How do you get passed not having CC's to fall back on?

[bluemartini]

At first it was very hard for me to adjust to not having credit cards. My old way of doing things was to go shopping and if I went over budget, whipped out the credit card and charged the rest.

Now when I run out of money, I do without.

This weekend for example my renter's insurance was mistakenly debited from my bank account a week early. I'll try to straighten that out next week, but in the meantime I needed to buy groceries! Since I have no savings account, I had to go out to a couple of stores and return some things I had bought last week... I then took that cash to the grocery store and got what I needed.

Just one more reason why I need to get my money together and have a savings cushion for emergencies. Much less saving up my lawyer fees.


It's a balancing act to learn how to budget and choose wisely. It's been good though because now I have a much more true sense of how much money I can spend on groceries or clothes or whatever.

[Flamingo]

Learn to budget, budget and budget some more. It will be hard if you have never kept a budget but now is the time to change your ways and there will come a time when you don't even want to look at another credit card as many on here have posted in the past. Learn to do wtihout, shop discount/bulk, barter with friends for services (do you have a family member/friend who does house or car repair work? How about watching their kids once in a while as payback or doing some of their yardwork or other chores?). To save for emergencies, birthdays and holidays, at the end of each day we tossed whatever change was in our purse/pockets into a big jar and we did not touch it - you would be surprised how that adds up. Cars will break down, tires will need to be replaced, the water heater can blow, etc. so you need to save money toward those expenses.

You can actually make a budget fun if you work it with your entire family...like who can save the most money/cut back the most in a two week period, etc.

[killinstinct]

Amen! It's little things, too. My wife does her own hair or gets it done by a friend who is a fantastic stylist. In exchange, I work on the friend's car, change the oil, whatever. Even changing your own oil saves you $$$....$40-50 at the dealer, $10-15 if you do it yourself. Little things.

We have a Costco membership now and get THREE TIMES AS MUCH as we did from even Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is cheap, but it's kind of deceptive as their quantities seem to be much smaller if you really look at it. We spend the same amount on groceries now at Costco that we did at Wal-Mart and we're all getting fat now. It used to get pretty scary a few days before payday...

Like Flamingo has said, even the kids are into it. They understand they are fortunate to have what they have and help us find the 'good deals' at the store. Back to school time was a family project...we all looked for the best deals on supplies and saved a TON of $$$. We bring a calculator with us and get wierd looks from people in the store, but who cares, we're saving big time!!!!!

[HRx]

Eliminate as much wasteful spending as possible, live within your financial means, budget, budget, discipline, discipline and get a part time job or two if you need to.

[liz417]

...Since I have no savings account, I had to go out to a couple of stores and return some things I had bought last week... I then took that cash to the grocery store and got what I needed.

LOL!!! I've done that and KNOW all the return policys at my local retail stores...you've got to do what you've got to do....

OP: I know it's hard to live without a credit card or at least have a credit card to rely on in those "emergencies". I've been living on a cash-only basis for over a year, it does get easier. I noticed that I really do think about each and every purchase (down to a cup of coffee from Starbucks, that's now a "treat" not an everyday/every week thing) now more than I did pre BK. Yes, there were "emergencies" that came up and I didn't have a saving account, like my dryer going out right before Xmas, work on the car, emergency vet bill, etc., but I just hung in there, juggled some bills around, didn't exchange gifts this past Xmas, etc. I made it through and so can you.
Good Luck!

[adviceplease]

If I start taking $20-$40 a week out of the bank and putting it away is the trustee going to ask about the withdrawals? I have a budget written out for the rest of the year without the CC's included but I would feel better having a couple hundred extra to fall back on.

[killinstinct]

If I start taking $20-$40 a week out of the bank and putting it away is the trustee going to ask about the withdrawals? I have a budget written out for the rest of the year without the CC's included but I would feel better having a couple hundred extra to fall back on.

I doubt it. First of all, if you are an under median filer they're probably not going to look too closely. Secondly, if it appears you have less than $150 in disposable income a month, even if you're over median, generally they're not going to be able to push you into a 13.