Help Get Through the Recession by Using Your Credit Card

I know you're probably asking yourself "how am I suppose to get through this recession by spending money?".

First, let me start by saying that this tip isn't for everyone. If you're not very responsible with your money, then you could get yourself into a lot of trouble using this method. Specifically, if you can't or don't normally pay off you're balance every month, then this isn't for you.

Second, don't get confused...I'm not actually telling you to go out and spend more money. What I am telling you to do is take all your normal purchases and start paying for them with a credit card. By normal purchases I'm talking about everything, your bills, your food, EVERYTHING! I practice this personally with everything I buy, including all my normal bills, except for the select few which don't accept credit card payments without tacking on a fee.

The idea is to earn reward points/cash back on the purchases you are making, while still paying your balance in full. If you can successfully do that you can earn a little extra spending money. In the past year we've got nearly $400 cash back by using this technique.

The trick is finding a good card that still offers a decent reward plan. With the way the economy has been lately a lot of credit card companies are cutting back their rewards. Currently I'm using the Chase Freedom card which has been awesome. Not only do they offer a great rewards plan, but also a great online user interface which makes managing your accounts easy.

reward history	account summary

While I am still earning 3x rewards on my top 3 categories, it looks like they have made that only available for the first year of the card. They also offer a rewards plus store which features bonus rewards for shopping at certain retailers online. Another great thing about this card is if you chose cash back instead of points you have the option to receive a $250 dollar check once you reach $200 in cash back, that's $50 for FREE.