Take a look at the two simple questions below and answer honestly.

1. Do you usually purchase something the first time you see?
2. When you get new lines of credit, do you get excited and think about all the new things you can now get?

Did you say yes to either one? Sure they look like softball questions but they drive home the point that responsible credit card use comes down to not being an impulse buyer and using the card as a proxy for cash that you already have. If you buy things the first time you see them, you aren’t doing the proper due diligence on the product your purchasing (is that a good price? is it a good product?). If you get excited and see a new line of credit as more money to spend, you’re not viewing credit correctly in the first place, you’re viewing it how the credit cards want you to view you. They want you to spend spend spend so they can earn earn earn!

So think about it… are you truly ready for a credit card?