‘Handing over cold hard cash makes you think twice’: the people ditching cards in the cost of living crisis

With inflation raging and real wages falling, more and more of us are taking an old-school approach to staying on top of spending. Suddenly coins and notes are back in favour

A year ago, buying a Starbucks coffee didn't feel real" to Samantha Thomas. It was just tapping," the 41-year-old private tutor from Wigan says. It didn't feel like real money, it was just my card." Nowadays, Thomas pulls out a 5 note every time she wants a hot drink. When you're physically handing over solid money," she says, it just makes you think twice."

For the last 12 months, Thomas has been a cash-only consumer. She leaves her debit card at home when she does her weekly food shop, bringing only the budget she has allocated in notes. As a result, Thomas could sit here and tell you to the penny" what most items in the supermarket cost. I know that if I go to Aldi something would cost me 6p less than if I went to Asda and about 5p less than if I went to Tesco," she says. Thomas's solid money" habit hasn't just changed her attitude to Starbucks; it's changed the way she spends and saves entirely.