The other night, my husband and I watched Maxed Out, a documentary on the American way of life credit card debt.  It was very interesting but also very scary, and talked about how serious the problem of credit cards really is.

Watching Maxed Out made me want to pay off my credit cards and stop using credit altogether, except for when you really need to — such as when you are buying a house.  Of course, this requires a lot of budgeting, to ensure that you don’t spend more than you are bringing in, and that you are putting money aside for emergencies.

This is difficult for most people, but it is entirely possible to do so, if you are able to master your spending impulses.  Also, don’t forget that in today’s day and age, you can also turn possessions into money pretty easily.  For instance, if you find you need money for something, you can sell gold jewelry for cash – there are pawn shops and online gold buyers to whom you can sell gold, and you can also sell pieces online via sites such as eBay and Etsy.

There are other ways to raise money when you need it, too.  Most of us have at least something of value that we could sell if we really needed money: for instance, electronics, cars, collections such as antiques, etc.  While it’s probably not your first choice to sell your possessions, if you need money it’s far better to sell them now and replace them later, than to get yourself deeper into credit card debt!

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