The Chronic Consumer

One thing I’ve learned from my shopping experiences is that I don’t want purchases costing me more than I intended in the long run, so I try to avoid financing things whenever possible. I still put almost everything on my credit cards in order to get rewards points, but I make absolutely sure that I pay off the entire bill each month in order to avoid the outrageous interest charges.

At a time like this when more and more people are going into debt or looking for foreclosure help, the last thing you want to do is add to your financial problems by running up huge credit card bills. Shop smarter by cutting corners and buying only what you can afford at the time. If that means you have to skimp on extras like family vacations or even birthday presents, then so be it. It makes no sense to go into debt so you can buy your kid a new iPod or Nintendo game.