Seven Techniques To Stop Using Your Credit Cards

1. Close them.

One call to your cardholder is all it takes to inactivate your credit card. You can easily quiet a nagging desire to use your card by thinking of the embarrassment you'll feel when the clerk says your credit card has been denied. Closing credit cards can have a negative impact on your credit score, so make sure you're not closing a card you should be leaving open.

2. Shred them.

Office shredders work just as well on that little piece of plastic as it does on your paper. If your credit card is in pieces, there's no way you can swipe it. Don't have a shredder? Scissors work just as well. Cut the card up into small pieces so the credit card number can't be guessed by identity thieves.

3. Leave them at home.

Take your credit cards out of your wallet before you go shopping. If you get the urge to buy something, you'll either have to use cash or come back for the item once you have your credit card.

4. Lock them up.

The "out of sight, out of mind" approach might be the thing to work for you. Put your credit cards somewhere that takes effort to get them – in a safe, file cabinet, the bottom of the laundry. Keeping your credit cards out of your immediate reach will help control your "need" to use them.

5. Shock therapy.

Have you ever thought about the amount of money you spend in interest each year? Or the length of time it will take to pay off your credit cards? Sometimes the numbers will shock you into putting your credit cards away for good. A $1,000 balance at 14% will take you 4 1/2 years to pay off if you make $25 payments each month. You'll have paid $347.55 in interest by the time you pay off the balance.

6. Reward yourself.

Positive reinforcement goes a long way in building a habit. We use it with our kids and with our pets. Why not use it with ourselves? Each week that you don't use your credit card, treat yourself to something you like but don't ordinarily allow yourself to indulge. Keep your treats on the inexpensive/free end of the spectrum so you don't upset your monthly budget.

7. Old-fashioned self control.

Being able to tell yourself "no" is a skill that goes beyond using credit cards. The same self-discipline that gets you to work on time each morning can also be used to stop using your credit cards. Think twice about swiping your credit card just like you'd think twice about pressing snooze just one more time.