Use Sticky Notes To Track Credit Card Balances

I've been reading "sticky-notes" ideas and was reminded of one of my own uses. I use the smallest notes (and I divide them in half). Then I stick them to my credit cards with a notation of the available balance remaining on that card - just dollars, rounded up, no cents, no dollar sign. I also have a notation of the interest rate - they all seem to have different rates!

Whenever I use a credit card, I remove the note to run the card. I then re-stick the note upside down to remind me to update the amount, approximating the most recent expenditure and rounding the dollar amount up. That is, if the purchase was, say, $13.29, I would subtract $15 from the existing available amount, then cross out the old number, and write in the new.

When I check into my account at that card's website, I can verify the balance. Meanwhile, I have a good idea of how much I can still use, if I need to, that is! I try not to use credit cards, but sometimes it is necessary. This way, though, I'm not caught unawares with the "card denied" embarrassment and frustration!

By AuntieBim from Tehachapi, CA