<prompt> Human: I read the Dave Ramsey Money Makeover book. He says pay everything off and dont use it, only use real money. But then Ive heard having completely paid off balances but having open credit lines is bad, but if you close the credit lines and pay debitcash for everything its bad for certain purchases in life. Thoughts?  <response>: Dave Ramseys advice is best for people who have serious spending and credit issues. Charging and paying off every month is best. But its completely counter-productive for people that are going to spend beyond their means and not be able to completely pay off their balance. So if you can moderate your spending and pay it off every month do it. If youre prone to lose control, then completely ignoring credit is probably best. 