Get a Credit Card!

I received a lot of advice in high school and college. When I heard something that seemed wise, I took it and utilized it. There was very little poor advice I received. The following is the most important.

Advice given to me: "Don't Get a Credit Card. They're nothing but trouble."
Advice I'm giving to you: "For Heaven's Sake! GET A CREDIT CARD!!!"

BUT! Don't act like an idiot. If you think you are going to use it unwisely, give it to your parent or grandparent or someone trustworthy and have them hold it. Buy something on it (something that is not very expensive), pay it off, lather, rinse, repeat.

I did not get a credit card. When we started house hunting, it came back to bite me. And it bit me like a T-Rex eating a sparrow.
We could not get a loan because my husband has poor credit, and I had no credit. None. In fact, when I got married, I basically vanished off the face of this planet. I stopped receiving credit card notices and when I would try to apply anywhere, I would get the following response: "No Information Available." or "No Credit History."

We would have been living in apartments until we were 40 if my parents had not helped with our house purchase.

If you are nervous to get a credit card, ask your bank about a secure credit card. I was finally able to get one of these at the beginning of the year so I am finally working on earning credit. With a secure credit card, your limit is how much you have in a set account so you won't overdraw yourself and you can have any amount you want in that account. Also you can't get to that money without using the credit card.

When we got married we took out a loan from the Fireman's Credit Union and my dad cosigned so I was able to take out the loan. Apparently, they did not have the capabilities to do credit reporting. So the loan I took out did not help my credit at all.



Music Playlist while writing this post:

• "Civilization"-Andrew Sisters & Danny Kaye.
• "Put a Lid on It"-Squirrel Nut Zippers
• "It's Good to Be In Love"-Frou Frou