In an article published by NerdWallet providing financial advice on how to curb impulse spending, Kathy Longo offered her insight on how to practice safe credit card habits. Here’s a snip of the article:
Credit cards may help or hurt, depending on how you spend. Klontz says that people spend significantly more money when using their credit cards instead of cash. He suggests keeping a cash envelope to use in areas where you tend to overspend, like dining out, for example.
Also, minimize impulses by not storing credit card information on websites or apps, says Kathy Longo, a certified financial planner and president of Flourish Wealth Management, a financial planning firm in Minneapolis.
“It’s much easier to be like, ‘I’ll look at it later because I’m not going to go find my purse and get my credit card,’” she says. That time can indirectly make you rethink a purchase.
Once you do charge a purchase to a credit card, pay it off in full to avoid interest and save money. For large purchases, consider using a card with a 0% introductory APR.
