Could you do it? Put away the debit and credit cards and live on cash only?
Some families are doing just that and during these tough times. They may just inspire you to try doing the same.
And while it's not always easy, it pays huge rewards.
The Uhlarik family has always lived a pretty modest lifestyle. Mom, dad and five kids live in a middle class neighborhood.
Like most of us, they've used credit cards. And were good about paying them off – until a year ago.
That’s when their three-year-old daughter, who has Down syndrome, was diagnosed with leukemia.
Mounting medical bills and the complications of juggling it all led to more credit card expenses that weren't getting paid off.
"Especially gas, traveling back and forth from the hospital and so on. And even groceries." says mom DeeAnn Uhlarik.
With their daughter doing well today, they're working on paying off the balances.
They've also made the decision not to charge anything else.
"We felt like we needed to get to a point where we could live within our means,” she says.
That's easier said than done.
DeeAnn looks for sales now more than ever.
And both she and her husband think long and hard about the things they buy.
"If you're at the store and you see something, in the back of your mind, ‘Well maybe, let me take a step back and see if I really need that.' I'll come back and get it later if I have the cash or means to do it,’ " says dad Charlie Uhlarik.
They have only one car in the family, a van that can fit them all, and they look for gas stations that give cash discounts.
They use checks but not a debit card. Too easy to lose track of what you spend. And as a couple, they've cut back.
"We don't go out for movies or dinners,” he says. “Rarely, twice a year.”
But those sacrifices have actually made them stronger. Money is no longer a source of fights like it used to be.
"The peace of mind is what we're striving for," says DeeAnn.
What they won't cut back on though is their kids activities – and their tithing. In fact, their faith helped lead them to this decision.
"Our society, from the government to credit card companies to TV, telling you deserve everything and you get everything,” says Charlie.
“But if you go back to your parents and my parents, my parents lived in the Depression era, it was just common sense to not do and spend what you don't have," says Charlie.
The Uhlariks keep their credit cards in case they ever have a major emergency.
And if you use a credit card and pay it off every month, consider this.
Surveys show people spend 12 to 18 percent more when they use a credit card as compared to cash.
