80% of Americans are in debt. The median debt owed by the average American is $3,000. I suppose one reason why such a huge number of people are in debt is because they spend a lot more than they should and what gets them to spend money thusly is the fact that even if they don't have the money, they could use their credit cards to purchase something they want. So if credit cards, convenient though they might be at times, will cause you more problems why not just stop using them? Withdraw money from your bank and use cash to shop. Most likely you'll spend only the money you have. It will keep you out of debt.
Totally with you - the best and only way of avoiding money problems is to prevent them from happening in the first place - which as that means not spending money that you don't have - yes I too would agree - that credit cards are generally a bigger liability than they are an asset. Particularly as - not only do they encourage people to buy things that they really can't afford - but as credit card companies are very good at tempting people to buy more and more - by increasing their credit limits to way beyond their means - their use can very quickly lead to the most horrendous financial nightmares. I personally don't think that we need them - as apart from the fact that buying anything with a credit card is more often than not lining the pockets of the already very rich credit card companies and therefore benefiting them rather than the card holder - they're not a very cost effective means of payment either - simply because - unless the debt is paid off immediately - you land up paying way over the odds for goods - than you would have done had you paid cash - due to the extortionate interest rates.
I second the motion. How hard is it to save money and open a debit account? A debt is never okay unless you meant to put up a business then loaning an amount for capital is totally reasonable. However, to get a credit card just so you can buy things you couldn't have bought with cash is just absurd. Many females in my previous company have maxed out their credit limits, resulting to multiple lawsuit threats and them hopping from one company to another. It's really a devastating site. I hope people start putting more effort into saving money than buying things out of debt.