Credit cards can be a tempting, especially in college when your expenses are running high and your funds are running low. Unfortunately credit cars companies do more harm than good. Here are five reasons to avoid the credit card trap.

1. Avoid overspending.

Credit cards fulfill our need for instant gratification. Instead of practicing good financial habits by saving up to make purchases, many credit card users make immediate purchases before reflecting or considering whether they can truly afford it or not. This can lead to spending too much money.

2. Keep better track of your financials.

Using cash is a great way to ensure that you don’t spend money on things you don’t need. If you only put $50 dollars in your wallet, after you spend the $50 you will have to stop.

3. Avoid bad credit.

When you don’t pay your credit card bills, you will receive a bad credit score. This is a problem because a bad credit score leads to not being able to rent an apartment/home, higher prices for car insurance, and higher interest rates on loans, mortgage payments, and car notes.

4. Save more money.

If you are constantly buying things you can’t afford, then a good portion of your money will go to your creditors. This prevents you from saving your money to be used for a milestone purchase such as buying a car, moving out of your parents’ house, school expenses, traveling, etc. Would you rather being paying off debt or saving up for spring break?

5. Unrealistic idea of finances.

Credit cards can trick you into thinking you have more money than you actually do. With “grace periods” they allow money to stay in your account after you’ve already spent it. This can give you the impression that you have more money to spend than you actually do.

In general, it is a bad idea to rely on spending someone else’s money. If possible, the best financial habits to implement are setting aside money to be saved every month and budgeting. These habits will allow you to have an emergency fund and keep track of just how much you’re spending.