{"id":150,"date":"2025-01-30T14:59:08","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T14:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/?p=150"},"modified":"2025-02-25T14:14:39","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T14:14:39","slug":"cash-is-king","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/cash-is-king\/","title":{"rendered":"Ditch plastic debit cards and swanky Apple Pay, cash is making a comeback"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Despite the rise of digital payments, new data suggests cash usage is increasing this year, offering a much-needed way to combat mindless consumption<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cash is making a comeback, and it\u2019s about damn time. The pandemic was predicted to condemn us to a cashless society full of swanky debit cards and the irritating <em>da-ding<\/em> of Apple Pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, new data from<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationwidemediacentre.co.uk\/news\/cash-usage-rises-for-third-year-as-brits-continue-to-value-money-in-their-pockets\"> Nationwide<\/a> has found that cash usage has increased in Britain for the third year in a row. This January, cash withdrawals increased by 4.6%. We here at <em>DITCH<\/em> are ever so happy that people are ditching their cards and reverting to cold, hard, beautiful cash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile is-image-fill-element\" style=\"grid-template-columns:44% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"750\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-178 size-full\" style=\"object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir.png 1500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir-1024x512.png 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir-770x385.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir-585x293.png 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir-1170x585.png 1170w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir-293x147.png 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir-1400x700.png 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-178 size-full\" style=\"object-position:50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir.png 1500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir-1024x512.png 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir-770x385.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir-585x293.png 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir-1170x585.png 1170w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir-293x147.png 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/nee-nor-noir-1400x700.png 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>Now, perhaps you are wondering why. Cash is heavy, cash involves counting, and worst of all, cash can be lost. This might be true, but it remains king for one simple reason: cash helps to combat mindless consumption.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Card management company<a href=\"https:\/\/www.londonandzurich.co.uk\/five-compelling-reasons-to-accept-credit-card-payments\/#:~:text=Encourage%20impulsive%20transactions,prospective%20customers%20will%20go%20elsewhere.\"> London Zurich<\/a> outlines the top five reasons why businesses should accept cards, and coming in at the top of the list: \u201cto encourage impulsive transactions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve all been there: you see something you like, and all it takes is a simple tap, and you\u2019ve acquired a new item that ten minutes ago you\u2019d never seen before, but 30 seconds ago, you impulsively decided you couldn\u2019t live without.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that impulse buy sits in the corner of your room, haunting your every waking hour and making you question: How has this happened? Am I really that weak? Will my life ever be the same again?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, firstly, know that it is not entirely your fault. In recent years, it has become much easier to fall into the trap of impulsive spending. Online payments, Apple Pay, credit cards and debit cards remove so many barriers to handing over your hard-earned cash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"954\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/Supporting-image_CashisKing_Eva-1-1024x954.jpeg\" alt=\"Cash note with graffiti crown to show cash is king\" class=\"wp-image-387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/Supporting-image_CashisKing_Eva-1-1024x954.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/Supporting-image_CashisKing_Eva-1-300x279.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/Supporting-image_CashisKing_Eva-1-770x717.jpeg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/Supporting-image_CashisKing_Eva-1-1536x1431.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/Supporting-image_CashisKing_Eva-1-2048x1908.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/Supporting-image_CashisKing_Eva-1-293x273.jpeg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/Supporting-image_CashisKing_Eva-1-1400x1304.jpeg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"954\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/Supporting-image_CashisKing_Eva-1-1024x954.jpeg\" alt=\"Cash note with graffiti crown to show cash is king\" class=\"wp-image-387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/Supporting-image_CashisKing_Eva-1-1024x954.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/Supporting-image_CashisKing_Eva-1-300x279.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/Supporting-image_CashisKing_Eva-1-770x717.jpeg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/Supporting-image_CashisKing_Eva-1-1536x1431.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/Supporting-image_CashisKing_Eva-1-2048x1908.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/Supporting-image_CashisKing_Eva-1-293x273.jpeg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2025\/01\/Supporting-image_CashisKing_Eva-1-1400x1304.jpeg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cash is&#8230;queen? | Photo: Eva Cahill<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And secondly, know that you\u2019re not alone. Mindless consumption is a growing problem: 67% of 18 to 34-year-olds<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ipsos.com\/en-uk\/around-half-all-britons-engage-doom-spending#:~:text=New%20research%20from%20Ipsos%20reveals,a%20popular%20trend%20among%20Britons.&amp;text=Download-,New%20research%20from%20Ipsos%20reveals%20that%20%22doom%20spending%22%2C%20the,a%20popular%20trend%20among%20Britons.\"> report<\/a> that they \u201cdoom spend\u201d to cheer themselves up. It\u2019s a phenomenon we know all too well; you\u2019re having a crap day, so you buy yourself a treat in a half-hearted bid to cheer yourself up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, here\u2019s where good old-fashioned cash comes in. A study by the research journal<a href=\"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/QMR-04-2023-0049\/full\/html\"> Qualitative Market Research<\/a> in October 2024 found that cash promotes spending awareness by forcing you to think about the money you are literally handing over. Getting out your wallet, picking out the correct change, and handing over your hard-earned cash all place much-needed barriers between you and your purchase. This process wins you some time to ask yourself the critical question: do I really need this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, cash is a winner. It\u2019s good for your bank balance, it\u2019s a good way to combat over-consumption, and it\u2019s good for your wallet &#8211; which can finally feel useful after a couple of years of being discarded for your phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-dbb199ed41c2e1af24e7c439cf3d2f02\" style=\"color:#e9ff00\"><strong><strong>Social media influencer @budgetliketheothers recommends putting cash in envelopes to help you manage your spending. Follow the steps below to give it a go:<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e9fc6e33181ae82d9e12d1782a5c1d42\" style=\"color:#e9ff00\">1) Have a long hard look at yourself and analyse where you spent your money last month.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-979f36873184019ed8cbbb6558c0fd9c\" style=\"color:#e9ff00\">2) Figure out which expenses were unnecessary. For example, what have you bought that you haven\u2019t used, and in what areas have you overspend, i.e., coffee.\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a4abc5153da2837558c9f8f52e201ca3\" style=\"color:#e9ff00\">3) Allot a certain amount of cash in different envelopes to spend on those expenses.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7fe824507cfc6250826557c745ba5605\" style=\"color:#e9ff00\">4) For the next month, challenge yourself to only spend the cash within the envelope on each expense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Let us know how if it works for you on our Instagram @ditch.magazine or our TikTok @ditchmag <\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Despite the rise of digital payments, new data suggests cash usage is increasing this year, offering a much-needed way to combat mindless consumption<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1191,"featured_media":383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[13,12,18],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ourtakes","tag-analogue","tag-cash","tag-underconsumption"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1191"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":590,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150\/revisions\/590"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}