Would you still buy that iPod Touch on sale for $200 if it really ended up costing $333?  How about those Nike Tempo shorts for $28 if you end up paying $46 for them? 

These are just a couple examples of how much you could end up paying for items if you use your credit card and only make the minimum monthly payments.  Before you pay for something with a credit card, be sure you can pay it off in a timely manner.  If you can’t, well that bargain of a sale could ultimately end up costing you double or triple the original price. 

If you’re tempted to buy an item on credit, check out this website and play around on it before making your decision; http://www.therealdamage.com/

If you already carry a large or small balance on your credit card and want to see how long it will take to pay it off and how much interest you will have paid, check out; http://www.federalreserve.gov/creditcardcalculator/Default.aspx

 One example; say you owe $5,000 on your card at an 8% interest rate.  If you make only the minimum payments, it will take you 15 years to pay off the card.  You will have paid over $2,200 in interest over that time frame. 

 Both of these websites are worth checking out and can be very beneficial.  They will definitely help you decide whether or not you really want to charge a purchase and pay more later or pay now and save later.