To make the most of your buying power, consider trade-offs. Suppose that you buy a sound system with a credit card instead of waiting until you have saved enough money to pay cash for it. You get the pleasure of having the sound system now. However, you may pay a higher price in the long run because of fees and credit card interest rates the credit card company charges for use of the card. (more…)

Remove every credit card from your wallet, including gasoline cards. There’s absolutely no reason you need to carry them around. The only things they do is make it easier for you to ignore prices and buy things you don’t need and can’t afford.

Get a pay-as-you-go charge card, like American Express, if you don’t already have one. Keep that with you in case of emergencies. Since you have to pay the entire bill when it arrives at the end of the month, you’ll soon be cured of any mistaken belief it’s just like a credit card. Start paying cash for your gasoline and you’ll soon discover which station has the lowest prices. (more…)