Personal Finance in Your 20s & 30s For Dummies. Eric Tyson

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        Replace your credit card with a debit card. See the section “Discovering debit cards: Convenience without credit temptation” earlier in this chapter for the details.

       Think in terms of total cost. Everything sounds cheaper in terms of monthly payments — that’s how salespeople entice you into buying things you can’t afford. Pull up the calculator app on your smartphone, if necessary, to tally up the sticker price, interest charges, and upkeep. The total cost will scare you (see my discussion in Chapter 19 regarding total costs for a car). It should.

       Stop the junk mail avalanche. Look at your daily mail (email, snail mail) — I bet half of it is solicitations and mail-order catalogs. And then there are the endless telemarketing calls. You can save some trees and time sifting through junk mail by removing yourself from most mailing lists. To remove your name from mailing lists, including email, and to opt out of telemarketing calls, register through the website www.dmachoice.thedma.org/static/about_dma.php. To remove your name from the major credit-reporting-agency lists that are used by credit-card solicitation companies, call 888-567-8688. Also, tell credit-card companies you have cards with, that you want your account marked to indicate that you don’t want your personal information shared with telemarketing firms.

       Go shopping with a small amount of cash and no plastic. That way, you can spend only what little cash you have with you!

       Identify and treat spending addictions. Some people become addicted to spending, and it becomes a chronic problem that can interfere with other aspects of their lives. Check out Debtors Anonymous (DA), a nonprofit organization that provides support, primarily through group meetings. To find a DA support group in your area, visit the organization’s website at debtorsanonymous.org or contact its headquarters at 800-421-2383.