Who here is living a credit card free life?

[snowball22]

Has anyone ever just cut up all their cards and made the choice to just live on old fashioned money?

 

[PandyPaws]

Me....credit card debt was ruining our lives, so we got rid of them about 6 or 7 years ago. We only have a debit card/Visa when for when a card is required. Best thing we ever did.

 

[Blondie]

Yeah, we tried that once.

Lasted for about 2 weeks!

 

[bananiem]

We only have one card but we pay it off every month. DH uses it for gas 'cause he travels a bunch for work. He gets reimbursed and it goes to the credit card company. I think we could use just money but it's easier to carry a card than a wad of money. We also use it for internet purchases and reserving hotels and such.

 

[EROS]

We have two frequent flyer cards which I always pay off each month. Essentially, we use cards on a convenience basis but have never carried a balance. Basically, if we don't have the money to pay for something, we don't buy it .

 

[gina2000]

Use them so we don't have to carry cash, but we never carry a balance.

 

[Lucky4me]

I try. I really try. I am a recovered credit card junkie. I have one card with $155 balance I just charged the other day. I'll be paying it off next week. Compared to the $20,000 I had ten years ago, this is nothing. I charge a little every month but force myself to pay it off when the bill comes. If I don't, that $155 could potentially turn into thousands like before....

I may not have all the new toys, clothes, furniture, etc. but Living debt free is so much better!

 

[perdidobay]

Like Eros, I use a FF card for purchases, and I pay off the balance each month. It takes will power to not buy things you can't afford, but I am not much of a shopper (actually I'm cheap penny pincher, except when it comes to vacations, but I have a budget for that, too) and I write down every thing I charge in my checkbook so I have a running total and know how much my bill will be when it comes in.
I don't like debt and we have none except for our house and condo motgages which will be paid off in 12 years.

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

I wish I could say that I don't carry a credit card balance, but I do. I'm not much of a shopper, and am very cheap in many ways. I'm not cheap, however, when it comes to vacations. My balance is always small, and every once in a while it does make it to $0.

 

[ryanpatricksmom]

Another user of the FF credit cards chimes in! I rarely carry a balance forward (sometimes a big trip or something else may take 2 months to pay for) but I love those miles.

 

[Meriweather]

Have them, use them, pay them all off every month.

 

[snowwhitemom]

The only cards I carry are Visa CHECK Card and DC Card. No credit cards for this home, early learned lessons.

 

[aprincessmom]

I have only one credit card (by choice) but I pay it off in full every month if I use it. It typically only gets use for vacation or travel for work.

Now my ATM/debit card is another story

 

[Chattyaholic]

My parents have no credit cards and no checkbook either! I don't see how they survive!!! They pay all of their bills in person and to me that just seems so unnecessary, if they just had a checkbook they could mail their payments. I can't imagine driving all over to pay the electric, phone, cable, doctor, etc.....

 

[believe]

Have used CC since 16yrs old and never carried a balance....another convenience user.

 

[Cindy B]

I have lived debt free for about a YEAR now, and its so exciting!

I cut up the cards, and pay CASH everywhere.

Even for our trip, we had the money saved, and used a card and electronically remitted everything.

I hated being a slave to money.

 

[Steve H.]

Another family that uses credit cards for convenience -- we never carry a balance and aside from our mortgage, have no debt.

 

[helenabear]

I'm another one who carries one and always pays it off at the end of the month. It's not only more convenient for me, but I have a tendency to eat out less when I don't carry cash.

 

[Michelle]

Have an AmEx for Delta miles and a MC for places that don't take AmEx, and pay them off in full every month.

I don't like debt either, been there done that in my 20s and early 30s, and now that it's paid off we will not do that again.

 

[DopeyRN]

I do just the opposite. We put EVERYTHING on our Southwest Visa credit card and pay it off each month. So far I have 2 free tickets to WDW...for nothing but paying my bills!!!!!