february: makeunder my credit card

unfortunately not my actual credit card, but boy is it funny! photo found on flickr

A few days ago a friend mentioned that in order to curb unnecessary spending, she chose to stop using her credit card for a month. I was incredulous. A whole month with no credit card? I am the type of person who never carries cash- I pay for everything on a Mastercard - to the fury of many a cabdriver.

The more I thought about my credit-free-friend's monthly balance being $0, compared than my bloated rather bloated January statement, I became inspired. Although I pay off my card in full each month, I am willing to wager that I will spend several hundred dollars less this February if I rely on cold hard cash rather than plastic. Online purchases will require the card, and I will need to do a bit more preparing as far as ATM withdrawals, but overall I hope these four weeks will help me become more aware and mindful of my spending. And hey, maybe I will have enough cash left over to splurge on a tropical vacation.

One can always hope.