You may hesitate to get a credit card because you’ve heard the horror stories about people racking up thousands of dollars in debt. Or you may have already damaged your credit through less-than-responsible credit card use. You might just prefer to conduct all your business in cash.

Almost any time you open a checking account, the bank will issue a debit card to you. While you may think of this as the ATM card to draw money out of your account, it can be used for so much more. While utilizing this card is convenient, there are some things that you should know to make sure you are using it properly—and not costing yourself money because of it.

You may have a damaged credit profile and be unable to qualify for a regular credit card. Or you may simply wish to avoid taking on high interest credit card debt. In either case, you don’t have a credit card and won’t be obtaining one anytime soon.  Nonetheless, you still need access to some means of receiving funds and making payments. One or more of the alternatives listed below could allow you to conduct all the financial transactions you need – no credit card required.

The main difference between personal loans and credit cards is how the funds are accessed and repaid: personal loans provide a lump sum of money that is repaid over a fixed period with fixed payments, while credit cards offer a revolving line of credit that allows for ongoing borrowing up to a limit, with flexible repayment options and interest charged on outstanding balances.

Whether you’re drowning in credit card debt or simply want to reduce the number and amount of payments you make each month, consolidating credit cards is a savvy financial move. However, all methods of consolidating credit cards are not created equal. The ten strategies below vary from extremely desirable to approaches that should be considered only as a last resort. That said, there are circumstances where it makes sense to utilize less desirable strategies to get your credit card debt down to size.

Whether you’re a DIY active investor or you trust your accounts to a broker, your lunch hour is an ideal time to check in. Many markets will still be open, but news and earnings announcements will already have been announced, making it possible to make a trade or two. If you work with a broker, a brief face-to-face chat can put your portfolio top of mind with him or her while allowing you to gain insight from a knowledgeable source.

You may know that FICO scores range from 300 to 850 and that higher scores are more desirable. If you’re buying a house, you may strive to boost your FICO score to qualify for the best conventional mortgage rates. If you’re applying for a car loan or credit cards, you also work to boost your FICO score.

You may have a vague idea of what a trust is, or at least what you think a trust is. You’ve thrown around the term “trust fund baby” more than a few times. You figure that trusts are something for rich people, not for ordinary folks.

Buying a new or used car can be a trying experience under the best of conditions. High-pressure sales tactics and confusing pricing are par for the course. But for consumers with bad credit, car buying can become an exercise in frustration. The great deals touted in TV commercials like 0 percent APR, large cash back bonuses or free payments for one, two or three months are not available for so-called subprime car buyers.

You may have heard or read the advice that you should work to maintain your credit if you have good credit, and to improve your credit If you have bad credit. But you may wonder just how much your credit actually affects your life. If you are attempting to make changes in your life, your credit score could have a significant effect on your day-to-day activities. But if you never use or need credit, your credit score may have little or no impact.