When it comes to managing money, one aspect of the task is to ensure credit is kept in check, lest next month's bills become too much to cope with.
However, some of the latest financial data may suggest that consumers are taking heed of the need to spend less in this time of austerity, with Santander revealing customer credit card expenditure has fallen by four per cent in the past 12 months.
The biggest cut has occurred in the sports and toys section, down 24 per cent, which suggests consumers have been cutting back on the kind of items that frequently end up under the Christmas tree with their children's names on.
But the cut in spending includes goods and services people might pay for at various times of the year, with holidays hit hard as travel agencies saw a 13 per cent cut and airlines nine per cent less - these being costs people may use cards to pay for more than most goods due to their cost and the availability of online booking.
Other card spending falls saw department stores dip 11 per cent, while supermarkets were down five per cent and clothing stores fell four per cent, as did hotels.
However, there were some areas where expenditure on plastic rose, such as mail order (up eight per cent) restaurants and bars (four per cent), utility bill payments (three per cent) and usage at petrol stations, which was up two per cent.
But the overall fall may suggest consumers are looking to be more disciplined with their card usage and a prepaid credit card may be an ideal tool for this, as the amount that can be spent on it at any time is restricted to the figure loaded up at the last online top-up.
By adopting such a means of spending, consumers know they need to watch what they spend and cannot max up a card to a high level, so when out shopping in sports shops, department stores or supermarkets they need to take more care.
This week, the Debt Advice Trust said ten million Britons are struggling to keep their borrowing under control. But such a figure may be reduced if a prepaid credit card is used to help keep spending in check.
