Credit cards are great financial tools that can help you buy the things you want, achieve your goals and even make your dreams come true. But there’s also a dark side to using a credit card. You may not know this, but plastic can be dangerous. It can hurt you in ways you may not expect. In this series of articles, we will tell you more about the dangers of plastic. We’ll help you understand them better and teach you how to protect yourself from them.
Using credit cards can be addictive
Your mind probably went to credit card debt when we mentioned the dangers of plastic. Although credit card debt is nothing to joke about, it’s not as bad as the addiction that comes with using a credit card. In fact, credit debt is the direct result of this credit card addiction.
You probably never thought about credit cards this way. They’re not drugs. They can’t cause addiction. Right? Wrong! A lot of things can cause addiction, not just drugs. And credit cards are one of these things.
It’s really easy to lose yourself when using plastic. Numerous people, all over the country, mistakenly consider credit cards an extension of their incomes. When they see something that they like, they buy it. They don’t even think twice about how they’re going to pay for that certain item. Credit cards make it really easy for us to spend money. Put this together with that good feeling that you get when buying something that you like, and you have instant addiction.
Right now, you’re probably thinking that this doesn’t happen to you. But how often do you reach for cash rather than your credit card when you open your wallet? It’s all psychology. Cash is something that you can touch, it’s something real. When you use it, you have less of it. And when you see your wallet get thinner, you tend to stop throwing money away. But the same doesn’t go with credit cards. You can spend all you want and that little piece of plastic will still be there.
Unfortunately, credit card addiction is something serious. Once you start on this path, it’s really hard to stop. And once the damage is done, you’ll have to work really hard to pay off what you owe.
How to protect yourself from it
Although your credit card comes with a limit, it’s not a good idea to try to reach it each month. Because credit card debt is out there, and it will come for you if you’re not careful.
But there’s a way you can protect yourself from becoming a plastic addict and also keep credit card debt away. It’s simple. Just try to use cash or a debit card when making certain purchases. Leave your credit cards at home when you go to the grocery store or out to eat. Use debit instead. Try to do this as often as you can and see if you still need to rely on credit cards.
Use credit cards only for certain expenses, such as traveling or buying online. You won’t regret it.
