You can use your credit card to purchase almost anything. However, there are some purchases that are more common than others. It is often these purchases that we dont realize are adding up to a whole lot of debt. By controlling your credit card spending when it comes to these particular areas of buying, you can reduce the problems that you have with your cards. This results in better spending habits which make your credit cards work for you instead of the other way around.

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There are some people out there who only have one credit card. Although they could qualify for additional credit cards, they feel that one is enough. This type of credit card user normally keeps spending under control and pays off balances as soon as they are do. This is great, but keeping only one card could actually be doing them a disservice. If you are the kind of person who only has one credit card, you might want to think about the benefits of getting a few additional cards in your name. (more…)

One of the biggest causes of fees on credit cards happens when you make a purchase and the store fails to charge you for the purchase immediately. You forget that you already used that money and make use of the card again for a different purchase. This causes you to go over your credit limit and accumulate fees. You want to blame the store for failing to process the charge in a timely manner but the truth is that you’re better off accepting responsibility for the problem yourself. This allows you to take charge of your spending and avoid those fees. After all, you can blame the store all you want but they aren’t going to make the payment for you. (more…)

Almost all of us have been in the awkward position of getting ready to pay for something and then finding that we don’t have our credit card on us. Sometimes, it’s actually in a purse somewhere but there’s so much other junk in there that we can’t find it. Other times, it got left behind at home because we failed to stick it back in our wallets. In worse case scenarios, the credit card was forgotten at a restaurant or other location and we have to retrace our steps to figure out where we put it. (more…)

It’s getting to be the time of year that W2s turn up in the mailbox and you find yourself feeling the pressure of taxes. Hopefully you’re going to get money back from the government this year. But if not, you’re probably trying to figure out how you’re going to make the payment that Uncle Sam is going to be demanding soon. Many people turn to their credit cards as a means of making their tax payment. There are both pros and cons to the use of credit cards for paying your taxes but overall they provide a convenient method of paying what you owe. (more…)

Perhaps you’ve heard of “Green Credit Cards”. These cards are designed for people who have an interest in supporting the environment by giving donations to green organizations through each purchase made. That’s a wonderful thing and no one is knocking it but some people really prefer getting something of their own with their cards. Sure, you like the environment but it doesn’t really feel like a “reward” when you’re not getting anything in the mail for it. (more…)

I’ve recently made the switch from using my debit card for everything to using my credit card for everything. Interestingly, this coincided with a switch that a good friend made doing exactly the opposite of that. She used to put everything on credit cards and has now decided that she’s going to use debit instead. After debating with each other about this for awhile, we came to the conclusion that neither debit cards nor credit cards are necessarily inherently better than the other. But there are specific choices that have proven right for us – and could be right for you. (more…)

If you’re savvy about your credit cards, you know that you shouldn’t normally make only the minimum payment that’s owed on your balance. In most cases, making nothing more than the minimum payment results in taking a lifetime to pay off your balances. When you finally do pay off the balance, the total amount that you’ve paid including all of that accumulated interest is far more than what your purchases were really worth. (more…)

If you take a good look at the people around you today, you might notice that all of the adults are playing with toys. Sure, we call them ‘gadgets’ or ‘electronics’ but these things are more commonly used for entertainment purposes than for the functional productivity that they may offer. For example, the iPhone is good for both voice and data communication but it’s also a toy for playing games and music. If we’re honest, most of us didn’t go out and buy it for its phone functions. The problem with our love of techie toys is that they’re not cheap. If you want to reduce the amount of money that you’re spending, the first thing that you should cut out is your love of toys. (more…)

Have you ever stopped to think about type of credit card user you might be? Most people just spend the way that they spend and assume that others do the same. However, there are different types of credit card users with distinctly different spending styles. Knowing what type of spender you are can help you to make sure that you understand your spending. And knowing what other spending types are out there can assist you in making some wiser choices in your spending habits. (more…)