Preferred Method(s) of Payment

I always had this theory about myself, but it’s been proven in the last few months—tangible items just can’t be beat.

By this I mean—I still don’t have any type of electronic reading device (and doubt I will anytime soon) because I just love holding a book too much. I don’t have to rely on electricity or outside sources to enjoy a book—just open it up and escape. Although I read a lot of news online, to me it still doesn’t compare to having a magazine or newspaper in my hand.

And, I’ve learned, I’m the same way with payments.

I’d been working at a temp job for a few months, and opted for Direct Deposit just for the sake of convenience (same thing with my teaching gig—that’s direct deposit, too).  Payday had the usual thrill just because I knew my bank account was getting a nice bump, but to me it wasn’t the same as getting a paper check and physically going to the bank to deposit it. I think that’s why I was even more excited to get a check for a freelance project!   I have a PayPal account, but if an editor gives me the option to be paid through that or with an actual check, I take the check (did you know PayPal has user fees attached? Me either, but that was another big deal breaker when I found out!) I know, I know--as a freelancer, I should be grateful to be getting paid at all, let alone on time (thank you editors--that's never been an issue here!), but in a perfect world, I'd take an actual paycheck rather than incessantly checking my bank account online.

As a writer, I know that I need to embrace new technology and keep my skills sharp to a certain extent, but in many ways, I’m still very old school. I’m not looking forward to the day when everything is digital and hard copy anything goes the way of the dinosaur—when I have a check in my hand, I don’t know…to me it really feels like I earned that money. Am I a total freak?

What about you? Do you have an affinity for the tangible, or have you gone strictly high-tech with your preferred payment methods?