Sometimes it's a good idea to take all the credit cards out of your wallet and wonder why they are there in the first place.
I cleaned out my wallet the other day and removed several cards from department stores I seldom shop at, and one credit card that I no longer use. Why carry them?
I suppose it's the "what-if-I-need-them" syndrome at work. What if I get in a pinch and need to make a car repair? What if I accidentally wind up at the Mall and find a sidewalk sale at this particular store that is just such a deal I'd be a fool to pass it up? What if...
Seems like that's the problem with getting into debt with credit cards in the first place: We begin to lean on them to heavily in case of emergency or special deals. Then, silently, they pile up a hefty balance. If we are late making the payments, WHAM, there's another late fee, a nick on our clean credit file... and we've taken steps backward!
Better to remove the ammunition to your own financial funeral yourself. Clean out those wallets guys! Clean out those purses, ladies! Stash those cards away, out of sight and out of mind. Some of the cards probably need to be cancelled. If so, do it. If you do indeed see a need for these over the next year, then hide them away in a dark drawer.
Yes, credit cards ARE handy when they come with product protection. If you find a terrific closeout bargain, and you can take advantage of using the protection feature on an electronic item, then having those cards tucked away in your wallet is OK.
Man, is that wallet thinner now! Reminds me of that great Seinfield episode where George....
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