Credit card companies are good at making us believe that we can get something for practically nothing.

You have to use the card to get something back when, in reality, we often end up with less than we had to start with.

It’s sort of like the idea of a sale: save by spending.

What? Huh? End of the day, you’re still out the cash.

Don’t get me wrong. I love a good sale, and I’ll shop around for a deal when I need something. But more often than not, that need isn’t real. It’s more of a want.

Tonight, “It pays to Discover” struck me in a new way. While we may get something by using the card, they get much more. If you think about interest fees, late charges and our simple dependency on card, they benefit from us. Wouldn’t the payout be better if we realized we don’t need to go the credit route? Wouldn’t the payout of realizing that we can easily do without something we think we need be better than not thinking and simply buying?

Tonight I am thankful for the idea of scaling back, needing less, wanting less and finding ways to discover things truly meaningful for me — without spending a dime.