Abundance and Transition: Dollar -> Euro

I seek to experience abundance in my life. Rather than holding on to anxious thoughts about money shortages and living costs, I am focusing on value and exchanging with people in my community and world.

Abundance in my life requires thoughtful attention to different cultures of wealth. As an American who is banking and shopping regularly in Germany, I am now very aware of two major cultural differences. First, Germans use cash more frequently than Americans do. Second, German cash includes more coinage than American cash.

What is debit card use like in Germany? While many larger vendors accept the EC-Card, I'm not sure how frequently Germans use them. During my regular shopping trips at Edeka, a small grocery downtown, I have only seen *one* customer use an EC-Card. Unfortunately, my observations are far from scientific. I only go shopping at certain times of day, and Edeka shoppers might be an unrepresentative sample of Germans. So accept my claims at your own discretion. :)

I don't think credit cards are part of everyday shopping in Germany. While I see that retailers have a 9-key PIN pad for EC-Cards, I have not seen a card swiping machine that has a screen for signing. Whereas I have paid with my VISA for less than $10 of merchandise at Wal-Mart, I would never do that at Ihr Platz!

So what's the significance of paying in cash more often in Germany? Exhibit A: photo. SO. MANY. COINS.

Euro denominations in coins are as follows: 1 ,2, 5, 10, 20, and 50-cents, as well as the intriguing 1 and 2-Euro coins. When I make an Auszahlung (withdrawal) at the ATM, I can receive paper bills in denominations of 5, 10, 20 or 50 Euros. Yes, 100 Euro notes exist, but I have not seen any in a long time...

When an American like me pays in cash often (e.g. a 10 or 20-Euro note), I receive a lot of coins in change. I usually stuff these coins into my pocket along with the Kassenbon (receipt) as I hurry away from the Kasse (cash register). After all, I'm usually just one of many customers in a long line at Edeka, and I have to bag my own groceries. In my haste, I forget about spending these coins, and so they end up in a large pile on my desk or floor as pictured!

After much deliberation, I have finally removed my American dollars and coins from my wallet. Yes, I've been schlepping about $15 USD with me everywhere. You may ask - why? What motivated this impractical behavior? Most likely, keeping my American money was comforting. Psychologically, I was telling myself: "I need my American money. Dollars feel more real, comfortable, and valuable to me." Now that these dollars are stored in my desk, I can say I am a (more) fully integrated member of European society. I work and receive my stipend here in Euros, so I shall also think and spend in terms of Euros. I am living within the European economy, so I have little reason to spend lots of time calculating exchange rates.

I'm intensely curious about how you are thinking and feeling about money during this (alleged) economic crisis. Along these lines, the financial maps of many of my friends are shifting in large and exciting ways. Such is life for the recent college graduate :) So, how are you experiencing abundance right now? What can we learn from each other about financial fitness?