After the mortgage crisis, which is being felt by people all over the country, analysts are nervously looking out for the next financial disaster. Some are pointing to credit card debt. America’s obsession with shiny things starts at a young age, but there are a lot of good reasons for young people to avoid early debt.

Credit card companies especially like to prey on young naive unsuspecting college students like us. As members of a demographic that is notoriously cash-strapped, credit cards serve as an instant remedy to situations that in the olden days would have been practices in self-deprivation. Many of us are guilty of indulging in just swiping it. The looming credit problems in the U.S. should have us leery of these action’s implications.

David Sandor, a vice president for Visa USA, claims 54 percent of college students pay off their credit card balances every month. Even just carrying a card around can make you more likely to spend. This makes it easier and more guilt-free to make impulsive purchases. According to “Mother Jones” magazine, “Americans charged $51 billion worth of fast food last year.”

The convenience could be why cards are specifically marketed to students. The average undergraduate has $2,200 in credit card debt, according to Nellie Mae, the nation’s largest student lender. When you take into account the additional amount that students are usually accruing while in school, it means substantial debt for people just entering the workforce.

Responsibility and civic mindedness aside, personal freedom is tied to finances. As young people, we have the opportunity to make wise financial choices early and avoid the pitfalls of debt for the future.

Marketing is always emphasizing living it up by way of forking over your magnetized card. What so many people keep ignoring is that buying into the newest thing makes you a slave to what you’ve bought.