Credit Cards are a much sought after commodity in today's lifestyle. Young people cannot wait to get their first credit card. Yuppies are forever on the hunt for more gold. Somehow the impression is created that life is not complete without credit cards. Too many people have come to believe that credit cards are a destination - the entry to some higher form of life.
This is not so! The person who can live without a credit card is much better off than the person with an endless supply of cards. However, there is a middle road somewhere. Today's lifestyle often prescribes that we should have a card to book a hotel or a rental car or buy an online flight ticket. But not to wine and dine and splurge.
The information on this website is based on years of hardship due to debt which derived from an undisciplined approach to credit cards. It is my goal to open your eyes and help you see the dangers and understand how to manage your credit cards.
We like to blame our credit cards for the serious financial difficulties that we found ourselves in when we first got married. It seemed as though we were being begged to apply by every single credit card company and its brother. We had full time jobs, we were both young, and we were just starting out our lives. We wanted to have the perfect apartment with all of the latest gadgets and accessories that are specifically marketed to the unsuspecting and the newly married.
Our place was full of the greatest stuff before we knew it, and the balances on most of our credit cards were skyrocketing through the roof. We finally had to put an end to credit card spending in our family after getting a loan to consolidate all of our payments.
We are both reasonably intelligent, so I don't really know what our problem is. If you hand us a couple of credit cards, however, we somehow seem to forget that it isn't like getting free money. Sure we have to pay it back sooner or later, but this fun comes with a hefty price tag: interest!
We have been married for twelve years, and I'd like to think that over the years we may have learned a thing or two. We've thought about getting a credit card to use only in the case of emergencies. It's funny, though, how we really only start to think about this when we're running low on cash. We've maintained our wits about us, thankfully, and have be able to resist a little of the temptation of credit card spending. I think was a very wise choice, especially based on our past experiences! Find more information about managing your credit cards here.
When we don't have cash on hand, sometimes it's very difficult to pass up a great sale. My husband and I are very thankful that our addiction to credit cards was nipped in the bud after we learned a very difficult lesson so early on. We are still asked about credit card information from time to time, especially when we are trying to purchase items online. We can usually find ourselves a way around needing a credit card if the item or service is really needed. To live without a credit card in today's world can be somewhat inconvenient. Frankly, people, in many cases, are often quite shocked when they find out we are credit card free. It is almost like it doesn't compute, but that's okay. The decision to cut up our credit cards was likely what saved our family from major financial problems down the road. It really forced us to limit our impulse buying, and saved us money in the long run.