When I leave the house I take my diary and my iPhone. I usually carry my wallet too but that's less important. These days I rarely use cash for anything other than gratuities and I keep £ coins in my coat pocket for that purpose.
Yesterday morning was perfect gardening weather but I had to make a quick visit to town to the medical practice, to The Woodlands to collect something from one friend for another friend, and for a few groceries.
I did my shop and went to the till and put my few things through and into my bag. It was at this point that I realised that I forgot my phone and therefore my store and payment app. Fortunately I had my wallet in my pocket.
I had to resort to my credit cards in my wallet. However neither had been used for the supermarket before so needed the PIN number. I use them so infrequently I had no idea what they were. I needed my phone for that! Fortunately my debit card worked.
I spent the rest of the day realising just how dependent I have become on my 'phone. What has really frightened me, though, is the fact that my brain couldn't see past the absence of the phone. I had sufficient actual cash in my wallet and pocket but it actually never occurred to me to check. (Since I wrote that I have realised that the self-service checkouts have no provision for cash).
I am off to join Phonaholics Anonymous.
On the way home the cherry blossom calmed me down:
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I am just now getting into the habit of taking my 'phone with me every time I go out, mainly to stop my husband nagging me. He's right, though - it's not good to be isolated.
ReplyDeleteThe trees are beautiful and would surely lift anyone's spirits.
Janice, I have known of so many situations where a mobile phone could or did save lives that that alone convinces me to carry it.
DeleteWithout my phone, I could still pay in shops and do a lot of other things, since I very rarely leave the house without my wallet - last but not least because in Germany one is required by law to carry some form of official identity at all times in public, be it an ID card (Personalausweis), passport (rare), driving license (don‘t have one) or similar.
ReplyDeleteBut everything I need for public transport, which I use almost daily, is on my iphone - annual railway pass, tickets, two apps for local and national train times etc. I could still travel without the phone, but would need to pay cash or with my debit or credit card, and of course the ticket would have to be on paper - something I have not had in many years. Also, I would not be able to easily find information about delays, cancellations and alternative connections - a frequent need.
Otherwise, my phone contains contact details for friends and family, photos, access to emails and so on, but I can easily go without these when I‘m out and about. I could also go without its integrated camera, of course, but I‘d certainly miss it during my walks and would probably constantly reach for it in my bag in vain.
Meike I recall being in Berlin and forgetting my Personalausweis equivalent and having to take my car to a garage for a serious fault. They would not even allow me to leave it on their forecourt whilst I was driven home by my friend to get documentation.
DeleteYes, I'm far more used to making sure I have my phone, rather than my purse, when I leave the house. I think I've forgotten how to function without it, even though I rarely use it to actually telephone anyone :)
ReplyDeleteJules, you are of the young generation to which my brain still pretends I belong when it comes to technology.
DeleteIf I go out without my phone I know as soon as I start the car because the car tells me the phone is not connecting. However, it is very rare that I don't put it in my pocket as the last thing I do when leaving the house. Like Meike I use it for my train apps and checking when the train is coming and where exactly it is on the live indicator boards and I would be lost without. I carry a debit card and some cash for emergencies and also for tips when I know I will be needing it.
ReplyDeleteRachel, in the car I need either to press a button or sit the phone in its cradle and I don't always remember to do that if I'm just going into town. The odd thing is that if anyone rings me if it's in my pocket it connects to the AppleCarplay automatically.
DeleteI suppose I must have Luddite encoding in my genes, because I don’t use my phone for any of these things, and forget it as often as I remember it. I am of the ilk that still considers “tap and go” quite miraculous! I don’t often use cash, but we always have some available for purchases made at the end of farm lanes where an honesty box is the only method of payment. Let me know how you make out at Phonaholics Anonymous. Seems like you need the intensive programme, Graham!
