OK. Say you have a problem abusing your credit cards. Does putting them on ice or cutting them up really work? Or is it just a band-aid to cover a larger wound?

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If you have the discipline, sure it works...but that is the key...having discipline and let's face it...if you had that much discipline to begin with, you wouldn't need to cut up or freeze the cards would you?

So in the end, if that is the route you have to resort to, then no I don't think it would work...I think if you're going to cut them or freeze them, then you probably have the numbers written down somewhere else to pull out for use...you know "Just incase".

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Well I dont have this problem and only use 1 major credit card very seldom.

If you do have a problem, then sure cutting them up would help - because youd be unable to use them. But thats just a temporary solution...until the next credit card comes in the mail.

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Alex & the spider monkey

YES I agree, If you have the drive, the willpower to STOP using your cards, it works. Just removing the temptation of them being too readily available helps. Just telling yourself you don't want to use them, won't work. If you are truely addicted, you will seek them out of thier hiding places and use them. I think by cutting them up, you remove yourself from harm's way. If you are keeping them, 'just for emergencies', don't bother. If you REALLY need another card after you cut itup, you can call the bank and get a new one. By this point the emergency might have passed and you might not even need it anymore.

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Meghan9.Samantha7,Cameron5

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It may work for some, but I think if you have a problem charging, you will probably still be tempted to charge online without the actual card. I think the only way to really solve the charging problem is to cancel all but one and have the credit line lowered so you can't get out of control. JMO.

That about sums it up! Well said.

The ice thing doesn't work .. the microwave works way too well for that.

Putting them in a safety deposit box works or passing them on to a trusted friend or relative to keep in a safe spot can work too. You can still get access to it if you need it but it's much harder to get to.

I think you are on to something with the band-aid though. People get into credit card debt for many reasons, some of the really legitimate, basic food and medical to name two. But sometimes credit card debt stems from an emotional hurt where shopping / spending is used to dull the pain. In that case hiding the credit card will only delay the problem until it's dealt with at a deeper level.

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Mom to dd (age 9) and ds (age 11)
blogging daily about purpose and personal identity

I got a bunch of credit cards when I turned 18. I charged a bunch of clothes and stuff. Then I met dh and had some debt. We consolidated it and cut up all the cards. So after being married a year I started working at Target. I needed a red shirt and khakis for work. We were living very tight at the moment. I called up one of the companies that I had a cc card with and got the # over the phone and was able to go in and charge new clothes for work. That wasn't the best thing to do, but I felt I had no other option.

You should cut up all the cards and cancel all the accounts. Because when you think you are in a desperate situation, the cards are only a phone call away to get a new one mailed to you.

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Austin
Mom to 3 beautiful girls

The hard this with this is everything I've been reading about improving and maintaining your credit suggest not to cancel accounts or it will drop your score especially ones with a long history. That's where I would used the ice thing, only cause then I wouldn't lose them. I think if you are cutting them up for an addiction you would have to weigh what the extra debt would do to you credit as opposed to cutting up the cards. I would just put them in a safty deposit box or personally give them to my mom and tell her I will only need it in emergencies cause when I went to get it they would hound me about it lol so I never would.

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Mommy To Brody(3 years) Mason(20 months) Orin (3 Months)

"It's easy to pass judgement, it's more difficult and more meaningful to love someone" Big Love


"Cholesterol won't stick if you have the right attitude"

I had my numbers memorized, so cutting them or freezing them or giving them to a family member wouldn't have helped me at all. The only thing that helped was paying them off, cutting them up, and closing the accounts. I know that people say you shouldn't cancel them, but it actually helped my score go up because I didn't have all those possible accounts open to charge up again. My credit score has gone up 50 points in a year and a half from doing exactly as I listed above.

I have no willpower with my credit cards, so I haven't had one in a year and a half. Now we deal only with what we have in our bank accounts, so I HAVE to be careful with how I spend our money. It has been tough, but it is the best, most liberating thing I think I've ever done...financially speaking.

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