Between travel, get-togethers, and other social events, summer is hard on our credit cards. While we kick back and relax, they work overtime to pay for our fun. If you worked your credit cards a little too hard this summer, fall is the perfect time to give them a break with these five tips:
Cash-only days
Go old school and stick to cash. When you’re working with cash, you can only spend what’s in your pocket, which means that your credit cards can sit on the sidelines. Cash is more tactile too and increases the psychological “pain” of spending so you’ll be less likely to make as many unnecessary purchases.
Set up a weekly spend account
Alternatively, if you don’t want to tote around a heavy wallet and deal with change, set up a checking account just for day-to-day spending and keep your current checking account for bills. This way, you’ll always know exactly how much you have to spend and can be sure that you’re not actually spending your rent money on your weekly grocery haul.
Delete an app
You can give your credit card a rest with the click of a button—the delete button. Everyone has that one app that shows up over and over again on their credit card statement. (I’m looking at you Doordash!). Delete the app or unlink your credit card from it and notice how much your credit card balance does not go up.
Freeze them (literally or figuratively)
Give your credit cards a cooldown by freezing them. Yes, literally freeze your credit cards by putting the cards you don’t want to use in a bowl of water and sticking that in the freezer. To be able to use them again, you’ll have to wait for them to thaw which can keep you from making impulse purchases. If that’s a little too extreme, you can figuratively freeze them by calling your credit card company and asking them to block any new transactions on the card.
Get to know your cards
Spend some quality time getting to know your credit cards. Do you know where to find the APR? Do you know what your minimum payment is? How much did you pay in interest last month? Take the time to look through your statements and acquaint yourself with your credit cards. It’s the first step in really taking care of them (i.e. starting to pay them off).
