. I use my debit card on almost everything, and that is directly tied to my checking account.

I was using my debit card quite a bit until I got nervous about leaving that number in lots of stores and restaurants. Granted the chances for fraud are still low, but the debit card doesn't provide the same protection that Visa/MC do. So now, I just use it for ATM and maybe at the gas pump.

The more paranoid I get the more I want to return to a pure cash model. Part of it is the whole tracking aspect. When Radio Shack asks my name, I love telling them "Johnny Cash". Oh, and I won't tell Doug that I get really wound up when (with cash in hand) I get stuck behind somebody charging a $1.65 cup of coffee at Tully's and the POS credit card reader won't work!
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Jim


'Tis the exceptional fellow who lies awake at night thinking of his successes.