You go to your mailbox, open it and most likely have a pile of junk mail mixed with a few bills here and there along with inevitable credit card offers. Some days there may be one or two. Other days, five or six. Credit card companies are dying to lend you money. Why is this? It’s not that easy to get a car loan. It’s definitely not that easy to get a home loan. So why is it that these credit card companies are throwing themselves at people trying to get them to borrow their money? Because people love money. Money buys things. There is that saying that money can’t buy happiness, but it sure helps. You’re behind on your rent? Oh, here’s a shiny new credit card in the mail for you that will take care of that. You see a purse or some golf clubs that you really want? No problem. Your friends from American Express would be happy to cover the bill for now.

The problem with credit cards is that they seem so easy and enticing. They are so accessible that you’re basically bombarded with them every day. Credit cards have a way of seeming like free money. You can buy expensive things now and then slowly pay them off every month, no problem. That’s where the mistake lies. It is a problem. Buying things on credit is living outside of your means. In other words, you’re digging yourself into a giant hole of debt that you will most likely be paying off for years to come at a high interest rate.

Some people have only one credit card. Others have too many to fit in their wallet. Then there are those who have zero credit cards. You may be thinking, “What? Those people exist? That’s not real. How could that be possible?” It is possible. When you ditch your credit card you are freeing yourself from a portal of debt. Instead of slowly purchasing things on your credit card until they build up to this large amount that costs as much as a car you can ditch that evil device and live within your means. If you don’t have the money, don’t buy it. Getting rid of your credit card gives you freedom. It releases you from owing people money. It saves you from debt collectors, fees, interest rates, and that colossal hole of debt that you could fall in and not be able to get out of. You don’t really need that purse. You don’t really need those golf clubs. What you do need is to be able to live your life without the heavy burden of debt hanging around your neck and the feeling that it is never going to be paid off. Does that sound appealing? It should.

You may think, “Wow, that sounds great. I would love to be free from debt and all the heavy burdens that come along with it.” That can be your reality. Here is the key: start small. If you have acquired lot of debt, start with either the credit card with the lowest balance OR the card with the highest interest rate. If you can get either of those paid off it will help paying off your other cards easier later on because then you will have less payments to make. The second key is to not add to it once you have decided to pay it off. It can be really easy to charge more to your card once you have gotten the balance paid down somewhat. It is crucial that you do not do that. If you do, it will suck you back in and you will have to start all over. Get the card paid off and then get rid of it. Then do the same thing with the next card and the next until you are finally debt free. If you follow these simple rules you can be debt free and ditch those credit cards for good.