My week of only using cash — could notes and coins change my life?

I usually tap my phone to pay for almost everything, but after a reckless week of coffees and clothes I decided to try something stricter: no cards, no contactless, only cash. I set myself £180 for essentials and carried a £20 safety buffer, then headed to the bank because I couldn’t remember my PIN.

With ID the cashier let me withdraw £200, and I bought a flat pencil case for £1 to keep the notes safe. My first shop stop was Tesco, where a card-only self‑checkout forced me to queue for a staffed till; I handed over a £20 and spent £14.75. On day two I discovered practical limits to cash.

Lime bikes and many delivery apps accept only digital payments, and London buses haven’t taken cash since 2014, so I bought an Oyster card for £10 and added credit by handing over another £20. Tube journeys took £2.80 each, and a takeaway Nando’s came to £12, leaving the day’s total at £32.

United Kingdom, London

cash, contactless, cards, bank, pin, tesco, self checkout, oyster card, tube, delivery apps