A (W)hole in the Financial Budget: Budgeting’s Influence on the Effective Use of Credit Card Debt in Australia

Credit card debt has become intrinsic to the way of life and are accepted as part of modern day living. This paper examines to what extent personal budgeting can influence the effective use of Australian credit card debt. The findings suggest that the most effective credit card debtors are those who consider they do not need a budget due to low income and expenses followed by those without a budget but often earning in excess of $180,000 p.a. Participants with the lowest effective use of credit card debt are those who do have a budget but rarely follow it.