Debit Cards

My cheap mother has never owned a debit card. She has never used an ATM. She has credit cards, but probably only because she was drawn in by an offer of a free t-shirt or 2-liter of diet coke for applying for a card. She also purchases cheap computer stuff online, so she probably needs a credit card for that.

So, what possible advantage could not having an ATM/Debit card provide to someone who is cheap? It makes it that much harder to buy anything. Every payday my cheap mother takes her check to the bank, makes a deposit, and gets some small amount of cash back that she keeps in an envelope. This is her supply of cash for the next week, and she will not get more FOR ANY REASON! For example, when she eats all of the hot dog buns, she cannot possibly buy more because she has no cash left, or needs her remaining cash for something more important (probably diet soda that only she is allowed to have).