It is an inevitable fact that in the near future our cell phones will function as credit cards; in fact, in some countries, they already do. Your credit card number is stored on your cell phone and through wireless magic, you can pay for something just by waving your cell phone at a special reader. It's already being tested in this country, and it's only a matter of time before most of us have the option to add this latest functionality to our mobile phones.

Is this a good thing?

This article I came across details the march of credit cards into every aspect of our society, with credit card payments now common in fast food restaurants, and vending machine credit card acceptance also gaining traction. The cell phone situation is also discussed, along with the ultimate question as to whether this is a good or bad thing.

Personally I like using my credit card just about everywhere. My goal is to carry nothing more than a $20 bill and one or two credit cards at all times. When the cell phone thing happens, I can reduce that to having just the emergency $20.

I understand the dangers of credit, of buying what you can't afford. If you can't handle Temptation, you shouldn't have them at all. On the other hand, some people's inability to handle temptation shouldn't ruin it for the rest of us.

With the right mindset, a credit card is nothing more than a convenience, a way to skip the ATM when you're short of cash. And something few people mention is that it's actually a great way to track your expenses. If your Visa bill comes and you say "Holy crap, how did I spend $1600 last month?" you have an itemized list that shows you exactly how you spent $1600, giving you the opportunity to change your ways before the next bill comes (or to realize that you had a big one-time expense that won't be repeated in the future).

And, you can debate the merits of everywhere credit cards all you like, but the fact is, they're not going away. So either swear them off, or work on your mindset around them, because blaming them when you go on a shopping spree ain't going to get you your money back.