How Is Your Problem With No Credit Card Progressing?
We are in the middle of the month, which means it’s time to check how we are going to solve the problem without a credit card.
When I first announced this challenge, many of you responded with shouts like “Why should I miss points?”
And it didn’t really bother me. Go and get your points if you need them. I did not hesitate to turn down the award for a month.
But I also heard you say, “But credit cards offer much more protection than debit cards! It is not safe! »It’s true: if you’ve been the victim of a scam or theft , it is easier to recover from a credit card than a debit.
If you have an aversion to debt and the means to accumulate it (um … me), then not charging for purchases for a month is a great idea! But with the credit protection measures mentioned, I found that my experiment without credit was indeed an attempt to use more cash.
Let’s take a look at the details of my experiment halfway through:
On the first day, nothing came of it. I didn’t take a regular credit card out of my wallet, but thoughtlessly gave it away to pay for donuts in the morning and a bar bill at night. What a Saturday! I realized my mistake right after each purchase and promised to fix it.
A few days later, I canceled my plane ticket. No fault .
I opted to pay for the larger online purchase through PayPal rather than using a credit card as the merchant offered this option.
The last moment that remembered me: I decided to stop by the gas station to refuel, and looking at the notepad for paying for the gas station, I doubted my choice. Instead of swiping a card of any kind, I went inside and handed the cashier $ 10 to top up a few gallons. I’ll take all my personal data somewhere else, thanks.
Otherwise, the impact of the call is primarily internal. When the balance in my checking account decreases, I get nervous, even though I have balances elsewhere. Now I am sure that this led me to the fact that I do not fulfill my obligations in almost everything.
Right now I am in Silver status, where I hope to stay until the end of the month:
Here is Lifehacker managing editor Virginia K. Smith with an update on her credit problems:
I did so well for the first week and a half of this ordeal and felt VERY satisfied. Although I also check my food budget. I’m not inclined to snack on a lot of expensive meals and my grocery budget is pretty reasonable, but small on-the-go dinners and impulsive purchases ($ 7 here, $ 12 there) add up very quickly.
I lost my way a little this past weekend and used my credit card several times. To be clear, it was the anniversary of the death of a close friend and people got together for drinks and the like. It seemed to me that now is not the right time to aggressively infringe on myself, and I feel 100% comfortable with this decision. However, I spent more than I actually spent and also found myself still using my card for other things (occasional trips to the grocery store, etc.) later.
I rolled it back, but I must also say that I am very uncomfortable throwing my debit card so often! It seems a lot less secure that it is. Case in point: this weekend I put my card into my account and only on Monday realized that I had returned to CHRISTIN Smith’s Chase Sapphire Reserve! I tried to track her down, but the Smiths cannot be found (which is why I use a middle initial!), So I had to call Chase and they canceled * both * our cards and sent me a new one. Karmic retribution for using my credit card during the “no credit card trial!” But also the whole situation would be much worse if it was about my debit card and not my credit card!
Let’s see how the rest of the month goes, but I think the big takeaway for me will probably be that I need to have a set number that I know I cannot count on my credit card balance every month. and stick to it.
If you accept the challenge with us, write about it in the comments: How are you doing?