We have a funny relationship with money.
In the real world, credit and debit cards may have overtaken cash as the most popular method of payment. But we still prefer the real thing.
For us, it has to be cash every time; petty cash, to be specific.
Forget the internet or bagless vacuum cleaners. Petty cash must be one of the best inventions of all time. Cash when you need it. What a brilliantly simple idea. We're so used to it now that without those little tins most of the youth support sector would just grind to a halt.
From disposable barbeques to last-minute art and craft equipment, there are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's petty cash.
It really is our flexible friend. And we certainly need one from time to time. You just don't know when you'll need a tenner, do you? Actually, I do. It was last week when, out of the blue, Lee offered to make some food for a picnic we were organising.
Lee is a very quiet young man. We have been working with him for a while now but it's taking a long time for him to grow in confidence and engage with us. So when he offered to knock up a pasta salad and some other picnic snacks, it was a breakthrough.
But Lee is on 44.05 a week income support, which does not leave a lot to spend on non-essentials such as picnic food. In fact, it doesn't leave a lot full stop. We needed to take him up on his unexpected offer before he changed his mind. And waiting five days for the finance department to raise a cheque just wasn't an option when Lee does not even have a bank account.
So, thanks to petty cash, we managed to send Lee off with a tenner in his pocket. It was a risk worth taking. A week later, he came back loaded down with pasta salad and a lot more confidence. We even got a few quid in change and a receipt. What more could we ask for? Once again, petty cash didn't just save the day, it added a lot of value.
- Michael Bracey is principal youth officer for Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, michael.bracey@haynet.com.
