Sadie suggests we talk about credit cards (and a whole lot more)

Sadie suggested a number of related topics, all in one post. They are all worth discussing, but I’m most interested in how credit cards affect your buying habits.  Personally, I use cards when they are convenient and pay them off every month so never incur an interest charge.  I’ve had a GM credit card for years and have saved about $5,000 on three vehicles.  Great cars, by the way.  My 2000 LeSabre has 228,00 miles on it and is going strong.  Anyway, here’s Sadie’s suggestion, word for word, and I look forward to your comments:

The link looks at the cost to retailers for a “convenience card” a/k/a credit card.
It comes as no surprise that the cost of swiping has been reflected in the cost of purchasing. Three percent is quite a chunk of money. Wouldn’t we all love to see a 3% return on our checking accounts. The story reminded me of my grandmother, who never had a credit card, paid for everything by cash unless it was a large item and then it was by check for obvious safety reasons. I have a friend who purchases everything and I mean everything by credit card for the sole purpose of “points” and whatever they buy at the end of the year. I, OTOH, prefer to pay for food, gas and sundries with real money – it forces me to think about what I am spending. I reserve credit card purchases for big ticket items, which are far and few between.
My question for the readers: Cash or credit and how and does it affect your spending?
More money thoughts ….
On a larger scale – if the voter actually saw how much money is spent [read: wasted] by elected officials wouldn’t they all be screaming their heads off. I suggest a traveling “money show” on the scale of a old-fashioned Barnum & Bailey Circus. We’re gonna need a really big tent.

Look carefully, there in the bottom left corner is our six-foot tall human, dwarfed by the staggering ocean of money… That’s fifty pallets wide, 100 pallets deep, and two pallets high…. 10,000 pallets of 100 milliion each….. so next time someone talks about a trillion dollar bailout…close your eyes and imagine this warehouse full of money