Why We Choose Not to Promote Credit Cards for EXTRA Savings or FREE Shipping Offers

Now that we are in the Holiday Season, comes a multitude of savings opportunities. Retailers are trying very hard to get you in their store to purchase items that you may want for the holidays.

Articles fly around the internet and on Facebook about Consumer Spending and the Economy, letting people know that spending may lead to a boost in the economy and be GREAT for the market (thus justifying our need to spend?!)

While the reason for the season really isn’t in the purchases (at least not for us), it’s really easy to get suckered into offers just for the added savings.   Kohl’s in addition to MANY other retailers are offering FREE offers – FREE shipping, higher discounts, for shopping at their store, in many cases those greater savings are available ONLY with a credit card.

As much as we love to help people save here in this blog, I may stand among a very small few in this blogging niche ~ in that we have always opted against promoting credit card offers for higher discounts & free shipping.

Over the last few weeks we have had several readers email or comment to point out that Kohl’s is offering MORE of a generous discount for card holders ~ whether it be 30% off .. and free shipping (and other benefits in some cases).. we don’t, and won’t promote those here. Yes, the savings may be more, but since the beginning of this blog, we have always believed in promoting those things we would take advantage of. And since we don’t use credit cards ourselves we can’t honestly promote them in good nature.

This blog has always been about sharing deals (whether grocery or online), events around town and everything from DIY to Recipes ~ sharing our experiences with you hopefully inspires you..    We do read many other blogs through our reader, I find it ironic that money saving blogs (some with personal finance articles) would recommend credit cards as a solution to a better budget or as an avenue to a better deal.

But… We are Disciplined and We Pay Them Off Monthly

While we are not going to judge those of you do love those credit card opportunities ~ we simply don’t have any and we don’t feel like they are a wise choice.

It’s SO easy to get manipulated by credit card companies when they are treating you well and showering you with bonus offers..   

We want to be a blog that helps and inspires you to a better budget – a budget that doesn’t rely on credit for vacations, household goods or even everyday expenses. Although some may feel like it’s good debt that can be easily leveraged to create opportunity, credit is an easy way to destroy your finances too ~ a job loss, a sudden life change, or even a bad accident can result in one shift in your plans that creates a snowball effect that causes years of damage.

That same discipline it takes to pay off a card regularly, is also the same discipline needed to regularly save too ~ unfortunately we just read this week a statistic that was STAGGERING – 70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck... knowing how many people rely on credit or pay through credit, that’s a very scary statistic.

We definitely hope that you understand and respect our stance on this subject and our desire to refrain from taking our blog down that path.