Credit cards aren’t all that bad. They’re needed to establish/build credit which you’ll need one day to get a loan. Like you’re saying though, only spend what you can afford. Most cards carry a high interest rate which can bury you so don’t put huge purchases that you need to payoff over time on them unless you have a card with a low interest rate or a store card that allows x amount of months that are interest free. I use my cards for everything because of the cash back rewards and it’s nice to get something extra for the money you would be spending anyway.