One thing rarely mentioned in these arguments is that Dave Ramsey’s advice is for people who are fundamentally BAD with money. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right program for a normal person with self control.
You could say the same thing regarding alcoholics, or those who struggle with overeating/obesity. The advice would be “throw away all the junk food in your house!” If a person can eat a handful of chips with a sandwich or a single cookie instead of binging on the entire bag, they don’t need to follow the same advice.
If you can’t keep yourself from walking through a store and buying a bunch of crap you don’t need and can’t afford with a credit card, then stop using them.
Money is a tool. Credit cards are a tool. Debt is a tool. Tools can be helpful or dangerous depending on how they are used.
Credit cards offer a level of security/insurance particularly when buying plane tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, HUNTS, etc. How many threads have there been where guys made deposits via check, outfitter has ghosted them, and the responses are “sorry, that sucks.”
FWIW, I use credit cards personally and nearly always pay them off each month. I don‘t use credit cards in my business as we run a ton of money through for materials, etc, often drawn out over several months on some jobs, and I don’t want the headache, stress, and tax implications of dealing with it. I prefer to take deposits on certain projects, have a cash reserve to float us, and a business line of credit to use if necessary.
