Credit card junkie? Is your card wearing away and become thinner because of the countless swipes? Wait for monthly credit card bills with suspenseful anticipation?
Well, dear sir or madam, you have a problem.
No worries, we can help. We have a few creative credit card savings strategies to help reign in your credit craving, especially if quitting cold turkey is not a viable, realistic option.
1. Leave that pesky credit card at home! Hello!?!? It ain’t rocket science! If you don’t have your card on you, it’s pretty hard to spend money, often times money you simply do not have. Lock those babies up, somewhere safe, and choose to use your cash or debit card instead.
2. FREEZE your credit! If you cannot follow the above rule, then you might have to resort to more drastic measures. Ok, ready? Grab a zip lock baggy, put your credit cards in, place in a plastic bottle fo water (glass can break), and put it in the FREEZER! Next time you consider using your credit cards, it will not be such an easyly acheivable, compulsive task, as you will have to wait for the ice to melt before you can swipe them. Perhaps using the ‘thaw time’ to reflect on if the expenditure is really of value or worth it.
3. Hand those cards over to your ‘rents. Who, more than you mom and dad, are as close to masters at helping reinforce intelligent financial habits than them? Having to stop by and ask them to use your cards for a purchase each time will act in a way that prevents you from spending more, that’s almost assured! And, if you typically limit trips to a few times a year, like Christmas and Thanksgiving, surely this will curb the habit of using your cards. Of course, if your folks like to swipe them too…
4. Do not use auto-fill in your web-browser on your cherished websites. Pull information from those websites where they have your credit card information readily available for you to simply 1-2-3 easy checkouts. Account preferences can be changed, so do not be bashful, just delete you credit card information. Has Amazon.com gotten enough of your money yet?
5. Note to Self. Time to write yourself a motivational message on a post-it note and stick it by your card, the front door, in your card, or even in your wallet on the card itself. Whatever you write on it, make it motivational. It could be something like, “HEY, put it down already” to “You love yourself more than to enslave yourself with more debt.” whatever the case may be, make sure you make it clear to yourself, credit = bad, or even credit = slavery. Goodness… a thought worthy of deeper reflection perhaps!
6. Duct tape or rubber bands. Take a handful of rubber bands or roll of duct tape and wrap around your credit card. Next time you think about using it somewhere, it will be quite the task to unravel the mess and successfully swipe your card. It might also be a bit of an embarrassing sight when folks in line or the person at taking the payment waits for you to disassemble your credit card strategy savings plan. Also, perhaps start with rubber bands, and work your way to duct tape, as it makes an awful, sticky mess.
7. Cut and run. Consider cutting your credit card in two pieces, hiding the two halves in different areas of the house, so next time you want to make an online purchase, it will deter you with having to dig them out.
8. Keep your eye on the big picture and the prize. If there is a goal you have mind, something toward whcih you are saving, keep a picture of it in your wallet or purse. This will help you keep your focus and attention on the more long-term goal, and help keep you from using those often time pesky credit cards and curb those shorter-term impulse swipes.
9. Do the math. Just think it through, and it might scare you into not swiping and avoid credit card purchases. Take some time to sit down and do the math, and realize how long it will take to pay down and off your credit cards. How much money is spent a year on interst alone? Probably not a pretty sight, and all the more reason to stop using your credit cards.
10. Reward yourself. Instead of making it a punishment type of reinforcement, use a rewarding type of motivation. Give yourself a little credit (put intended), and if you save for weeks, allow yourself a little credit and go for a small, inexpensive meal or some other small indulgence. You deserve it!
And, hey, who knows… if all else seems to fail, you can always try hypnosis. You are getting thriftier… very very thrifty…
Any other ways you might think of to curb your credit card spending?
