If you have trouble controlling the amount and frequency of your credit card purchases, try putting your credit card in a glass of water and putting it in the freezer. This makes it so every time you want to use your credit card, you’ll have to wait for the credit card to melt. By the time the ice has thawed, your desire to impulsively purchase may have evaporated as well. I read about this in Predictably Irrational; Dan Ariely called it, “The Ice Glass Method.” Apparently, it doesn’t ruin the credit card, although it will if you try to microwave-defrost it. This method is probably only good for people who do their shopping sprees in-person. Online shopaholics would just look through the ice.
Sometimes creating self-imposed barriers can be just what we need to curb bad habits. The same person inside us who has the willpower to put the credit card in the freezer is different from the person inside us who doesn’t have the willpower to resist picking up the plastic and hitting the shops.
(Photo: Getty)
More From Consumerist
-
FTC To POM Wonderful: But Seriously, Stop Claiming Your Products Make People Healthier
-
The Good News Is Consumer Spending Is Up — But Only Because Gas Is So Pricy
-
Dr. Dre Gets Beats Headphones On Olympians' Ears, Annoys Actual Sponsor Panasonic
-
What Are The Most Inane Ad Slogans Ever?
-
The Debt Ceiling Crisis Is So Much More Fun With Choose Your Own Adventure Scenarios
One of my roommates in college finally broke down and did this after he ran up a big bill. He had the little tyvek sleeve that the card came in and then popped it in a cheapo tupperware container, filled with water and kept it in the fridge. Really freaked some girls out when they would find it. I think they would have reacted better if it was a human head, but the idea of a credit frozen up in a block of ice just freaked them out.
@homerjay:
Freeze yourself!
So, sex addicts should freeze their genitals?
Wow, this could actually come in handy. This kind of forces you to think about spending before you actually do it.
Woooo woooo wooooo, my comment of Jan 17th
“Put your Credit Card in a bowl of water, put the bowl of water in the freezer, by the time the ice has melted and you can get to your credit card the impulse has gone and you realise you didn’t really need or want it anyway.”
Get you own top tips that one was mine mine mine!!!
Ok fine, I’ll do it.
This gives new meaning to the term, “frozen assets.”
But seriously, why is it so hard for people to NOT spend money they DON’T have? I own one credit card for emergency only. The other credit card, I use just like a debit card, or a checking account. I keep a register, and only spend the money if there is money in my account. Then at the end of the month, I don’t have to worry if there’s enough money to pay it off. I just pay the whole damn thing off EVERY MONTH. What is so freaking hard about that. I hear stories of idiots in tens of thousands of dollars in debt, and I just don’t get it. I mean, I understand the temptation of wanting something now. I guess I just have more patience than some people. I treat my bank account like a credit line. But no interest! If I want something, I start a “sub-account” in my budget, and start putting aside a certain amount each month for that item. In a little while, I have the money to purchase the item in cash. And there is no interest. And sometimes, because I’ve waited, the item has gone on sale, saving me more money! Or I found a better cheaper alternative. Just make a conscious decision to only spend what you have. It’s that simple.
One thing to worry about with this. In the UK we need to use the chip in our card to purchase in shops. This could potentially damage the chip.
Just a concern.
@humphrmi: Actually, glass is a superfluid, basically an extremely thick liquid. But you are right, if you rapidly heat it after freezing it, it will burst. Same in reverse too.
This doesn’t work for me.
I buy most things online, and I know all of my card numbers by heart.