One week of cash spending reveals how cards hide the cost of daily life
A journalist who used only cash for a week found it made spending feel real and revealed how cards hide costs.
A serial tap-and-go user challenged herself to spend only cash for seven days. Finding an ATM charged her $3.80 to withdraw $400.
A journalist discovered she had no idea just how much she normally spent, which itself was shocking. Walking through Aldi with physical money, she spent $98 on groceries compared to her usual $120, 150 online.
The biggest revelation came at the petrol pump: watching the price climb to $100 and physically handing over two $50 notes hurt in a way tapping never does. According to UNSW economist Professor Gigi Foster, this is behavioural economics: handing over physical money makes the loss feel real and painful.
When paying by card, the act is invisible and the cost abstract. The experiment exposed another problem: many places no longer accept cash, from delivery apps to self-serve checkouts and office vending machines.
She discovered a new Thai restaurant, saved money at markets, but struggled to order dinner when delivery wasn't an option.
- $3.80
- ATM withdrawal fee
- $98 vs $120-150 usual
- Cash grocery spend
- $100
- Petrol pump cost
- Professor Gigi Foster, UNSW
- Economist
Why it mattersCard payments make spending invisible, which is why people often overspend without realising just how much has left their account by month's end.
AustraliaAs Australia moves toward cashless payments, fewer places accept physical money, making it harder for people to use cash as a spending brake if they want to.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
