Credit Cards–Freedom Comes Without Interest

Five years ago I figured out that I can, in fact, live without credit cards. After several years of collecting the beautiful hologramed invisible-money dispensers and testing all of them to their limits, I found that the balances didn’t fall quite as rapidly, or as easily, as they rose. Imagine that!!

As a young adult, I exercised great restraint and I didn’t have any plastic purchasing power. I didn’t trust myself. For good reason as it turns out. When I did loosen up and start accepting the cards that came in the mail, I used them tentatively. A pair of Nikes here, a birthday present there, always careful to pay for each item, in full, monthly. I remember feeling amazed the first time I used a credit card. It felt like magic. It felt benign. I felt free and unencumbered. I wanted to feel like that again.

Sounds like crack. Only the withdrawals last longer. After I explored many interest raising buyways including $5,000 worth of windows, a $2,000 paint job for the house, lots of trendy accessories, clothes, and generous gifts, I discovered the other side of the Visa fairy. She’s not a nice person. In this case she and her friends were mean to the tune of about $14,000 at percentages that almost matched my age.

The feeling was no longer magical and there was only one way to reverse the evil spell. Daunted and ashamed, I called one of those consumer credit places. I was lucky enough to get a good one on the first try. They’ve been reliable, honest and efficient. They negotiated the interest rates down to just above reasonable and got me on a monthly payment plan that was easy to live with.

Five years later, I owe $2,000 dollars. I’m glad I didn’t try to just walk away from it because I wouldn’t have felt good about that. Also, like everyone, I learn best from consequenses. The really amazing thing I’ve learned while whittling away at this debt is that I don’t need nearly as much stuff as I thought I did. Funny how that works. Things on shelves don’t call my name as loudly and seductively as they used to. And when they do I hiss at them to leave me alone and tell it to the lady with the Platinum MasterCard.