Credit card....what should I do?

Yesterday I had a car tire blow out. My mom agreed to let me buy another one using one of her credit cards. My tire was ordered from a shop. Today I pay for it with mom's credit card. Later she called me and said the credit card had never been used....that I could come pick it up and just keep it (I had took it and dropped it off at her house). I told her ok thanks. Now I'm having anxiety. What if I get manic and start spending??! An emergency card would be good but I'm super nervous. I deal with mania in the spring and summer even while on meds. I want to trust myself but I also "remember" where I am on the bipolar one spectrum. I need to pray and think this out.

It sounds to me like you know yourself and know your patterns well enough. If spending in mania is one of those recurrent patterns, I'd say leave it with your mom.

You are very wise to think this through beforehand.


WC

Please try to avoid using the card, I got three credit cards all of which I've hit the limit on and now struggling to pay back, and now I'm struggling with no spending too much on my debit card which is getting harder and now not got enough money on my debit card account to pay my bills

This!!!!!

Cocosurviving, I would agree with vertigo, in my opinion (for what it's worth), I think I would leave the card with mom. If you ever do need it, you know where to find it, but that way you're not tempted to say "just this once..." I hope this helps!

You will spend the remainder of your life paying for it.

I have one credit card with a $500 limit that I use only for small things, and I pay it in full each month to avoid interest charges. I've also arranged to give it (along with my bank card) to my son if I become hypo/manic. It's taken me years to build enough credit to have a credit card in the first place, and it's only been recently that I trust myself enough to handle it responsibly.

It sounds like you've still got doubts and you may be better served by keeping the card with your mom and only using it in case of emergencies. Especially if you've got a pattern of manic behaviors at certain times of the year like I do. Of course, you're the only one who can decide whether having a card is too risky. I wish you the very best of luck.

That's great that you gave pause when offered to keep the credit card. Knowing your own limitations and patterns is extremely important. What you may want to do is become an authorized user of the card but not have physical access to the card or know the details of the card. Then, when an emergency does come up a payment can be made using the card and you could help yourself build a little credit along the way. That's what my wife and I are doing with her credit card. I hope I have that worded right - I just know that I won't have physical access to a card at all, let alone long enough to memorize the numbers on the front and back. I'm really bad about that.

Sounds like you know what to do. This is great! Being self aware is very important! Congrats!

I'd either give it back to your mom, or freeze it in a block of ice. That means you'll have to be really desperate to thaw it out.

Freeze it in a block of ice? Genius. A BIG block. Perhaps the thawing process will bring you back to reality long enough to NOT spend, Coco?

I get the spring/summer mania even while on meds thing. I get that usually too. Never know how high it might go. Yick-yum isn't it?

If it were me? I'd give that card back to mom or report it stolen. Mom will get a new card, but you won't have access to it.

You all have helped me think this out. I'm leaving the card with my mom. I think it's for the best.

Good job thinking that through. You'd be better off not having that temptation within reach. Maybe leave the card with your mom and only retrieve it when you have emergencies.