The Credit Card Crutch
If I think back on all of the things that I have used credit cards for, none of them were emergencies. When we first bought our home we didn’t have a washer and dryer. I was five months pregnant and didn’t feel like going to a Laundromat to wash and dry clothes. So we bought a brand new washer and dryer. I won’t neglect to mention the times that we used credit cards to pay for bills and vacations as well.
Never was it used for a life or death emergency, only for the “I WANT IT NOW” emergencies.
I no longer have credit cards. This was one of the best financial decisions that my husband and I could have made. We have been credit card free for four years now.
Without a single credit card, it was scary not knowing what we would do if the car broke down, or if my husband lost his job. What if ends didn’t meet? How would we make it? We had become so dependant on the credit cards that it had become a crutch that was keeping God from achieving His full potential in us.
Not having a credit card forced us to begin saving for emergencies rather than just for retirement like we had been doing in the past. But most of all it forced us to depend on God’s providence. Since canceling our credit cards never have we not been able to meet a need. The credit card was really restricting us from fully depending on God to provide.
If you are considering doing away with credit cards, pray diligently for the faith to believe God’s word in that he will provide for you and your family.
In addition read my post regarding what the Bible say’s about interest bearing loans. Also read about Stella’s plans to make do without credit cards.
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This post has 7 comments
February 15th, 2008
That certainly can be a lure to get people to spend without really thiking about the pros and cons. The companies put a bait in frnt of our faces that on the surface seems like a great idea, but turns out to benefit the companies that have gotten our money.
Thank you for sharing Alicia.
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February 15th, 2008
Some peopel get addicted to credit cards because of rewards. I used to have a rewards credit card. I kept spending and spendign and spending just to earn those points. I didn’t get in debt, and I did receiev a nice cash back but I have bought so many things I never needed!
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February 6th, 2008
I agree, people do not use credit cards for emergences. But they should not use them to by things they can’t afford. Credit cards are great if you want to earn some extra cash or get a gift certificate. If you read the terms and conditions of any of the cash back cards you will see that if you do not carry a balance you can actually get back a certain percentage of the money spent. Of course, you need to have good credit history to be approved for those cards but this is the smartest way to use plastic, no doubt.
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January 14th, 2008
That’s great. My hubby and I don’t have credit cards either. We both like the advice Dave Ramsey gives on his talk show. Here’s his website: http://www.daveramsey.com/.
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January 10th, 2008
We did the same thing a few years ago, cut up the credit cards. Every single one, and then started diligently saving and paying things off. Last year we became debt free, and we are working toward a goal of having a $1000 emergency fund in our savings account for car repairs, etc.
Getting rid of the plastic was the best financial move we ever made! It just makes me sick how much money we wasted with them.
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January 10th, 2008
We got rid of all credit cards about 5 yrs ago! At first I had this uneasy feeling as well wondering “what if…..” but as you said I put my faith back where it belonged in God and not in a lil card! We are not able to overdraw on our accounts either when I cancelled the possibility to overdraw I had cold sweats just thinking about what would happen if we could not make ends meet since in the beginning we had no emergency fund. But as with all things God provided for us. We were able to make ends meet with ease. God’s favor truly is more precious than life!
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January 9th, 2008
I despise credit cards. Never have wanted them.
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