[Griff]

We use our credit card for almost all our purchaces. Its useful because we get a spending breakdown once a month that we can pump into Microsoft Money or Quicken. We can crank out all kinds of graphs telling us where we're being stupid with our money. It helps for setting long term goals and getting there. However, you have to pay it off every month or you're screwing yourself. We've built a house on our credit card and carried a balance over a few times but we always change our spending when that happens and slow down construction. Right now we have no balance and no morgage, easy credit is a tool like any other. "An idiot with a shovel will cause more damage than a wise man with a bull dozer." Gene Logdson

You can also fly to Europe on your accrued air miles like we'll be doing next fall.
juju is being smarter about it than a lot of students, if you have little chance of paying down debt, you shouldn't take it on.