Convenient as they are, credit cards also provide the potential for anyone to get themselves very deep in to what may well become unmanageable debt. Credit card impulse spending can be something which proves too much of a temptation for anyone. In order to learn how to avoid credit card impulse spending, there are some very harsh and difficult steps which anyone guilty of this, or even tempted in this way, has to take.
The first step in learning how to avoid credit card impulse spending is to identify the circumstances in which you are most guilty of it. Is the credit card impulse spending achieved by making purchases online or over the telephone? Is it when an, “Irresistible,” bargain is spotted in a conventional department store? Is it even simply deciding to eat out at that expensive restaurant on a whim, when it is clear that you cannot really afford it?
Having identified the most frequent temptations, it is then time to address them. If the chief culprit is by spotting bargains in stores when out shopping, the best advice for avoiding credit card impulse spending is to simply ensure that the credit card is left at home. Get in to the habit of carrying the credit card only when you know that it will be required and ensure that, after the relevant purchase has been made, home is the next destination. In this way, the temptation will be removed and will not be required to be resisted.
If the credit card impulse spending is achieved online, over the telephone, or in heading out to that expensive restaurant, it is clearly more difficult to remove the temptation altogether. These are the circumstances where good old-fashioned willpower has to be exercised. Try looking at old credit card statements, noting the balance that has been accrued – or even just the money that has been spent – and try to let yourself be horrified and put off impulse spending in this way. A wake-up call in this sense may very well be achieved.
It is possible to contact the credit card provider and ask for the credit card spending limit to be reduced on your account, if impulse spending on the credit card is becoming a serious problem. This will very effectively remove the temptation to some extent and allow only enough spending power for those expenses which are deemed necessary.
Self-discipline is by far the best way to resist credit card impulse spending and halt it before it becomes a major problem but the above ways will hopefully provide some assistance in the overall process.