit a check using my cell phone, which takes a photo of the check. No need to even go to an ATM.

Offline brianr

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Re: Cellar Scribblings
« Reply #15009 on: May 25, 2017, 10:46:44 am »
I have such difficulty using a cell phone that I will not even think of going there.
I can withdraw free of charge from the Scotia Bank here in Canada and The Bank of America in the USA (No branches in Alaska :( ). But still my bank charges $5 for any withdrawal in an overseas currency which is why I have a money belt round my waist with Canadian and US bills that I purchased in Sydney last month. Hopefully I will not need to use an ATM until the end of June.