I can't see how it's easier. The amount of cash in your wallet is an easily-exhaustible resource, whereas if you have your credit card in your wallet, it doesn't run out until you hit your credit limit. So you don't have to worry about restocking your wallet with a trip to the ATM. Similarly, you just have to worry about the one piece of plastic (some people use more than one credit card, but that's a choice) whereas with cash, you have to differentiate between different denominations, do some quick math, etc. Then you have to take change back, and if you're diligent about it, count the change to make sure it's correct.

Seems like a lot more work to me.

I don't think it's faster, either. It's true that the speed advantage of credit cards is often overstated, but studies in this area seem dubious at best.

I'm not attacking you for your personal preference, and totally understand the privacy / Big Brother concerns. But speed and simplicity are not valid arguments for using cash.