Who's still using.....

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-02-2008
Who's still using.....
19
Mon, 03-30-2009 - 2:24pm

credit cards....................


And is it bothering you?


Are you able to pay off the balance in full each month?


I haven't used my c/c's since July 2008. I honestly don't ever know if I'll be "ok" to trust myself to use them. For the trip we are taking in April we are booking everything and such on our debit card. Just wondering who is still using them and asking why?


(I'm not asking to judge anyone - I hope those that know my posts know I am not that kind of person.)


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Avatar for sohappilyme
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 03-30-2009 - 10:53pm
We have a couple, don't carry a balance, and don't use them. I use a VISA debit most of the time. Cash disappears too quickly and debit makes it easier to track my spending, which I do religiously and to the penny.

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Goal #1 $UCCE$$!

Sarah
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-17-2007
Tue, 03-31-2009 - 1:40am

We still use credit cards not

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-18-2004
Tue, 03-31-2009 - 3:43am

I use my credit card for online shopping.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2005
Tue, 03-31-2009 - 10:23am

Occasionally dh and I will use a cc.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-23-2007
Tue, 03-31-2009 - 4:04pm

I was really afraid to use them for a long time; but, have been able to pay off any new expenses within the billing period since I started using them again. I use them very infrequently and it's always a well thought-out decision.

I don't carry them, though. I usually just carry the debit card.

Dee


iVillage Member
Registered: 01-01-2009
Tue, 03-31-2009 - 5:37pm

The only card I've used since November 2007 is my GE Carecredit. I used it for 3 porcelain crowns and for several vet emergencies. The last one was in September 2008. I finally paid that card off last month, and I'm determined not to use one again.













iVillage Member
Registered: 07-05-2006
Tue, 03-31-2009 - 6:36pm

We have been Credit Card free for almost two years! (two years in May). And even back then, we only had 1 card. We cut up the bulk of our credit cards about 3 years ago! I was just thinking the other day what a strange reality it is to have to pay cash for everything, Even with me doing it for so long, it still feels funny. The fact that I have to use my own hard earned money for all of my needs and wants really curtails my desire to spend. Credit cards almost make you feel as if you are spending fake money. Spending my own money gives me a whole range of emotions. It makes me nervous to spend too much of it. It makes me feel empowered when I'm making big purchases like 150 dollars for groceries and I can hand the lady cash.

I do wish sometimes that we had those credit cards just so we wouldn't get into serious binds like when our car breaks down, but that is why I'm trying to build up my Emergency Fund! The most nervous I get is when our bank account is really really low and I know that if anything bad happened, there would be nothing we could do about it. We have no credit. We have no ability to get any credit and we have no savings account. It is a scary place to be, so for that alone I wish we still had at least one credit card to fall back on. BUT once our emergency fund is built, I'm sure I'll feel much better.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-30-2005
Wed, 04-01-2009 - 2:08am

I have a Upromise credit card - 1% of my purchases are automatically deposited into DDs 529 college account. I use it for most everything. In the past I never thought about what I was spending - and was sometimes shocked by the bill. Now I record the purchases on a spreadsheet and make sure I stick to my budget.

In my "free spending" times, we would occasionally have to carry a balance for a month, but were still earning more in rewards than we paid in interest. In the last 5 months or so I've been really sticking to my budget so we wont have to carry a balance ever again (hopefully). It took us most of last year to get rid of our outstanding CC debt (racked up when we bought our first house). I have no intention of going back there.

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