In the midst of the economic recovery, it seems like people are shying away from the plastic and doing it the old fashioned way. Reuters reported that on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, more people than ever – 39 percent - were using cash when they were out doing their holiday shopping.

Using cash is a smart way to help control how much you spend. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, right? That is, until you go to the ATM to get more out!

Seriously, cash or even better, a debit card is a great way to stick to your holiday budget. Keep in mind, however that while the cold hard stuff is nice, walking around with your holiday wad might just be too big of a security risk. If you’re going to go the cash route, here are a couple of tips to keep it safe:

Carry only what you need. Plan before you leave the house how much you are going to spend. This will not only help with your budget, but will also minimize theft if you end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Don’t carry all your cash in one place. Pickpockets usually only get one pick, so keeping two wads of cash can help minimize your loss if you get pick pocketed. Also, when you are paying for a purchase, you won’t have to rummage through your money to find the right change or smaller bills.

Pay attention when you are at the ATM or the bank withdrawing cash. Take a look around when you are withdrawing money to make sure that no one is watching you too closely. Avoid hitting the ATM at night.

Using cash is a great way to keep yourself on budget and control your spending this holiday season. Just pay attention, be smart and stay safe. Oh and stay on budget!!

This blog entry was featured in Carnival of Personal Finance: Parts-of-speech abuse edition | Mighty Bargain Hunter