I found I had a "poor relationship" with money due to always getting out my card and paying without even paying proper attention to how much I was spending. I am/was terrible at tracking what I spend when using my card.

So I tried the cash experiment by looking at what I spent each week then taking enough out in cash for it all. Having to do that quick calculation of how much to give the cashier made me realise just how much I spent on crap. I realised over time I had become blind to the prices of items as I picked them up. I would just grab what I was used to getting. So having to make sure when I got to the check out I had enough cash to pay for it made me look at the price as I picked up an item and keep a running total in my head.

It didn't take long before I shocked myself that I was spending €15-20 every day on lunch. Plus an additional €10 on a coffee. Plus lots of other random €5-15 purchases.

Carrying cash I realised how quickly I burned through it all. It helped me appreciate what you can get for a Euro.

From there I decided to change some of my habits to spend better. I was clearly over-eating (as I was fat and even with "healthy eating" I never lost more than a couple of kilos) so decided to plan my meals out of the home. Then I planned my meals at home to be healthier and cheaper.

Then it was just a good habit to actually check how much I was spending on things before I got to the check out. I read a few articles and skimmed books on how to better spend and save but to be honest it is just common sense and paying attention to what you are buying. Unless of course you are talking large amounts of money but then you should seek some professional advice IMHO which is what I have always done. But when it comes to your day-to-day spending common sense and knowing how much you're spending is key and for me cash helped with that.

Obviously this won't be the solution for everyone but it worked well for me. If you haven't tried it I suggest you commit to it for two months. It is scary to leave you debit card at home and just take cash (I kept my credit card on me but that is only used for emergencies anyway) but do it and see how using cash works for you.

Also just to clarify I don't get cash out every time I go to buy something. That would be a pain in the ass. Instead I take out €800 on pay day, keep 200 in my wallet for that week and put the rest in my office for the rest of the month. Not one week has come to an end with me being on zero. I think the lowest I have ever been was just under 20 remaining.

Then on Sunday night whatever is left over carries over to next week and I take the rest from the initial 800 (well 600 on the second week). Then at the end of the month whatever I have left rolls over to the next month and I get out 800 minus whatever that left over amount is. So if I have 100 left I take out 700 rather than 800 the following month then I transfer that 100 difference into savings right away.

Hope I have explained that in a way that makes sense? :)

Update: Forgot to mention that tracking my spending with cash also changed my relationship with the foods I ate. I have cut right back on meat for example as I realised I was eating processed meat every day so I reduced that to quality meat three times a week. Just that change alone and I lost almost 10KG in a couple of months of no other changes. I went to the doctor to get my bloods checked as at first I was worried something was wrong with me. The doctors response? "well you stopped eating shitty processed meats and started eating more greens, of course you will lose weight". My bloods came back perfect.