More KELOLAND shoppers are keeping the "plastic" in their wallets this Christmas season.

Tracy Franklin is like a lot of shoppers this holiday season. 

"I've gotten far in debt with credit cards and I don't need to run up anymore," says Franklin.

And with the current economy, Franklin plans to buy gifts with cash and cut back on spending. 

"You don't know from one day to the next what the price will be. The price of gas is good but you don't know," says Franklin.

Bank officials say they're seeing an increase in debit card use -- which is essentially just like cash. 

"Because they don't want to carry cash, it's a safety issue. Why carry a large sum of cash? In addition, it's really more convenient in writing a check. When members use debit cards, they really have a safer way of conducting transactions. It's easier, faster, they have a receipt for their records," says Jeff Jorgensen with Sioux Empire Federal Credit Union.

Joegensen says he's seeing more debit card purchases than credit card purchases at his branch. 

" We really try to teach our members not to use credit cards whenever they can. That source of good ready cash is more responsibly used is their debit cards and we are seeing an increase in that," says Jorgensen. 

But when it comes to gift buying, shoppers, like Franklin, say the holiday is about family. 

"The main thing is just spend time with them. That's more important, the time, then gifts, to me.," says Franklin. 

If you plan to charge gifts this year, bank officials say you should pay off purchases right away to avoid interest charges.