When is the last time.....
Find a Conversation
When is the last time.....
| Thu, 08-27-2009 - 9:23am |
.....you used a credit card? And what did you buy?
We have $3,800 left to pay on our final c/c. We haven't charged anything in 13 months.
I honestly don't know if I'll ever be able to smartly use a c/c again. I can use my debit card and keep my account in good standing but I have always been a mess with credit cards.
Just wondering if others use them daily and how you discipline yourself to keep money aside to pay them off in full? (if there are those that do that....)
For now, I think its best if DH and I just keep doing what we do - save and have an efund (right now we've got $3300) and pay off this last c/c and then live c/c free.

Last month I put ds's tuition for his Intro to Theology class on my cc.
I bought some books from Amazon a couple days ago.
What I do is for larger purchases, right after I make the purchase I do an electronic bill pay, and sometime when I feel like there are a bunch of little purchases that might add up, I make a payment as well. So very often when the statement finally shows up in the mail, the balance is rather low and I pay it off right away.
I use my credit cards regularly and do not carry a balance. I think some people can do that, some cannot. Just like I know people who can eat just one potato chip or smoke two cigarettes a day and never become "addicted". I am not a smoker, but if you give me a bag of chips, I will eat the whole thing. So I do not buy/keep them around the house. I guess we all have our little weakness.
Also, I think WHY one uses a credit card to a large degree predicts if it will become troublesome. If a credit card is used instead of efund, that means there is no money to cover the emergency. If there is no money to cover it now, unless something changes drastically, there will be no money in the future to pay the balance. It is actually more of a income vs. expense, as supposed to credit card problem.
If a credit card is viewed as a convenience (rather than an easy access loan), it becomes more manageable.
edited for spelling
Edited 8/27/2009 10:19 am ET by marie_1229
Well my system is a little wonky.
I have my one big CC that is now cut up that holds my car loan (its at just under $14,600.00). That one doesn't get used anymore.
I have my Cashback Visa which some of my bills go on monthly (adt, cable, charity etc.) This also gets paid off monthly.
Bex -
I usually use cash, and if not cash I do have a debit card, but I usually use it just to get cash from the machine.
We did use a Home Depot card last month for a deal on patio furniture we had on our want list.
I put DH and his son's plane tickets on them for DSS's summer visit in July/August and then I put ODD's school supplies on
We use a credit card all the time We go back and forth between two that pay dividends. But this is so important we pay them off as if we were debting the amount we charge instead of charging it. We use our Kroger card because it gives us a discount on food and gas. We use one of the bank cards because it gives us around 300.00 a year back. When we use the card I just take the amount that is charged and I post it in my quicken as if it was a debt and I put the name of the card where you usually put ATM and such. So when the bill comes in The card is paid already in full.
The last time we used a credit card was in January for gas right before we filed for bankruptcy.
Norma
"Patience is the best remedy for every trouble"- Plautus
I used my personal credit card last week for school supplies. I will pay it off next week. I got this credit card over two years ago in my own name. I carried a balance on it once for two months($400) when I needed new tires for my truck and couldn't quite pay it all with two pay periods. I haven't carried a balance on it since. I don't use it all that often. I did use it a couple of weeks ago to book a hotel room, so that was convenient. When we got there I paid cash for the two nights. I also have a business credit card I pay off when I charge something on it. I like to collect the points, so I should use it more LOL! As it sits right now I will probably be able to buy a $300 RRSP (retirement investment)with my reward points in February so I am looking forward to that. We really do not live above our means. If I don't have the cash for something, I don't buy it. I think our car payments are over on the % of your income you are supposed to spend on transportation, but I know our housing is way under, we often below on food, our debt repayment is high but that is by choice, and we still save so I think we are truly within our means. When our situation changes, our housing will go up and our car will be paid off. Plus we will start to save for another vehicle upgrade. If everything goes as planned we should be good! It never does though........LOL hence the emergency fund!