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View Poll Results: Do you carry a Credit Card?
Yes 80 86.02%
No 13 13.98%
Voters: 93. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 06-10-2010, 02:02 PM
 
Location: Boise, ID
8,046 posts, read 28,398,890 times
Reputation: 9470

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I carry 2, but I rarely charge on them. I use them occasionally so they don't get cancelled.

I do pay for bigger things with my debit card, pay cash for small things, and pay my bills online whenever possible.

I think the whole "spend more money when putting it on a card" thing is a personal issue. For someone who is responsible with their money in the first place, this isn't an issue. I don't think I would spend a dime less if I knew I had to whip out cash, I would just carry more cash, which of course is a higher risk of loss.

Of course, I am very much not an impulsive buyer. I just bought a big screen TV after much research, comparison shopping and 8 trips into the store to ask various questions. For an impulsive buyer, there is very much the risk of spending more money when charging on a card.
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Old 06-10-2010, 03:12 PM
 
Location: Northeast Florida
51 posts, read 78,287 times
Reputation: 36
Just last week, I got my first credit card in about 10 yrs. I messed up a lot years ago and trashed my credit. Problem is that I havent used any credit in so long there isn't much if anything giving me a positive boot to my credit score. I learned my lesson with credit and now I'll go buy whatever it was I have the cash to pay for and pay off the balance before it's due. This way, I get a 30 day interest free loan and positive reporting on my credit report.
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Old 06-10-2010, 06:03 PM
 
11,156 posts, read 15,943,083 times
Reputation: 29822
Quote:
Originally Posted by hnsq View Post
On your point - Arrogance is assuming you are better/smarter than everyone else, when most likely you aren't. Here is what I was referring to.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MadManofBethesda View Post
Yes, but the average person also carries thousands of dollars in credit card debt and pays monthly interest charges on that debt.

Needless to say, I am not the average person.

How much more arrogant can you get?
That is not arrogance. That is a statement of fact. Let me put it in terms of elementary Logic 101. (Do you remember if p then q?):

*******
If the average person carries thousands of dollars in credit card debt;

And if I don't have any credit card debt;

Then I am not the average person.
*******
Where again is the arrogance in that statement?
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Old 06-11-2010, 11:42 PM
 
Location: Southern California
38,705 posts, read 22,703,554 times
Reputation: 59939
Quote:
Originally Posted by hnsq View Post
<snip>

Here is my question, do you carry a credit card or not? If you do, do you feel you have the self-control to not run up the balance?
Yes, I have two credit cards. Yes, I have the self-control to not run up the balance(s) since I pay them off every month.
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Old 06-12-2010, 05:21 AM
 
Location: Conejo Valley, CA
12,460 posts, read 20,016,914 times
Reputation: 4365
Yes I carry credit cards and I use them all the time, I don't spend less using cash as I buy what I need to buy.
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Old 06-12-2010, 05:24 AM
 
Location: Conejo Valley, CA
12,460 posts, read 20,016,914 times
Reputation: 4365
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadManofBethesda View Post
Let me put it in terms of elementary Logic 101. (Do you remember if p then q?):

*******
If the average person carries thousands of dollars in credit card debt;

And if I don't have any credit card debt;

Then I am not the average person.
*******
This is amusing as "average person" is not a particular entity rather a statistical generalization as a result this is not "logic 101" its "gibberish 101".
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Old 06-12-2010, 08:14 AM
 
Location: Fairfield, CT
6,981 posts, read 10,905,447 times
Reputation: 8822
I carry a few credit cards.
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Old 06-12-2010, 08:44 AM
 
Location: Central Maine
4,697 posts, read 6,428,997 times
Reputation: 5046
I have several credit cards - no debit cards - I carry cash for small purchases (up to $30 or so).

At any given time I have a credit card or two in the safe, and rotate the cards on a regular basis. I like to keep each card active by charging regular (or special) purchases on each card I have.

My wife and I share several cards - we also have at least one card just in our own name.

It's rare that we don't pay off each card in full each month. If for some reason we don't, it never goes beyond two months. We don't run up balances.

I don't like carrying a lot of cash around with me. I'd rather carry a credit card/s.

And we use our credits cards a LOT - for everyday purchases like gas and groceries, for occasional purchases like hotel and/or airline reservations, for any online purchases like Amazon, and for any special, big-ticket items like a flat screen TV.

I still have two letters from different credit card companies I received in the early 70's, denying my application for a credit card ... denied because I had no credit history. Since that time, I have built an excellent credit history through sensible use and management of credit cards.

Last time I checked, my credit score was over 800.
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Old 06-12-2010, 05:48 PM
 
Location: Troy, Il
764 posts, read 1,554,100 times
Reputation: 529
I was one of those "smart" people who paid off their credit cards every month. Until i got on a budget, now instead of spending $1500 a month on nothing i spend $50 a month on one thing. I save the rest.
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Old 06-12-2010, 07:07 PM
 
Location: Central Maine
4,697 posts, read 6,428,997 times
Reputation: 5046
Quote:
Originally Posted by maschuette View Post
I was one of those "smart" people who paid off their credit cards every month. Until i got on a budget, now instead of spending $1500 a month on nothing i spend $50 a month on one thing. I save the rest.
Absolutely. You can live without a budget, but not nearly as well as with a budget.
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