My ol man and I are cash people. Safe in the wall. Bank only has enough in it to pay the bills. It is none of noone's business (gov't) included, how much money we do or dont have.
We DO NOT use credit for anything except cars and houses. We only have one credit card in case something crazy happened and it is one of those 'no limit pay in a month' deals. I could go buy a 55 ft boat this morning but I had damn sure have the money to pay that platinum visa or

.
My take on things is this. If you cant afford it today CHANCES are you wont be able to afford it when the days comes you have to pay the piper. Credit cards and student loans... thats how they grab you by the balls right out of high school.
What kid wouldnt take 10 grand a yr at 7% interest. I know I took it! Regret it now, of course but no choice. An adult with good credit cant even get cash at 7% so it sounds like a great idea at the time.
It wasnt.
