Cash in the Tank

Went on a road trip with my wife up to Rochester to visit some friends. One of the things we have been doing this month is living off cash and not credit, a real challenge, especially when it comes to the gas tank. I probably haven’t paid for gas in cash since I was in high school when I didn’t have a credit card and there was no guesstimating because in Jersey they fill up your tank and then tell you what you have to pay. With this trip it was a lot of guessing and figuring out like how much we needed, can you over guess, if so, do you go in to the gas station to get the change? It was intimidating and a little confusing, but we did it and for me it felt good. I was able to overstep a fear and use cash in a situation where credit or debit is more convenient. But that brings up a new question, “Where should convenience be sacrificed when it comes to using our money?” That’s a debate I think most have, is there a time when it’s okay or even if it’s ever okay to use our credit cards? The thing I like about cash is the fact that it confronts my emotional attachment to money, I use to hide behind a credit card, but with cash I really think about where and how I’m using it. It’s only been a week since we started the challenge of living off of cash, but I can already see God molding my heart and helping me address issues I didn’t think were there. With the students I really hope that they are thinking about it, they don’t have to get, they just need to think about it.