ReplyDeleteI am with you in the luddite camp, for almost all of my shopping I use cash if out (or use click& collect from home to just pick up). I do carry a smartphone though, mainly for internet access for bus timetables and occasional pictures. Coincidentally, I have been in several shops recently where there have been notices on the till - cash only - because their payment system is down.
DeleteDavid the thing about Phoneaholics Anon is like all Anons - you have to want to be cured!
DeleteWill, when one of our supermarkets payment system went down they had to close it. Ironically a large coffee shop in London only accepts NON-cash transactions. He saves a fortune in bank charges (it costs more to bank cash than electronic transactions) but more importantly he saves over an hour a day of his time cashing up and the hour or so a week travelling to the nearest bank which will accept bags of cash. It also eliminates pilfering. If you don't have cash as a casual customer your coffee is free.
I would like to join David's Luddite club, please.
ReplyDeleteMy phone, despite having the capability to function as a small but high-powered computer, is used for phone calls (and texts which I still hate but accept are part of life), and as a camera, in fact, probably as a camera more than anything else 😄. I always carry a debit card, credit card and cash reckoning that wherever I am at least one of the three will work.
Jayne, the world needs Luddites as much as it needs the rest of us.
DeleteYou are such a thoroughly Modern Millie. I don't use cash either, but I do carry it with me, just in case.
ReplyDeleteAndrew I don't think anyone has ever called me Millie before but I have always loved technology ever since my Dad taught me about series and parallel wiring with tiny bulbs and batteries when I was a very small child.
DeleteI don't have any banking or train apps or the like on my 'phone, but I do carry my credit and debit cards tucked inside its case. Possibly not recommended but just easier to find them. I am always conscious that my 'phone could one day stop working so I do not want to become reliant on it. My purse always has a reasonable amount of cash for day to day purchases in town.
ReplyDeleteJayCee the trouble with any technology these days if it breaks down we can be in the mire.
DeleteI don't use my phone for payments and still haven't installed any apps allowing me to. So if I go anywhere where I may need to pay, I bring my wallet. (I always carry a handbag anyway, except on very short walks close to home.) I nearly always pay by card these days, but still also have a little cash in my wallet. I don't like the idea of using my phone for money transactions - but I suspect I'll probably have to give in soon and at least make it possible, as in more and more contexts it now seems to be expected. I do always bring my phone when I go out, even if I rarely use it outdoors except as camera. Or to check bus timetables if needed.
ReplyDeleteMonica, I suspect that you are like the vast majority of those older than teenagers. I suspect it is I who is out of step with most of my and the previous few generations.
DeleteI don't use my phone to pay. So I don't need it to shop. Our regular checkout and self-checkout take cash or credit/debit cards. I always have my purse when I shop so I have the cash or cards I need in that.
ReplyDeleteI hate when I have to remember a PIN or password and so keep them on a written list hidden in my home. Of course, now I shouldn't have told everyone that, altho, I hope I can trust all of you! ;)
Ellen, my PIN numbers are stored but that was no use to me when I needed them in the shop. I certainly can't remember what they are.
DeleteThat last picture does not look as though it was taken in the windswept, harsh landscape of the storm-battered Outer Hebrides. It looks more like a park in Surrey. As someone who has never owned a mobile phone, I would never find myself in a position like the one you described.
ReplyDeleteYP I tried for ages to incorporate you into my heading but couldn't think of anything succinct and witty enough.
DeleteHave a nice day and don't forget your phone! Do you still say "mobile" for your phone? My in laws always did but perhaps most just say "phone" now. After all, I think most folks have gotten rid of their land line. In case of panic, always consult blossoms.
ReplyDeleteKay, I call mine my cellphone or my mobile or simply my phone. I do have a landline but I never use it to make calls.
DeleteWhat an experience! Nothing like cherry blossom for calming you down LOL xx
ReplyDeleteThat's true, Margaret.
DeleteI use my phone for calls...texts....and photos!!
ReplyDeleteAlso as a computer.....but no payment apps!!
