Cash: money words series

Financial education is compulsory in schools but only about 40% of state schools are teaching it. But in my experience with the long-term debtor it wouldn't matter: we sit in the class going off into a dream world of vagueness.

Some of us who were lucky enough to do Saturday jobs got a tiny bit of a connection between work and money or objects sold and money. Especially if it was all done with cash.

What is cash? It's something that we all agree is a certain amount of money. If a pound of avocados costs a pound, then we all agree. The lady selling them, and me, when I buy them. There is no argument

When I worked as a child I began to realise that different things changed value and some things stayed the same. Cash was always cash however. A T-shirt could cost me all my money or some of it depending on the picture on the front. I also learned to do some basic calculations in my head without realising it: three bars of chocolate for a pound or two, three hours of babysitting in return for less cash than if I did the job for four hours.

I am a big fan of getting children to do some sort of work to learn about cash. Then as adults we can understand the real value of an item. That fabulous winter coat for sale in the summer will have a perceived value, which will only be fulfilled if the coat is actually worn.

Sitting around a table with lawyers, sellers and agents buying a flat in cash was peculiar. I could really see and smell the money in a way that just transferring the money via the Internet could never have done.

If I carry cash around with me, am I not at risk of it being stolen? Yes of course which is why we have cash/debit cards. But if you're trying to pay for everything cash, simply go to the cash machine and get out as much as you need. This will keeps a record in you bank statement so you can actually see what you're spending.

If I pay for cash for the car to be serviced I need to ask the garage how much it is going to cost. Going to the cashpoint, punching in the amount and then handing it over is far more real than just handing over a credit card.

Cash is also king when it comes to getting a good deal. Sellers love it, they also know where they stand. Service people have offered me a better deal when I have given them some cash up front and agreed to pay the balance in cash once the job is done.

Paying by cash means I am paying now rather at some later day when the statement comes in and I have forgotten I'd even made the purchase.

I love cash because it feels like I am really buying something rather than just picking something up with the wave of a credit card. Cash comes in colours and weights, to carry £20 in coins, feels like money in a way that paying by card does not. To count out those coins for coffee and cake for two, seems very different than passing something over a scanner.

Afterwards, I remember to write it down and keep it for my spreadsheet and I can easily recall the exchange.

If I can't take the cash out of my account because the money is not there, I can't get into debt. If I have no cash in my wallet I cannot spend it.

I have seen people look at me slightly askance when I count out my cash. I don’t care, I would far rather that than be kept up late at night with no idea what to do. I enjoy paying by cash now, whether it's quite large amounts or small.

I can see how the same coffee can double or even treble in price depending on where I buy it, just as I can see whether I want to be bothered to actually go to the cashpoint to buy something. Cash slows me down. That slight pause is needed for my brain to catch up with my debtor’s instinct to throw away money on whatever my eyes land on.