http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/credit-cards-dont-have-to-be-the-enemy/ About finding balance in your life, connecting with who you are, and creating a lifestyle where you wake up each morning eagerly anticipating the day ahead. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:40:23 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/credit-cards-dont-have-to-be-the-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-4069 Alexandra Wed, 12 Nov 2008 03:56:44 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/credit-cards-dont-have-to-be-the-enemy/#comment-4069 Super post! We do the same. We benefit quite a bit from using credit cards. We pay off the balance every month and use the cash back bonus for gift cards to our grocery and hardware store. We never pay finance fees this way; payments are automatic so that we never forget. There are months where the cash back bonus is 5%. The free money is great if you can discipline yourself to treat the card like a checking account. You are so right; it's just a tool, and a very handy one at that. Super post! We do the same. We benefit quite a bit from using credit cards. We pay off the balance every month and use the cash back bonus for gift cards to our grocery and hardware store. We never pay finance fees this way; payments are automatic so that we never forget. There are months where the cash back bonus is 5%. The free money is great if you can discipline yourself to treat the card like a checking account. You are so right; it’s just a tool, and a very handy one at that.

]]> http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/credit-cards-dont-have-to-be-the-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-1145 Shirley Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:56:48 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/credit-cards-dont-have-to-be-the-enemy/#comment-1145 Not crazy at all... I think you are very sensible to show your daughter by example and by letting her experience how to be financially responsible. I wish more people did this type of thing with their kids. Not crazy at all… I think you are very sensible to show your daughter by example and by letting her experience how to be financially responsible. I wish more people did this type of thing with their kids.

]]> http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/credit-cards-dont-have-to-be-the-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-1137 Science For Kids Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:43:30 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/credit-cards-dont-have-to-be-the-enemy/#comment-1137 Call me crazy but I actually put my teen on my credit card account. She does not carry it daily, but she is allowed to use it for authorized trips/purchases. Then we sit down together and pay the bill. I am hoping she gets the idea of responsible credit usage. Not just spending because you haven't hit your limit yet. Call me crazy but I actually put my teen on my credit card account. She does not carry it daily, but she is allowed to use it for authorized trips/purchases. Then we sit down together and pay the bill. I am hoping she gets the idea of responsible credit usage. Not just spending because you haven’t hit your limit yet.

]]> http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/credit-cards-dont-have-to-be-the-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-991 Bryan Mon, 12 May 2008 20:29:17 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/credit-cards-dont-have-to-be-the-enemy/#comment-991 Finally, some common sense advice about using credit cards! I am sick of people blaming their credit cards for their own lack of money sense. Like you I pay all my expenses with a credit card and those cash bonus points are a Godsend. I wish people would learn to use their credit cards sensibly and buy only what they can afford. Thanks for the super article. Finally, some common sense advice about using credit cards! I am sick of people blaming their credit cards for their own lack of money sense. Like you I pay all my expenses with a credit card and those cash bonus points are a Godsend. I wish people would learn to use their credit cards sensibly and buy only what they can afford. Thanks for the super article.

]]> http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/credit-cards-dont-have-to-be-the-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-994 Bruce Mon, 12 May 2008 17:38:00 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/credit-cards-dont-have-to-be-the-enemy/#comment-994 I used to do the same thing. Getting money back was a great thing. We never carried a balance and loved getting the "free" money. Now I am not so sure it really worked. We were disciplined for the most part, but when I really analyzed what was going on, I came to see we really were spending more than we would have due to the convenience of the card. I doubt we really got ahead. So we fine tuned it a bit. Now we use the credit card for monthly bills, scheduled giving and very large purchases (that we have already saved cash for) only. So we still get "free" money from time to time. But for daily, consumer type spending sticking with the old fashioned cash has really worked out well. I used to do the same thing. Getting money back was a great thing. We never carried a balance and loved getting the “free” money. Now I am not so sure it really worked. We were disciplined for the most part, but when I really analyzed what was going on, I came to see we really were spending more than we would have due to the convenience of the card. I doubt we really got ahead. So we fine tuned it a bit. Now we use the credit card for monthly bills, scheduled giving and very large purchases (that we have already saved cash for) only. So we still get “free” money from time to time. But for daily, consumer type spending sticking with the old fashioned cash has really worked out well.

]]> http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/credit-cards-dont-have-to-be-the-enemy/comment-page-1/#comment-982 MaryEllen Sat, 10 May 2008 03:07:49 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/credit-cards-dont-have-to-be-the-enemy/#comment-982 This is exactly what we do! We buy everything with a credit card just so we can rack up points. We never buy anything we wouldn't normally have bought and always pay it off at the end of the month. I guess we think of it kind of like a debit card -if the money is not in the bank, we don't put it on the card. This is exactly what we do! We buy everything with a credit card just so we can rack up points. We never buy anything we wouldn’t normally have bought and always pay it off at the end of the month. I guess we think of it kind of like a debit card -if the money is not in the bank, we don’t put it on the card.

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