According to Consumer Reports, using credit cards will increase the amount of money you spend on a purchase because it makes the purchase less painful and speeds up the shopping process.
One way to slow things down is to create a buffer between the buying impulse and the checkout button. You can do this by simply removing saved credit card information from web browsers and online stores such as Amazon, according to The Simple Dollar. Actually having to take the card out of a wallet and type the information creates a powerful disincentive to purchase.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
