I carry a debit card and a credit card (in case of car-towing emergencies, etc).
A few weeks ago I stopped at Starbucks and knowing I hadn’t maintained my checkbook ledger in a while and wanting to prevent just one more stupid little receipt that needed to be recorded in the ledger, I used a credit card for my coffee.
Mistake number 1: I spent $4.00 on a cup of coffee. Seriously? Oh well, we all indulge ourselves occasionally.
Mistake number 2: I realized this after the fact, but I used a credit card, which meant I BORROWED four dollars for a cup of coffee that I didn’t need, and was a luxury indulgence. It hit me as I was driving to work “Gee Jess, that was dumb.”
I remembered several years before (flash back to my first apartment, and gigantic bills and tiny income) someone had told me to take a freezer baggie and stick my credit card in it, fill the baggie with water and stick it in the freezer.
(I actually did this at the time and it worked great!) You can’t microwave or boil the baggie without damaging the card so much that it renders it unusable. You must sit the baggie in the sink and just let it thaw naturally, which is fine if you need to have your car towed, or pay for emergency medical care, but will definitely prevent you from buying those cute new shoes you don’t need… or a $4.00 cup of joe.
Just my $.02 on debt for today.