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The biggest danger in a recession is the urge to shop to feel better. And that is where the credit trap, the science of "buy-now-pay-later," lies.

One of the main reasons our economy tanked was because many people bought beyond their means to pay, mostly huge houses, and used their home equity line of credit to purchase more.

The result was as jobs were lost, people were unable to sustain the quality of life that they were living because of their credit lines.

As with every cycle, this recession too shall pass. But hopefully it will leave us more judicious about our credit options in the future. Here are some of the do's and don'ts in terms of credit cards as published in Yahoo! Finance.

Starting with the worst first, lesson one is to re-think debt settlement if you are overwhelmed with payments. According to Stacy Francis, president of Francis Financial, its almost as bad as declaring bankruptcy.

The item on the list of don'ts is missing a payment. It leads to late fees, interest rate hikes and negative marks on your credit report.

Third: Avoid the urge to use cash advances. You will pay fees for this service, pay a higher interest rate on what you borrow, and get hit with interest charges right off the bat.

Fourth, just because you have been allowed a certain credit limit does not mean you should use all of it, even worse if you cross over the fine-line and max-out your card. To the credit company it shows that your credit untilization skills are poor and hence you will be punished with penalties and more ills of that nature.

The next thing to avoid is to sign up for too many credit cards. The lure of extra-points, cash back and other advantages makes consumers use credit cards randomly, not knowing how much they are spending and hence exceeding their budgets. It also leads to a lower credit score.

Finally, there are the no-brainers: Don't be late on your payments, try paying off your credit bills as much as you can and not build up a debt.

Overall, credit is a financial tool to be used wisely. There are no magic formulas and no money-fairies who will make things right if you act un-wisely. For more information on credit card uses visit Yahoo!Finance.