Probably very wise, GZ.
DeleteWe get in a routine and it's hard to think outside the box.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Red, too true.
DeleteNot to worry, there are self check out machines that take cash, at least here in the USA.
ReplyDeletePaying by phone is years away from my mind. Those scan square thingies are evil.
Maywyn, I've never really though of the codes as evil but......
DeleteI still like to carry some cash. I always think that around £200 in my wallet would see me through any unforeseen situation. It usually seeps away over a long period by the weekly visit to my local.
ReplyDeleteCro, the irony is that I, unusually, had cash in my wallet but didn't think of it and, in any case, the assistant would have had to cancel everything and then wait for a manned checkout.
DeleteI've had to use my phone more recently while my laptop was having surgery. For some reason I'm always reluctant to use it for banking or making any payments. Although I happily use an app when buying petrol. I carry my drivers license and a debit card in the case and usually a $20 note. My needs are simple.
DeleteMy phone has a case and in it there is a £10 note tucked in. Not that I use the phone to pay for stuff but just in case when out Dogwalking without wallet/purse and handbag. I don't forget the phone as it has Spotify and I listen (with one ear-thing) to my selection of music all the time. Lesley
ReplyDeleteLesley, when I go walking I usually listen to music however it's a while since I've been walking regularly in the woods like I used to do 4 or 5 times a week.
DeleteIt used to be a £5 note now it's £10. Lesley
DeleteI think most of us are dependant on our phones and it makes me wonder how the world would cope if we didn't have them anymore, probably back to the good old simple days when we didn't need them. I am a bit wary though of having a banking app on my phone in case it's ever stolen so I use cards too.
ReplyDeleteAmy, if my bank cards were stolen then they could be used to tap in the UK for up to £100 until I cancelled it. My phone, on the other hand, can only be used with my face recognition.
DeleteI have never used my phone for any kind of transactions. I'm a technophobe AND there are so many scams and hackers that I prefer to keep the risk at a minimum. I have one card I use for online purchases and nothing else, It has a purposely low limit. But I don't do any of that stuff on my phone because I'm a big old baby.
ReplyDeleteDebby, ironically using the phone for 'cash' transactions is the securest way for me because it can only be used with my face recognition. My card can be used for anything up to £100 until it's reported stolen and cancelled.
DeleteI have inside or zipped pockets in the jackets I wear out - and have a tenner or an amount of loose change in each jacket - or a credit card, just in case I come across something I want when I'm out walking. I take my phone but it's no smarter than I am (I think it's called a dumb phone........)I had to have a new one recently but it's still pay as you go, and kept in case of breakdowns of the car or myself, so far over about 20 years I reckon my calls on mobiles have cost me less than £50. I'm pretty much old school and still make and take most calls on my landline. The cost of smart phones just isn't viable for me. Elaine
ReplyDeleteElaine, at least you keep a phone for emergencies. These days when people refuse to carry a phone 'on principle' or because of stubbornness I think it is selfish because if they have an accident those who care for them are worried and incommoded trying to find them
DeleteGB, this is the exact reason that I am nervous about people having cell phones but no land line, and vehicles that run solely on electricity. Environmental blah-blah notwithstanding, if everyone relies solely on cell phones and electric vehicles, all an enemy needs to do is cut off our power supply and cell towers, and then we are powerless to get somewhere else, and to communicate with each other. The more we rely on "charge it up" technology, the more others have control over what we are able to access and do in an emergency. So long as everything is working properly, yeah, it's handy as hell. But what about when things go wrong (because they always eventually do)?
ReplyDeletePretty much all of us are all addicted to our phones, Graham, I wouldn't get too concerned about it. Having said that, the amout of money the banks take from us all in fees makes me angry so I'm trying to make a return to using cash in small businesses (of course, using cash isn't related directly to phones but it's close)
ReplyDeleteThe cherry blossom is glorious!