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MARQUETTE -- This year, fewer people will be using credit cards than any year since 2002.

According to the NRF, 68 percent of us will rely on debit cards and cash this holiday season; only 28 percent will charge their gifts.

Christian Palomaki of River Valley Bank says that's because debit cards and cash make it easier to budget your money in these tough economic times.

"If you make a purchase with cash, you're going to think about it more and kind of agonize over that purchase a little.  More credit card purchases tend to be more emotional; you don't think about it as much because you know you have time to pay it," says Palomaki.

Some U.P. shops say that, in fact, they have seen more debit cards and cash this holiday season.

"Definitely there's a marked increase in the use of debit cards, more than credit cards.  Debit cards are a good 70-80 percent of the transactions we make in a day," says Lee LaForge of Book World in Marquette.

"We've noticed a slight uptake in it, probably 10 percent ball park; more people than last year seem to be using their debit cards and cash," says Dennis Mingay of Getz's Department Store in Marquette.

And when I approached a few U.P. shoppers about what they use, most agreed, cash and debit.

"I use cash because it's easier to keep track of how much I'm spending, and with a card, it's easy to overspend," says Brittany Etelamaki, a cash user.

"I like to use cash because usually at the beginning of the holiday season, I take out the amount of money I plan on spending, and that's typically what I try to spend on gifts," says Brian Goodwin, also a cash user.

What are some other reasons more people are using cash and debit cards?  Palomaki says there's less risk--you can't spend more than you have.  Credit cards are harder to get nowadays, and credit limits are lower than they used to be.