me and the sysop/Flickr
The votes are in, I’m going credit card-less for one month beginning April 1 despite the disadvantages of giving up credit. Here’s how I’m going to prepare.
- Hide my two credit cards in my jewelry box so they are out of sight, out of mind.
- Average my credit card bills from Jan, Feb, and March and set that as my spending limit for April.
- Head to my local bank branch to withdraw a fat roll of cash (my average credit spending from the past three months).
- Carry around $100 at a time for security.
- Begin spending!
My biggest concerns are safety, not having enough cash on me, and figuring out what to do about online purchases that require credit. I’ve decided to keep paying two bills - cell phone and student loan – as I have in the past, through a transfer from my checking account. These bills are consistent month to month and I don’t have the option to not pay them. My focus is on how using cash changes my day-to-day spending, not my fixed expenses. Remember how I got into this mess?
Okay! Ready, set…cash!
UPDATE: Joe asks:
Does that also mean no debit cards? I don’t use credit cards often, but I live by my debit card.
Yes, Joe, that means no debit cards. I’m going to be free of plastic!
Janet has a neat system that tricks her brain into thinking she only has cash:
My credit card is buried behind my drivers lic. I forget it is there but should I need it, I have it. I have learned to use cash because there is a huge difference in how I look at the cost of an item based on how I pay for it. This is been a modification in behavior, for sure.
good luck to you!
