surviving the financial crisis

Get a debit card

Both a blessing and a curse, the ubiquitous credit card is not your friend in times of financial and economic turmoil. Readily available cash, that's not presented in a form that can be seen, smelled, heard and tasted, but neatly stashed in a 3x2in piece of plastic, is not good, as it encourages mindless spending of money that you don't have, and it delays the moment when you have to deal with the consequences (was that new lamp really necessary? was that glorified sushi really worth the price?). Instead, get a debit card, transfer a fixed amount of cash on it each month or each week, always know your balance and don't spend more than you decide.