Excuses For Using A Credit Card
In our society, it has become common to want to buy things now. We are unused to saving up and putting off. We feel as though buying more stuff will make us happy, or believe that others will be impressed with us. Having a credit card can help us to buy more things – even things that we don’t really need and wouldn’t normally buy. As a result of this easy money, it seems as though materialism is the norm.
A credit card helps us spend more money. While some credit cards offer the opportunity to earn cash back, and purchasing things can lead to more rewards and possibly cash back and free merchandise, using a credit card can add up to a great deal of debt — all in the name of buying more stuff. And let’s be real: You might be “earning money” with, for example, your MBNA Smart Cash Credit Card, but that doesn’t mean you are coming out ahead. If you don’t pay off your credit card each month, chances are that the interest you are charged will more than overcome any cash back you receive. Spending money to get more stuff just because you can with a credit card can contribute to materialism, and bring you into the bondage of debt.
Using Credit Cards for Stuff
Since credit card use can make it easier to spend money, instead of save money, it contributes to the fact that materialism is such a large part of our society. Unfortunately, a credit card seems to make it possible to purchase items you wouldn’t normally buy. The credit card provides you with a way to buy more stuff now, paying it off over time – with interest. It seems easier to keep up with the neighbors, or to buy your kids the things they “deserve”.
But, really, how much is enough? Is it really necessary to get into debt just so that you can have more stuff? Or do you want to get into debt to keep up with your family and friends? Credit card use is one of the main contributors to lifestyle inflation, transforming many of items we used to think of as “wants” into “needs.”
Choosing Something Other Than Materialism
There is no reason to keep putting money on your credit card. You don’t need to build up debt to impress others, or to increase the material possessions that your family has. You can choose to say no to materialism. Reconsider what you “need”. Also, you can reconsider the importance and status that you attach to things.
Instead of putting more on your credit card, and contributing to the materialism that has become so rampant in our society, think about what you can do to reduce the use of debt, and enjoy life in other ways.
