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Thought debit card was just as good as cash until my $212 grocery run in Boise taught me a lesson
For 3 years I used my debit card for everything and thought cash people were just being paranoid. My wife kept saying I spend less when I use bills but I didn't buy it.
Last month I did a test. Two weeks on card, two weeks cash only. Card weeks I averaged $340 on groceries and eating out. Cash weeks I averaged $212. Same stores, same town here in Boise.
What made the difference? I think it's that handing over actual bills hurts a little. With the card I just tap and move on. No pain at all. I also noticed I stopped making those little $4 and $5 stops because I didn't want to break a $20.
I'm not saying cards are evil. But I was wrong about them being the same. They are not the same.
Anyone else run a test like this? Curious what your gap was between the two weeks.
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martin.riley22d ago
Funny how a piece of plastic makes you feel like you're playing with Monopoly money until the real bills show up. Handing over a $20 and watching the cashier break it is its own kind of pain, and that tiny sting is doing more work than any budget app ever will. Turns out your wife was right, which honestly might be the most expensive part of this whole experiment.
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