I’m Proud That I Don’t Have A Credit Card.

I’m proud that I don’t have a credit card. There, I said it. I’ve never been in debt. I’ve paid for everything I’ve ever owned with cash. I’m proud that I’ve been in control. I’m proud that I have to save and wait and work a little harder for the things I have in life.
I am not saying this to put down anyone that does have a credit card or debt. I am saying this as a middle finger to the government. To the credit unions. To the banks. To anyone who thinks credit cards are the only way to pay for anything. I’ve made the choice not to have them and have no regrets.

Now, some of you may roll your eyes at me and think my parents paid for everything. Yes, they did — until college. Aside from assisting me with college room & tuition (after my scholarships) and most of our wedding, they don’t pay for anything. I am incredibly grateful for the values that my parents have instilled in me from an early age regarding finances. They worked their butts off and saved. I worked and I saved. I am working and saving.

When I turned eighteen, I received junk mail offers to apply for student credit cards. I pleaded with my parents to let me apply and they consistently told me, “No.” A few years went by and then the economy suffered. Around this time, I was searching for an apartment. I was unaware that having a good credit score was necessary for an apartment, and kept getting declined because I had no score. Due to the poor economy, having no score was just as bad, or even worse, than having a bad credit score. I thought I was screwed. But I managed to find an apartment (the company was very lenient). My next two apartments were through the company that my other half worked for and we didn’t have a hard time securing a place. Perfect! I still had no credit score, though, and started applying for cards because I thought that was what I had to do. Fortunately for me, credit card companies were declining me. Another year or so went by and I realized, I don’t want a credit card. I’m doing just fine without one – why get one? The only thing a credit card would do is rack up my debt.

So what’s the one secret to getting by without a credit card?

Don’t spend more than you earn.

If you can’t afford it, don’t get it. It’s as simple as that.

I don’t have a fancy new laptop. I don’t have a new car with payments (I paid cash several years ago for a very nice used car). I don’t go on vacation (we did go to Cancun last year with my husband’s tax return – but I didn’t want to use it that way). I haven’t bought a new camera in years. (I am sorely in need of a new lens — anyone?) I’ve snatched up things at thrift stores. I used my grandmother’s dishes and furniture as long as I could until I was able to acquire a few newer things. I stopped buying DVDs when I discovered that the library was a wonderful resource of media along with its books. I probably won’t buy a book, DVD, or CD again.

Not having a credit cards forces my husband and I to be wiser about our financial choices. Instead of wondering whether or not we’ll be able to pay something off, we ask ourselves, “Do we have enough money for this right now?” If we don’t, then we don’t get it. We somehow always have enough to pay for extra expenses that come up because we thought ahead and saved, rather than depended on a credit card. When people tell me I need to get a credit card, build up my credit, and/or anything along those lines, I feel like I have to defend myself. We plan. We reuse. We are frugal and thrifty. And we are fine.

I feel like I have way more than I need. My life is full of luxury. If you stepped into my apartment and looked around, you wouldn’t think so: cheap IKEA furniture, few possessions, only one cabinet filled with food. Yet, compared to 99% of the world’s population, I am rich.

You are too.

That’s the thing that blows my mind about all of this.

Most of us are blessed with so much. Most of us do have enough money. We just don’t realize it. We squander our money and time on temporary pleasures. We fail to realize what we have, we don’t put things into perspective, and we kind of forget about the future. We are impatient. We want more. And this is what has fueled our credit-card driven debt-loaded society.

As for a home? That’s our next obstacle. We may not be able to go about it the traditional way, but we will work a little bit harder. It’s funny how people who have worked for years with no debt are denied certain items because they don’t have a silly credit trail while others with debt are allowed to get cards that rack up more debt. What kind of system is this? I admit, it does make me angry. It frustrates me. But it also pushes me to work even harder. To cherish what I already have. To focus on what really matters for me. That is why I’m proud that I don’t have a credit card.