UPI (Unified Payments Interface) has spoiled us. We scan a QR code, type a PIN, and buy a tea in 3
seconds.
Money has become invisible. We don't feel the pain of spending it.
For 3 days, I vowed to use Checkbooks for major expenses and Cash for minor ones.
But the main goal: Try to pay a friend back for dinner using a Check.
> THE ANATOMY OF SLOW MONEY
Writing a check is a ceremony.
1. Date.
2. Name (Spelling matters!).
3. Amount in Numbers.
4. Amount in Words (Wait, is it "Forty" or "Fourty"?).
5. Signature.
By the time I finished writing a check for ₹2,500, I had thought about that ₹2,500 five times.
With UPI, I would have sent it without blinking.
Pay Rahul Sharma Or Bearer
Rupees Two Thousand Five Hundred Only
> THE SOCIAL EMBARRASSMENT
Scenario: Dinner with friends. Bill is split. My share is ₹800.
Me: "Can I give you a check?"
Friend: "What? Are you from 1985? Do I look like a bank?"
Me: "It's for the blog."
Friend: "I hate your blog."
People do not want checks. Checks are homework. You have to go to the bank to deposit them. Giving someone a check is giving them a chore.
> THE GROCERY STORE ATTEMPT
I tried to pay at a supermarket with a check.
The visual confusion on the cashier's face was worth it.
He called the manager. The manager called another manager.
They held the check up to the light.
"Sir, just GPay no?"
I ended up paying cash. The system has rejected the paper leaf.
> THE VALUE OF FRICTION
I spent 30% less this week. Why? Because paying was hard.
I didn't buy the impulse chocolate bar because I didn't want to break a 500 note.
I didn't buy the fancy shoes because writing "Four Thousand" in words made me realize how much money
that actually is.
Friction saves money. Convenience bankrupts you.
> CONCLUSION
I have shredded the remaining checks. But I learned that making spending "painful" is good for the wallet. I turned off "One Tap Checkout" on Amazon. I'm keeping a little bit of friction alive.