How do you pay for your shopping trips?

[Kana16]

Just curious as to how everyone pays for there shopping trips!
Cash? Debit/Checking? Credit?

I've been wondering if there's a better way to pay for my CVS/Wags/etc runs. We use Wachovia, and I have the Way2Save set up on my checking account. I love it for all purchases other than those at at the drugstores LOL. I made roughly 12 transactions at Wags alone last week so that's $12 taken out for W2S, which is a little aggravating at times. I know you can transfer it right back, but I still wonder if there's a better way to pay for my trips. I have a PayPal account, too.

I know PP gives % back but only on purchases signed for, which is rare for me. I rarely use cash to pay for something, but I do keep emergency money on me in case it's needed.

I've seen the deals at the drugstores such as the green dot prepaid cards, buy one get ECB/RR back, but is that even worth it? I'd do that sometimes considering I'd get something back on it and I could use it anywhere.

[mum2hba]

I pay with cash....when I run out it mean no more shopping for me until payday. :)

[ssfkat3]

I swipe the good old check card. If it's not in the account, its not there to spend. I do think I'm going to go to the cash system though, I know it will keep me from spending as much as I tend to do. I'll have to leave the check card at home though I think.

[deeder0]

CHARGE, CHARGE, CHARGE.....I use my Toys R Us visa card. I get $10.00 gift cards for every $1,000 spend. It is great getting those gift cards in the mail. With 4 kids of my own, i save them up and use them for christmas presents. I once "bought" over $500.00 worth of stuff for like $35.00. (TYhe trick to this is to pay off your credit card and not accrue any intrest)

[neelia]

I use a combination. Cash or checking account. Right now I'm working on paying off my debt. Once that's paid off I'll get a credit card that has good rewards and use that and pay it off each month.

[anaj06]

Credit card with rewards but we never carry a balance.

Only problem often when I do 6-10 transactions in a 30 minute window I get a call from the fraud prevention department to make sure it is me using the card. I try to explain to them why...and I swear they think I am crazy....

[$Saving!]

Debit card all the way.

Since we are at the point in our lives where living on a line item budget isn't necessary anymore (but mentally we put ourselves on alert on spending), tracking spending and using cash isn't something we have to do anymore.

For a couple decades though, first married through kids teen years, we did that.

Now since I track my spending on a spreadsheet (to track savings) by entering receipts when I shop, I know where we are on household spending, it's a defacto budget process.

I used to use cash only when we were on a hard line budget and the game was to beat the budget and have cash left over at the end of the month

Of course, there were always unplanned expenses or a high bill unexpected that would eat up the savings there, but it took a lot of pressure off our budget when the kids were little.

[DianeScraps]

I prefer to pay with change :-) I scoop up the change my husband empties out of his pockets ALL the time.

If I am spending more then payable with change, I pay with my debit card. If I am doing multiple transactions then I will do cash back on the first transaction so I can pay with cash on the rest - not worth getting my banks fraud department in a tizzy over multiple transactions coming out of my card!

I won't use credit cards, except for extreme emergencies (I've used it once in the last 6 years). Yes you can pay off the balance every month - but once you get hit with a fee or two because something gets misdirected in the mail or whatever you can quickly find out how expensive the credit card habit can be.

[kval07]

Debit card here. I don't do cash.

[ssfkat3]

for those of you using debit cards, is it a check card used as debit, or just a plain debit card? Mine is a visa check card, I could use as check or debit card (if I remembered my pin for debit that is lol) but a lot of places charge a fee when its used as debit. Since i Have enough to keep track of I don't have brain room to remember which stores charge, and which don't hence, wondering...

either way, its coming straight out of the checking acct....