Could you live without using your credit card for a month? 6 months or a year? could you cut them up and be ?

free from them and the interest?

Sorry, I never use a credit card. I never got anyone. Living in the desert of the Sahara need no credit card!

I don't use credit cards. Only debit cards. My husband paid his off and now does the same. We save for vacations and othr big stuff. I could never buy something and get the bill at the end of the month. I would not even want it anymore. I even bought my truck with cash!

I can. I use my credit card rarely and always pay the whole amount.
Almost all my charges are utilities, I charge them on my credit card just because it's convenient. But I can charge them to my bank account or pay them in cash or check.
If I want to buy something with a payment plan, I may use the credit card but I make all the payments in time. I never ever finance with the credit card. It's the easiest way to get a loan from your bank and the most dangerous and expensive. Don't do that even if it's a couple dollars. If the amount is small, reduce your expenses and pay it in full. If the amount is large, consolidate all your debt and get a loan with a payment plan that you can afford.
Occasionally I pay some stuff with the credit card to get a promotional discount, but I save the money and pay the amount in full.

The rule of thumb is never buy anything that you can't afford. Take payment plans only if you can afford them and for stuff that's going to last you longer than the payment plan.
That's the evilness of the credit card, the perception that you can get something now and worry about the payment later. Also the feeling that you can refinance forever. It's not true. Ask around and see how many people can tell you what are the purchasing and financing limits on their credit cards without checking the last statement. Once you finance all your pre agreed amount, the bank won't let you finance any more. If you keep paying the minimum, sooner or later (sooner) you'll find yourself with your credit card blocked and a heck of a debt.
The bank saying that you're good for 5 thousand dollars doesn't mean that you can really afford that. People use to say that they can't pay their debt meaning that they can't pay from their income. But they have cars and houses and valuable stuff. The bank doesn't care where the money comes from, it just wants its money back. It's like selling your soul to the devil, don't sign if you don't know how much your soul is worth for you.

And imaging getting to that point after a couple years financing utilities (bad idea) and groceries (WORSE idea) with your credit card. The bank is not going to tell you to watch out because you're running out of credit. In fact this happens in a progressive way. You pay the minimum using your credit, your minimum increases as your available credit is reduced, you pay more, you run out of money earlier in the month, you use your card for your everyday expenses hoping to be able to get better next month. It doesn't happen because you're adding more to your debt. Before the crash, you find yourself making money to pay for last month groceries and utilities and taking a loan (with the credit card) to pay for today's groceries. The next step lets you hanging at the border of the cliff. You're making money to pay for last moth groceries and your credit card is blocked.

It's senseless because (most of the time) it's about people that can afford their lives with their incomes. They get into that for being financially careless. They finance their long term assets the wrong way, pay a lot more for it and end up financing daily expenses, something that's a HUGE NO NO (or should be) on every household economy book.

If your answer to this question is NO, change your buying habits right now until the answer is a big YES.

I have never and will never use a credit card.

yup, quite easily. i think i didn't use mine for 6 months last year.

I've never used a credit card in my life but I do use a debit card. I think it helps me to spend more sensibly as I'm not actually spending money I don't have. For me credit cards will never be a problem because I'll never use one. Its good to know I'm not running up a bill with charges and interest. I only ever spend the money I have in the bank at the time, and if I don't have enough money to buy what I want I simply don't buy it. I wait until I do have the money.

Sure could and do it. I would not have a credit card any more. Too much trouble and I would rather pay myself than to have to pay them to go into debt. Some will say they get paid from the card for having it, a penny per dollar spent or some even two cents. I can make more than that by not using them and collecting cans or investing it. Save and pay cash for what you want and you will not only save a lot of money but you can get a lot better deals as you have cash instead of plastic. You won't overspend either. If you need a way to get your cash from a bank or CU, get a debit card. Works same as credit card but it comes out right away rather than charge you interest or other gimmicks to get you to spend more so they are making more from you. Why pay the credit companies when you can pay yourself?

I don't have any credit cards. I don't use them.

There are really only two kinds of people:

1. People who can't afford credit cards.

2. People who don't need them.

Let me explain. If you think that you need a credit card, because you don't have the cash to purchase that you need (or think you need), you can't afford it. If you are already spending more than you are making (that's why you think you need a credit card), you can't afford the item now, and next month, you will have a credit card bill, in addition to the living expenses that you had to go into debt ofr.

Or, you realize that you need to live below your means. You save something every pay day, rather than going into debt. When you see something you need or want, you have the money for it.

Credit cards are nothing by legal loan sharks. That charge exorbitant interest. They add 3% to the cost of item (that's what they charge the merchants, and they make you vulnerable to identity theft.

Besides all of that, you loose your privacy. There is a record of what you bought, how much you paid, where you purchased it, and when. I don't think this information is any body's business. If you value your privacy, don't use credit cards. If you are concerned about identity theft, don't use credit cards. If you are price conscious, shop where they don't take credit cards.

Cash rules!

I would starve with out my credit card. I just moved 500 miles from my local credit union and have no acsess to the cash I had there except through my credit card. I don't mind this situation however because I actually make money using my card. They pay me 1 cent for every dollar I spend. I just pay the balance every month and they write me a check.

i would give that a hell no lol

Absolutely. Have done it for years and years until I had to have one
for Company travel.
We have a private one and use it to accumulate miles and as soon as the bill comes in it gets paid. The same day.
We never spend money we do not have. It is crazy to pay interest.

For years we were told you have to have a credit card to establish credit. Well we proved everyone wrong. Bought a House, bought Cars,
bought furniture and all the other necessities. Initially we made our furniture and little by little bought what we wanted.
We learned to do whatever needs to be done in and around the house
and did it ourselves.
And now every time I see someone using an ATM Machine, I crinch.

Very few Christmas Gifts were ever bought. We make them or give Gift Certificates for Dinner Parties at our House or theirs or for chores
someone may not be able to do themselves.
Or we give a Gift Certificate to take someone who cannot drive anymore to a Doctor for a year or so.
Living without Credit Cards is rather easy.

I can't remember the last time I used a credit card. I use my MC/debit card all the time. May have used a regular credit card in January for inspection for my car - it needed tires and some other things that made it a bit expensive right after Christmas.

But it's not a bad idea to have a non-debit CC to use over the internet. you're better protected than with a debit card.

I am trying , but I have memorised the numbers, so am tempted to buy off the internet at any minute.

Of course....credit card for me is just a method of puchase not an extension of cash cuz it's not...it's credit a VERY short term loan.

I'll use it for online purchases maybe 1-2 year or if I'm trying to pay for something and the debit card won't swipe after several tries.

I wish I could, but now adays it's a neccessary evil,

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