Credit cards a for suckers for a number of reasons...
First, studies show over and over that people spend about 20% more on monthly purchases when using plastic over cash. Cash is emotional, and when you control your spending and see it happening every time you throw down some Jacksons instead of entering your PIN, you tend to be a bit more conservative in what you consume.
Second, CASH DISCOUNTS! Good God, man! Cash is freakin' king! EVERYONE loves having cash on their books, in their till, in their pockets TODAY rather than dealing with electronic transactions. Cash discounts work everywhere -- just pack some bills and ask. I've gotten incredible discounts at repair shops, tire shops, car rentals, airline tickets, furniture stores, all kinds of services (plumbing and electrical), for yard work, buying cases of wine, boxes of cigars, tailored suits, and the best -- MEDICAL! We get AWESOME cash discounts with our doctors. We even had a child at the CS Med and paid cash! And it was still cheaper than our annual insurance premium!
And third, CASH keeps you on a budget. It's easy to overspend with plastic, but you can control your money a lot better when you're looking at it face-to-face.
Plus, like the old-timers used to tell me as a young'un -- credit cards are for people who don't have money.
Just get out of the habit, take control of your money. Trust me (OK, trust Dave Ramsey) -- you are not coming out ahead by paying off your cards every month in exchange for cash back or trinkets or airline miles or whatever... Citibank doesn't own half the world by losing money. And let's not forget the classic line -- the borrower is slave to the lender.
Amen
) I'll be working on rebuilding up a nest egg. Getting rid of that horrible debt will be a great start in the right direction. 