USING CREDIT CARD INSTEAD OF CASH

There are some who have the cash to pay for their purchases but use their credit cards because it is cool.  Besides, there are points to be earned on the credit card.  Very good! Just make sure you set aside the cash to pay for the credit card statement on due date and not later.  Trouble will arise when you forget that you used your credit card and you see the cash available in your wallet.  You use the cash and are scrounging around payment on due date.  Worse, you keep using the credit card and not adding up your individual purchases.  Before you know it, you have overspent.

There are also more and more people using their credit cards for automatic payment of their utility bills and other monthly expenses.  What happens is that you don’t pay for your bills with cash as you normally do and the remaining cash is what you have available for your other expenses.  You are now increasing your risk of not controlling your expenses.  When your credit card bill comes probably several weeks later, you will be in for a big shock.  If you don’t pay your credit card on time, you will be in credit card debt and the interest and penalties will be horrendous.  It is always better to just use cash if there is serious risk of overlooking payment in due date, or worse, if you end up not being able to control your use of credit cards.

DO YOU REALLY NEED A VACATION?

Vacations are wonderful and good to recharge your body spirits.  It is however funny sometimes that so much is programmed during a vacation that you end up needing another vacation just to recover.

It is good to program your vacation especially from the financial point of view.  Unfortunately, some vacations are taken as an emotional outlet just to get away from reality because of a big problem.  Because of the emotional issue, the financial burden of the vacation is forgotten and credit cards are used.  That is a big mistake.

Never ever use your credit card to pay for a vacation unless you really have the cash actually set aside to pay your statement on due date.  During the vacation, try to leave your credit card behind and just bring your budgeted cash so you are not tempted.  When you are with family, make sure each one understands the budget and strictly follows it!