Many times, stores lure customers with such signs as “Zero interest for 12 months!”, or “Buy now, pay later!” 
These deals can be very irresistible and seem to be a perfect choice when you want to buy items you are not prepared to pay in full with cash. An interesting article appeared in Savvy Living (Yahoo! She). It offers a useful guide on the best way to pay off your purchases:
Clothes and fashion accessories
Clothing is essential but buying clothes more often than necessary is not a good idea especially if you use your credit card to purchase them. Fashion trends easily come and go; what’s fashionable this season will be discarded in a few weeks when the stores show off the season’s fashionable items. High-end or designers’ items or precious jewelry can be purchased using a credit card or through installment basis if the value of these items increases over time.
Gadgets
If you are thinking of buying the latest tablet or mobile phone model from your favorite brand using your credit card and thinking of paying for it over a 24-month installment, stop and think! The gadget may be obsolete in a year’s time even before you finish paying off the item. Also, electronics and other gadgets depreciate faster compared to other items that it’s best to buy them in cash.
Furniture
If you have just moved to a new house and want to buy some new furniture and home decoration, then it’s better to save for these items first instead of using your credit card and going for an intallment deal. Furniture and home accessories, similar to fashion accessories and clothes, become passé over time. However, an installment-type payment can be made if you are buying antiques or designer items with value that will appreciate in the next few years.
Car
It makes sense to get a loan when you don’t have cash to pay your car in full. But note that some car loans are front-end-loaded which means that the bulk of interest on the loan is in the early years, so stop yourself from making a big payment early on if you have the cash. Make sure to ask your bank for details on this.
In the end, it’s always best to buy what you can afford at the moment to keep your peace of mind. If you can afford to pay every purchase in cash, then don’t go for installment. But always, a wise move is to make sure that every purchase – whether paid in cash or installment – must be figured within your monthly budget to make sure you don’t live beyond your means.
