My kebab?

Written on the 7 October 2026

Big Brother, Stop Judging My Kebab

Once upon a time, you bought a burger and got indigestion. Now you get a digital footprint as well. Terrific. Chips with that surveillance?

Spending records tell half a story. A pub payment could be lunch with Nan. Three takeaways could mean three double shifts. A $90 dog haircut means your cavoodle has a stronger personal brand than you.

Imagine missing out on a rental because someone judges those purchases, despite you comfortably affording the rent.

I’m applying for a home, not financial custody of my nuggets.

Intrusive rental applications are a real concern: Australia’s Privacy Commissioner found that platform 2Apply collected excessive personal information by unfair means. Government agencies and private businesses should have to explain why they need our details. “We’re a bit nosy” shouldn’t qualify. Source: OAIC.

So why the enthusiasm for ditching cash?

Card networks like transactions going through card networks. Funny, that. They earn revenue from payment activity; cash purchases bypass them. Visa describes cash spending as a growth opportunity. Your emergency fifty is apparently an underperforming member of their sales team. Source: Visa.

Banks have costs to cut. Cash needs counting, security, transport and stocked ATMs. As usage falls, those costs become harder to spread—an incentive to steer us towards digital alternatives. Banknotes keep insisting on an armoured ride to work. Source: RBA.

Meanwhile, credit cards have turned budgeting into a problem for a bloke called Future Me.

Lovely bloke. Apparently loaded. Unfortunately, he’s stopped answering my calls.

Credit can be useful, but a credit limit isn’t disposable income. Cash offers a firmer reality check: withdraw $150, spend $50, have $100 left. When it’s gone, your wallet doesn’t email to say you’ve been pre-approved for more poor decisions.

So buck the trend. On payday, cover your essentials, bills and savings, then withdraw an affordable fun-money allowance from your own funds. Check the ATM fee and make it last.

The withdrawal still appears on your statement, but individual cash purchases generally don’t. That means a clearer budget, more everyday privacy and support for keeping cash available.

Pay the rent. Buy the kebab. Nobody needs to convene a committee about the garlic sauce.