Why putting your credit cards on ice is not the way to go
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Those who’ve sworn off credit cards have probably run across the suggestion to “freeze your credit cards in a block of ice”. It’s old advice, and it presumably works for some people. But here’s why I don’t think it’s the way to go.
First of all, I tried it in the past and failed. Multiple times. I waited for the ice to melt, peered through it to get the expiration date so I could use it over the phone, and microwaved the block of ice when I was too impatient to wait for it to melt. I have no idea what “emergency” could have resulted in any of that. Seriously, what kind of emergency is there that you need to use a credit card within the 3-minute microwave time? I know there were no hospital trips involved.
Second of all, it’s a psychological thing. I knew the credit cards were still there. All I had to do was something foolish to get at them. Something that really made me feel like a desperate loser. Something that confirmed for me that I had no self-control.
But the truth was, I DID have plenty of self-control. I just wasn’t using it. I was afraid of losing my “safety net”. Of course, credit cards aren’t really a safety net. They’re a trap. Once I committed, for real, to getting out of credit card debt, it happened. And cutting up my cards and canceling my accounts confirmed that commitment.
It wasn’t a matter of not being “able” to use the cards. After all, I could easily have opened up new ones. It was the matter of commitment, and then having faith and confidence in myself. I didn’t need those cards hanging around “just in case”. I could handle life without them.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
My preferred method was to run the block of ice under hot water. Sad yet hilarious!
June 30th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Is freezing your credit cards like a drunk keeping an emergency 6 pack around in case a party breaks out ? I am reading the book ” The seven stages of money maturity” and the first stage is letting go of innocence. I think that is a very important stage when it comes to money.
June 30th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Can I just say…. this sounds really familiar :)
July 1st, 2008 at 7:46 am
This is funny because years ago, I did the cut up the card thing. The problem was I didn’t throw the card away and still used it…what an idiot I was!
July 1st, 2008 at 3:34 pm
I often wonder when people tell me how awful it is we don’t have credit cards. What if something happens? They say. What if you have an emergency? They say.
And I ask them if they have cards that aren’t maxed out…and how much actual credit they have for an emergency.
The illusion of credit card safety. I just don’t understand it.
Oh, my other favorite, “If you don’t have credit cards, you won’t have a good credit score!” I have a house, I have a car..what on earth do I need good credit for? The next car I buy will be in cash.
My dream? That the next HOUSE I buy is in cash too. I mean I still have debts and am cleaning things up, but it was so much easier to go from awful to good without the extra layer of crap credit cards produce.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:55 am
I have heard putting the card in a vegetable can and then freeze, so you can’t microwave it. Yet, as someone else said, it only takes a couple of minutes running it under a faucet of hot water.
My latest thing is locking it up in the safe deposit box.
July 4th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Wow, the lengths people will go to in order to get out of debt. Sounds like a crazy idea. But could be a good one. How about cutting up the cards and throwing them away? Or locking them in a safe or strong box, so they’re not easily accessible?