Since this thread has turned into a seminar on credit, I will add my two coppers.
The interest on credit is the SAME as renting the item, only much,much cheaper.
Say you want a car, spend $22,000. @ 7%
That 'rental' costs $128.00 month, with every month costing less as you begin to trade renting it for owning it.
Try 'renting' that car from Hertz for $128. a week!!!
My home theater system on credit:
A Sony 42" plasma, Denon 4806 receiver, Denon 5910 DVD, Canton 7.1 with 4 CD300 and 3 CD360.. even at 'high' interest rates is a rental cost of $75.00 month... Consider 'some' cash in the deal and it is $60.00 month.. or $2 a day 'rental'.
Now you COULD go to RentaCenter and get some cardboard trash for $100.00 a month rental.. but aren't we smarter than that?
Also the (sensible) use of credit builds a credit rating. A must. (I personally know a dude who DID get everything in his life with cash.. Then was totally flabbergasted when a card issuer denied him a card at age 42 with zero debt and $20,000 in the bank. The dude had NO CREDIT HISTORY!)
Anyway, I use and abuse credit whenever and where-ever possible.
For the folks who feel they must be independently wealthy by the age of 35, my strategy is flawed. But, since I am ALREADY way past 35 AND STILL FLAT BROKE, with a (small, very small) mountain of debt.. who cares!
I plan on dying broke... the state can cremate my remains, if they ever find them...
The interest on credit is the SAME as renting the item, only much,much cheaper.
Say you want a car, spend $22,000. @ 7%
That 'rental' costs $128.00 month, with every month costing less as you begin to trade renting it for owning it.
Try 'renting' that car from Hertz for $128. a week!!!
My home theater system on credit:
A Sony 42" plasma, Denon 4806 receiver, Denon 5910 DVD, Canton 7.1 with 4 CD300 and 3 CD360.. even at 'high' interest rates is a rental cost of $75.00 month... Consider 'some' cash in the deal and it is $60.00 month.. or $2 a day 'rental'.
Now you COULD go to RentaCenter and get some cardboard trash for $100.00 a month rental.. but aren't we smarter than that?
Also the (sensible) use of credit builds a credit rating. A must. (I personally know a dude who DID get everything in his life with cash.. Then was totally flabbergasted when a card issuer denied him a card at age 42 with zero debt and $20,000 in the bank. The dude had NO CREDIT HISTORY!)
Anyway, I use and abuse credit whenever and where-ever possible.
For the folks who feel they must be independently wealthy by the age of 35, my strategy is flawed. But, since I am ALREADY way past 35 AND STILL FLAT BROKE, with a (small, very small) mountain of debt.. who cares!
I plan on dying broke... the state can cremate my remains, if they ever find them...

