tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15023065.post8979636085054072866..comments2024-03-27T08:23:33.621-04:00Comments on Go Retro!: Going Retro With My Spending Habits: Why Cash Is Still KingPamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18122952408610512684noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15023065.post-42661458387677073902017-01-18T20:49:40.269-05:002017-01-18T20:49:40.269-05:00Pam, I have to strongly disagree generally with th... Pam, I have to strongly disagree generally with the idea of EVER using a credit card, because I've been there and suffered it. Credit card companies are, in my opinion, no matter what their name is, legalized USURERS. Americans are up to their ears in credit card debt like never before for many reasons, among which are:<br />A: The average person doesn't make a living wage anymore, and people are living hand to mouth with very little, or no savings to cover contingencies. The working class makes less now per capita than it did in the 1970s! Yet, credit cards only contribute to this vicious cycle of indigence by buying one the basics to cover the gap, at 25-30% interest! Disgusting capitalist horseshit.<br />B: Remember Patience? We want it now, and use the odious little pieces of plastic to gratify our desires. So, I really don't see, with human nature being what is is, and anyone being easily approved for credit, how the dependency on having credit, with the notion that one needs it to have a certain credit score, is ever going to go away. After all, this attitude is what contributed to the housing crisis of 2008 which destroyed the middle class. When you get asked at the store, paper or plastic? you're not being asked how you want your items bagged anymore, but how you will pay.<br />And speaking of plastic: Are you aware that now there isn't a corner of the earth, no matter how remote, or a beach, no matter how beauteous, that isn't littered with the stuff? I have decided to eliminate as much plastic items from my life as possible, credit cards included.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15023065.post-25340101339478611992016-04-18T20:14:03.095-04:002016-04-18T20:14:03.095-04:00Yeah, I agree. I find the cash back that I earn pr...Yeah, I agree. I find the cash back that I earn pretty much covers the interest charge, so it's not like I'm gaining any extra money. Pamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18122952408610512684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15023065.post-81306994043631976392016-04-17T13:24:32.403-04:002016-04-17T13:24:32.403-04:00I use a credit card for most larger purchasea (usu...I use a credit card for most larger purchasea (usually car repairs and such) and pay off the entire balance or more each month. The interest rates on credit cards is truly awful. It's a wise person who avoids handing them all that money!darathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04464153668273321783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15023065.post-54765138195324452342016-04-17T13:24:07.787-04:002016-04-17T13:24:07.787-04:00I use a credit card for most larger purchasea (usu...I use a credit card for most larger purchasea (usually car repairs and such) and pay off the entire balance or more each month. The interest rates on credit cards is truly awful. It's a wise person who avoids handing them all that money!darathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04464153668273321783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15023065.post-61899426404105972282016-04-17T11:37:59.602-04:002016-04-17T11:37:59.602-04:00That's great, Tammy -- whatever works best for...That's great, Tammy -- whatever works best for people. For me personally I hate knowing I'm going to have to pay for the item charged at a later date; sometimes I forget the exact amount of something and the charges can add up (although I've sometimes prepaid amounts on my bill before the charge actually hits the card.) I guess it's just my mindset.Pamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18122952408610512684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15023065.post-7270775957197005002016-04-17T10:32:57.903-04:002016-04-17T10:32:57.903-04:00I'm the opposite. I put everything over $10 on...I'm the opposite. I put everything over $10 on my credit card and pay my balance off every month. I like the cash rewards I get, and typically apply it toward my balance. I use my credit card for convenience, not as a substitute for cash or a loan which is what gets some people into trouble. I review my credit card statement each month against my receipts and the balance is typically around the same, except for months where I made a special purchase, or have a vet bill. Fiscal responsibility was ingrained in me by my parents, so I feel good about my spending practices. I know what's in my savings account and try to keep it growing. I also have 10% of my salary put into my company's profit sharing account. This is what works for me. But if limiting yourself to using cash only works, then that's great, too. Thanks, Pam!Ms. Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14401577393002002466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15023065.post-60567103485330793352016-04-17T08:58:29.825-04:002016-04-17T08:58:29.825-04:00Thanks for your comments, M.P.! Happy you're e...Thanks for your comments, M.P.! Happy you're enjoying the site. Not long ago I watched a BBC special uploaded to YouTube called "Make Me A German." A British family lived there for a few months to experience the culture -- there's a lot of common sense still instilled there in average daily living compared to the U.S., and I remember they said they're big on saving as much of their income as they can and rarely use credit cards. They also prefer to rent apartments vs. buying a home, as it economically makes more sense there at the moment. Glad you got to visit the country and enjoy it at a young age. Pamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18122952408610512684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15023065.post-64116399367809194892016-04-17T01:41:19.707-04:002016-04-17T01:41:19.707-04:00I feel your pain, Pam.
I didn't get a checking...I feel your pain, Pam.<br />I didn't get a checking account until I was eighteen, one day before i went in the army, and only because my recruiter asked me offhand if I had one. I didn't, and he said "you better go get one, schmuck, and fast, if you ever wanna buy anything for the next three years."<br />Lucky for me, there wasn't much chance to spend any of my pay for a while, basic training and all, so I had a nice little account going when I hit Germany (your post got me remembering that) in the spring of '88.<br />Ah, were we ever so young?<br />Apparently we were. Yeah, Deutschland was kind of a cash-and-carry place, and you would go to this little bank on post and come out with a wad of Deutschemarks and see the sights. Hey, I was a nineteen-year old soldier, and beer and girls were a priority, with culture a distant third. I won't apologize, we won the cold war! And everything's been fine since then, right? (ahem)<br />I still have a little of that old kraut money, stuck in a jar.<br />But yeah, ya gotta have a credit card, for emergency's, like if your car breaks down on a lonely highway at night and you gotta check into the Bates Motel.<br />Great post, and a great blog, by the way, which I recently stumbled upon on during my endless, relentless quest for knowledge. I enjoy it!<br />Excelsior, Pam!<br />M.P.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com