Despite the huge number of credit and debit cards in circulation in the UK we still pay for lots of purchases with cash. But a chap called James Allan has tried to prove that you just don’t need to carry any cash with you.

Following a bet with a friend in the pub one evening James agreed to try and live without cash for a year. He blogs about his experiences though  first read about him in The Telegraph a couple of weeks ago. Do have a read and see where it’s hard to pay unless you have the physical cash.

I’m always trying to pay on credit or debit card myself – I started doing this when the zero percent deals where all the rage on both balance transfers and purchases. It made sense because with having an offset mortgage the money I didn’t pay back to the credit card company stayed in the offset account, reducing my debt each month and saving me interest charges.

There are some ways around paying for cash – you can buy (paying by credit card or standing order) pre-pay cards such as the Oyster card for low value purchases. And wave and pay cards should become more popular over the next couple of years.

I’ll still try and buy most things on credit card from a book of stamps to a £3 train ticket to 65p or so for a newspaper. But I end up still paying cash in of our countries most favourite locations - the pub!

Veteran rocker Iggy Pop has recently been seen as the front man for the Swiftcover adverts. The campaign is called Get a life, Get Swiftcovered and Iggy Pop is famous for his Lust For Life song.

But the ad has angered some musicians who have complained to the Advertising Standards Authority because Swiftcover does not insure musicians.

This years budget day has been set for April 22, 2009 – the latest date since 1945. The Chancellor, Alistair Darling (presumably still in the job!) is waiting until after the Easter parliamentary recess to give the little red briefcase it’s annual public airing.