I must have missed something. I didn't read what patio11 wrote to suggest that he thought paying with cash (or it's equivalent) would be a bad decision. It seems to me like your friend made a sane and responsible choice when she ditched the bank.

Really, if asked, I don't know anyone struggling financially who has a line-item in their budget to cover not having money. Maybe overdrafts should be capped and charged the going annual interest rate for short-term loans. If I understand correctly, that is how they are handled in Germany.