How To Find Bargains and Stop Using Credit Cards
Heaven Ministries ~ Godly Courtship

The best way to stop using credit cards is to change your attitude. If you really believe that you need brand new cars, homes, clothes, furniture, etc, then you probably won’t make it very far without your credit cards. But you can make it very well without indulging in credit when you change the way you think you must live.

Twenty-five years ago I used to be embarrassed to be seen in a thrift shop. I said to my husband, “What if someone I know sees me in here?” And you know what he said to me. “If someone sees you that you know then they are in here too”.  I was stunned because I never thought about it that way. Ever since then I have never been embarrassed to shop in a thrift store.

I love to find bargains because I love shopping. Thrift store shopping can really make twenty bucks go a lot further. I never leave a thrift store without buying a name brand, almost new item of clothing. The Good Will thrift store sells clothing for one-dollar on Thursday, Friday, and Saturdays. Call your local Good Will and see if they do the same. No one should be without clothes, no matter how the economy has affected them.

Call or go visit your local farmers. I went down to my local organic wheat farmer and bought a 50-pound bag of organic wheat berries for $10 bucks. Wal-Mart sells legumes and brown rice in one pound bags for under a $1 that feeds my whole family, plus leftovers the next day! Scan your weekly grocery ads and buy veggies and fruits that are on sale for that week. I could go on and on about how to spend less and eat healthier and better. Healthy eating is actually more cost efficient.

Start a vegetable garden. Most veggies like tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce, and herbs can be grown in pots and left on the front porch to grow. Anyone can plant a small garden and have plenty of produce to feed three or four people for the summer and fall season.  Check out this website for tips own small organic gardening. http://www.organic-gardening.net/

Throw Away Your Credit Cards (First pay off your debts)

Throw away your credit cards and stop buying stuff you don’t have the money for. If you don’t have the money for a brand new television then simply don’t buy it. Look in your classified ads and buy a used television for a fraction of the cost of a new one. Credit card purchases have become an addiction. What do you think about this concept? Only using money that you have, does that sound like a good idea?

Do you need some furniture? Check out Craigs List. Scan your local classifieds for whatever you need. You will surely find some great bargains on furniture and many other items as well. Springtime is in the air and that means garage and yard sales. Be sure to check out your local paper to see where they are at in your area. And remember the early bird catches the worm.

Did you know that the collapse of the economy has not affected everyone?  Only those people who have sustained themselves through the use of credit and some businesses have been affected. The collapse was inevitable. Just like an addiction to alcohol, some people are addicted to buying what they want with credit. It is very fearful times for many people right now, especially those who lost a home, job, career, credit, etc. Credit was a crutch for them – its how they sustained themselves – its how they kept up with the Joneses.

The good news is you can start all over anew. But first, always pay off any debts and loans you have, if possible. The best way to start all over anew is to change your attitude about your needs and how you will buy things to fulfill those needs. Do you need that brand new car or will a nice looking used car meet your requirements instead? Anyone can learn to budget their money when they set their mind to it.

When we love money too much, especially money we really don’t have in the first place it makes us greedy for more and more stuff. People’s fear of “not having” is what spurs on credit card purchases. The fear of lack is simply the lack of the spiritual Christ in our lives. If I am not happy and content with what I have, then I am obviously lacking something in my spiritual being. God says over and over again that we have NOTHING to fear. If we have a growing relationship with Christ, then we would not be in fear of lack.

We all just need to learn how to relax, smell the roses (literally), take a break from “buying with credit” and learn to be more reliant on God, which is self reliance through the knowledge that our Creator has given us. Where is our hope? Hope should be with God and all that He says He will bless us with.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

Copyright 2008 Heaven Ministries