Cash only? Have you ever tried to go a whole month using cash only? It’s quite a learning experience for most of us. Cash is somehow harder to part with than credit and checks for a lot of people. That’s backwards, of course. Credit is what really costs more. We borrow money for a percentage per month until we pay it back. It’s obvious, isn’t it?

Have you ever thought of it like that? Credit costs more, but for some of us, it is easier to pay with credit than with our cash. We’ve got it backwards. Don’t you feel some tension when you pay on credit? Can you feel how you get a tightness in your chest or your gut when you merely think about spending on credit? Interesting, isn’t it?

You may not always feel that. If you have an honest system in place for the income and outgo of cash in your life, then you may be one of those people who can spend on credit and know that you can pay the cost. You know what it is and you are willing to pay it. Or maybe you only put certain expenses on the credit card. You’ve made a decision about how you handle your credit that works for you. Or maybe you pay off your credit cards every month and accrue no interest. That’s clean, too.

But if you’re in a position where you’re paying for things on credit because you are afraid of losing your cash, it’s stressful to pay for things on credit. It comes out of fear and contraction. You can find a few authors and teachers who will explore this with you. Steven Sashen is one, at www.quantumwealth.com.

If you want to actually feel the difference between paying with credit or paying with cash, try going for 30 days spending only cash. Write no checks. Sign no credit slips. Spend only the cash you have. Yes, you can go to the bank and withdraw cash if you have cash in the bank to withdraw. That’s fine. See what it feels like to live on cash only. It can be quite freeing and it will definitely be an eye-opening experience.