If I haven't scrounged around for cash by 8 a.m. on a weekday, it means I'm running late. If I still have cash by lunchtime, it's practically a miracle.

With two school-aged kids, I've given up on keeping an emergency $20 bill handy because "emergency" has taken on a much broader definition that includes early morning school supply runs, bacon cravings and — my favorite — trying to figure out how to make a purchase with a $20 bill that will yield the exact change needed for a field trip, which more often than not means I end up spending about $20 for field trips that rarely cost more than $10.

I've learned that the less cash I carry, the less I need to spend before work and the more likely I am to have accumulated enough small change to be able to cover those random expenses.

This was never more clear to me than it was a few days ago when I realized I'd forgotten my checkbook and needed to replenish the kids' lunch ticket supply. As I handed over almost all my cash, I could hardly begrudge my kids their midday meals. I knew I could make do with the emergency food stash I keep at the office because of the kids' tendency to eat my lunch money.

When she's not being a reporter, Treena Shapiro is busy with her real job, raising a son and daughter. Check out her blog at www.HonoluluAdvertiser.com/Blogs.