I know some of you are credit card free and are committed to never using them again and/or to never starting to use them in the first place and I salute you! I have seen many financially responsible people go to credit cards in the last year with the shifts in the economy or due other significant junctures in our lives (getting sick, having a child, divorcing, losing a job, etc).

Here are a few resources for what do with your current credit cards.

This article in the NY Times by Ron Lieber (was posted back in August 2009) although, it is still very helpful regarding the current credit card changes and it offers some good options for all us:

Hi There~

Lately I have been writing in my blog often....although it happens to only be happening in my head! :)  You see, my little guy, Noah, who is almost 16 months old is really the focus of my life right now, plus trying to sleep and hike and eat some food and oh, yes, get some time with my husband and a few close friends.

While I have my Monday - Wednesday office hours (10 - 14 hours per week), where a nanny is here with Noah. That time is really consumed with teaching my 4 month Wake UP With Money Course (I typically have 1 or 2 going at the same time), seeing some private Financial Therapy clients and then offering some 30 minute free Intake Sessions to provide a sounding board, direction and resources to this community.

Yin and Yang Currency~

Bari here, writing my first blog post. Or rather, my first article. Yeah!  I do not have a current head shot of me so i thought i would include a recent family photo for my first blog article~

The first time I saw Bernard Lietaer's power point presentation on ‘The Role of Complementary Currencies',  I sat back in awe and utter excitement.

This is the second guest post in this series by April Lane Benson.

April Lane Benson, PhD., is a nationally known psychologist who specializes in the treatment of compulsive buying disorder. She has been in private practice in New York City for over 30 years. Dr. Benson is the founder of Stopping Overshopping, LLC (linked to website), and creator of Stopping Overshopping, a comprehensive program to help eliminate compulsive buying. She is the editor of I Shop, Therefore I Am: Compulsive Buying and the Search for Self (linked to page on website about book). Her newest book To Buy Or Not To Buy?: Why We Overshop and How to Stop, is scheduled for publication at the end of 2008.
www.stopingovershopping.com

By now we all know that a transaction need not occur within the walls of a store for it to be titled “shopping. ” And no matter how clearly you know what you’re shopping for, there are always pressures to overshop. Shopping—at a mall, on the Internet, or even from a catalog—is almost guaranteed to stir up feelings and impulses. Mindful shopping can help in all of these cases.

This is a guest post by April Lane Benson.

April Lane Benson, PhD., is a nationally known psychologist who specializes in the treatment of compulsive buying disorder. She has been in private practice in New York City for over 30 years. Dr. Benson is the founder of Stopping Overshopping, LLC (linked to website), and creator of Stopping Overshopping, a comprehensive program to help eliminate compulsive buying. She is the editor of I Shop, Therefore I Am: Compulsive Buying and the Search for Self (linked to page on website about book). Her newest book To Buy Or Not To Buy?: Why We Overshop and How to Stop, is scheduled for publication at the end of 2008.
www.stoppingovershopping.com

 To Buy or Not To Buy— it’s a question we ask and answer almost every day, if not multiple times a day. For many people, this question is one that doesn’t cause much inner turmoil. But for compulsive buyers, it’s a high stakes question, and an affirmative answer can be devastating.