It is a certain fact that where credit used to be the preserve of a few people with major disposable income, now loans and credit cards are common parts of life for most sections of society.

This has led to situations where it is assumed that the less well-off are the people who like to take out credit and get into difficulties, believing that society cannot do anything about it.

However, it seems clear now that even billionaire and trillionaire banks have been just as slack in their credit control as anyone else. It is more a question of who applies common sense in their banking practices than anything else.

An increasing number of people who have seen friends, family or anyone else trying to use credit to run their finances and making a mess of it are now deciding that credit is not for them.

In times of plenty, a credit card can be a convenience tool to make purchases at short notice, safe in the knowledge that the money to pay it off will be there when needed. In the present day, however, there is a lot less certainty about this and people are unwilling to take the risks attached to credit.

By making sure that you only use cash to make the purchases you need to make, you can guarantee that you only use money that is available here and now. It may not be as much fun sometimes, but it allows you to keep a close eye on your finances.