I took some real money

out of the bank the other day. The bank teller looked a bit puzzled as I explained what I wanted.  Yes, someone had given me some bank notes and I was changing them for coins. 

"But won't you be getting people to pay by card?" I was asked. 

"No, the whole point is that it is a "gold coin" event," I told the teller, "These are children. My friend is trying to teach them about money."

It was clearly beyond the teller. Perhaps it is just as well that I had offered to do the transaction for P.... while I was in the bank myself.  I was in the bank for rather more complicated reasons relating to the scholarship fund for our African "family". P... would probably have given the teller a lesson about the proposed lesson.

But it set me thinking that some children never see money now. I observed a boy of about seven paying for something in the supermarket. He was using a card of some sort. The checkout person was not too thrilled when the child asked for a receipt but I breathed a sigh of relief. At least that was something. I did wonder how much he really knew about money though. 

Apparently one of our more outspoken and wayward Senators was in strife the other day because the Parliament House canteen will only accept cards...or will they. He stood his ground and told them that cash is legal tender and failing to accept it was not on. He won. 

It is not unusual though to find a business saying they are "card only" and that they do not deal in cash. I do not like that. There are times when only cash will work. Half a million people in a neighbouring state discovered that yesterday when the power went off. It is why I keep a small amount of cash in the house. (No, I will not tell you where and you would never guess.) 

Some years ago there was a cafe in the hills behind me that said "card only". I was there one day with a friend and we had planned to go in. She saw the "card only" sign and said, "They obviously don't want my business." I was surprised because she uses a card constantly. Then I realised it was pension morning and many older people were doing their shopping. Many of them would have cash and she was thinking of them as well. We moved on and she bought me a very nice cold drink a little further along the street. The "card only" cafe failed a short time later.

There is still something to be said for "real money"...and some people know it.