Luckily, respiratory mucus isn't usually labeled to be legal tender for all debts, public and private.

Paper money and coins are filthy. Always wash your hands after dealing with money of any kind, especially if you're about to eat whatever that money just bought.

@courtarro: A-yup. When I worked in retail, my fastidious manager reminded us of that fact often. Too often.

I like my debit card.

So wait, everyone stop!

I SHOULDN'T lick the respiratory mucus off of my money??
Now what am I supposed to do??

Money is filthy. After an eight hour shift at work, my fingers are black from it. Apparently the things most found on money are viruses, cocaine and semen! FUN!

@Eldritch:

Nasty. Nasty and gross. Let's all go paperless!

@Eldritch: Just further proof that money = happiness.

@bennilynn: Debit cards aren't safe either, I've had numerous women pull their debit or credit card out of their bras and hand them to me. ::shudders::

@Canino:
unless it belongs to Megan Fox.

@courtarro: there's an old chinese saying:

scholar works with clean ink sticks
merchant works with dirty money

@courtarro: When I was a cashier, it was so disheartening to see the water run grey when I washed my hands. :[

@Canino:

Kudos to you, sir.

But the cashier will still shove one of those ballpoint pens that have been handled by hundreds of people for you to sign your receipt. Or you get to use the pen stylus also handled by hundreds of other people to sign the signature pad.

I try to use my own pen to sign. Have not figured out a way around using the stylus pen. Maybe carrying purel is the only solution?

What is the difference between swiss currency and ours? I know their(the EU) coins can't contain certain metals b/c some people in some countries are "sensitive" to it.

I did a project about bacteria on money in high school. Staphylococcus (fecal contamination), Streptococcus (other bodily fluids), & flesh-eating bacteria are not hard to find. Since then, I've only handled cash when absolutely necessary.

Darn it, I should have done that project on viruses. Who knew they could be so damn hardy?

That why I use debit! :)

so.... Credit is bad for you, and Cash is bad for you!

Great! maybe I can barter and trade goods for livestock. Some vegetables for some 2 year old pigs--D'OH!

In some neighborhoods, you can get chlamydia from a dollar bill as well.

Switzerland is not a part of European Union, nor does it use Euro.

In a Purel world, I choose to live dangerously. It'll help my immune system.

Apparently, you can't actually get swine flu unless you're mexican.

I do appreciate consumerist playing into the fear game a little bit though.

You can get swine flu from ANYWHERE!!! Its a scary pandemic in the works. You can get it by thinking about it too much. You can get it by petting a small kitten or shopping online for music. You can even get it by watching to many saturday morning cartoons. BEWARE the swine flu BEWARE. Is coming for YOU

I seriously don't understand why the US still prints paper money when Europe and lots of other countries use bills made of plastic... It's more resistant, doesn't carry so many diseases, doesn't carry stuff like blood or heroin on the surface, it's harder to counterfeit...

@Eldritch: That's why I prefer to go to places where I can swipe instead of handing to anyone. Not that I don't go to places that don't, but it does minimize contamination.

@lonebannana: Credit isn't bad for you. Spending more on credit than you make IS.

@skizsrodt:

[doihaveswineflu.org]