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Going checkless and no credit cards

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Texashiker said:
You spend the money on a credit card, then you have to have it paid off by a certain time? No. If your going to spend money on something, pay cash for it.

Miss paying that credit card bill one time and see what happens.





Your first reference was to living in a slum. Why not live in a slum? Drugs, gang violence, home invasions, quality of life for you and your family,,,,,,.




I have lived in an apartment, and if I had to I would again. But for what an apartment would cost, I'am able to buy a house.

It is honorable that your friend is making a valiant effort to better herself. Most people are not willing to make such sacrifices.
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I love how you have pretty much ignored my posts.

So to reiterate and prove your trolling...

I pay my credit card every other day. I never have a balance for billing periods and since I pay it off every other day, there is no possibility of being late.

Add in that I get 2 points for every purchase, I got my 7 day cruise for my family for FREE next month. Only thing that doesn't go on my card is my mortgage and I wish I could put it on it.

So lets recap so you can understand.

Zero interest
Zero late payments
Zero downside.

Why? Because I am responsible and you aren't. Once again, you are like an alcoholic telling everyone not to drink because you can't handle alcohol. Just because you have a problem doesn't mean everyone else does.
 
Texashiker said:
You spend the money on a credit card, then you have to have it paid off by a certain time? No. If your going to spend money on something, pay cash for it.
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That's interesting. Do you just start throwing money at your utilities to pay for things, or do you "pay them off by a certain time?"
What? You pay those bills when they're due? Imagine that!

A credit card bill is no different. I am not wasting my time going to the bank to get money when instead, I can benefit from using a card that rewards me when I do use it. Thank you, Chase, for my Radeon 6870.

Your so called "reward" is being paid for by someone else. But that is capitalism for you.
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You're right. It is being paid for by the fees the businesses pay to use VISA. If I run my debit as a credit card, I get reward points. If I run it as a debit, I don't. Why? Because when I do that, the VISA fees kick in and the merchant has to pay them. And the beauty is, it is all deducted from my checking account so guess what? I am not paying a damn thing off at the end of the month.

On the rare occasions I use an actual credit card, I have no problems paying it off. I'm smart enough to know when I use a credit card, I need to pay it off.

Miss paying that credit card bill one time and see what happens.
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Are you really that inept that you can't remember to pay a credit card bill? Seriously?

You need to stop trolling. That is all you're doing. As others have said, you have nothing to support your argument and keep repeating the same thing every time.
 
credit cards work for those who has disciples. if you already know you don't have disciple, then it is a good thing that you dont have one.
 
Texashiker said:
Perfect example - thank you for posting that.

Everything might be fine and dandy right now, but what happens when one of you loses your job? Your stuck with a large bill at the end of the month that you may not be able to pay.

One of the big problems with credit cards that people overlook, you can pay your monthly balance right now, but people lose their jobs,,, its a fact of life. Then you keep charging things, and your left with a large amount of interest and late fees.

Not everyone has enough self control to limit their credit card usage. Like I said in the opening post, my ex-wife (wife and the time) ran our family into $30,000 - $35,000 in credit card debt. For years we had no extra money to even got to the movies.

I know a lot of people pay off their credit cards from month-to-month, but I see that as standing on thin ice. At anytime either partner in the relationship could lose their job,,,, and then what? Your left with a credit card bill with reoccurring fees and interest rates.

When people lose their jobs, a lot of them use credit cards to maintain their lifestyles with the mindset - I'll just pay the bill after I get a job. Most do not realize that its going to take years to pay the high interest rates down.
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Your little story here only applies to people who keep a revolving balance on their credit cards. Having some debt isn't the worst thing in the world. The vast majority of people have cell phones & are locked into a 1 or 2 year contract. So, let's go to your "lost your job" example. Suppose you or your spouse lost your job & you couldn't quite pay all of your bills for the month. Which is better? Paying a $35 late fee on top of a $50 monthly payment? Suddenly being saddled with a $300 early termination fee, and having no cell phone? Or, plopping that $50 onto a credit card and making the minimum payment for 2 or 3 months until you get your feet back on the ground?

In such a situation, it would be incredibly irresponsible to say, "hey, let's go to Red Lobster and buy dinner - we can charge it." And, of course YOU wouldn't.

Which brings me to a huge hole in your b.s. story. You blame your ex-wife as being the one without restraint for spending excessively with credit cards. Yet, you also imply that YOU can't control your spending when you have credit cards - that YOU can't resist. Yet, your debt was your ex-WIFE'S fault. I know people who have been in numerous car accidents because they can't drive safely. I don't apply that to myself and avoid cars. Yet, by analogy, you know someone else who can't control their spending urges with credit cards, but despite all the people in this thread telling you otherwise, you seem to think that someone else's lack of willpower applies to yourself.

Personally, I don't think my wife or I have touched any of our credit cards in at least a year. We use debit or checks for everything - not all transactions are capable of being processed (for us) with cash. Our vet is 25 miles away - I'm not sending cash in the mail. It's easier to send a check. Thus, we're not debit/crash only. And, in response to the idiot who said that if someone steals your debit card & goes on a spending spree, kiss that money good bye, etc., you're full of shit. That might be true at some banks, and we constantly hear stories about how some banks really screw over their customers. But, not every bank behaves that way. i.e. My son's bank screwed something up and he was shorted around $1000 over the weekend from a deposit last Friday. (Apparently a computer glitch.) Monday, they credited his account for that amount while it was investigated - they didn't wait until the investigation of what went wrong happened first.
 
I respect everything you're doing. If it works for you and makes you feel safer (identity theft fears) don't mess with it.

For me, I used to have 4 credit cards. I got 1 when I was 18, then got an Amex Blue, then got 2 more credit cards when I got married to help offload some of the others. During that time, I went to Italy, France, Mexico, bought a timeshare membership deal, an engagement ring, paid for my honeymoon (Hawaii) and a bunch of incidentals. Within 4 months, the credit card companies on the new cards I got.... (Chase & Bank of America) ...started hitting me with late fees, etc for no reason. I called and complained and they didn't care...etc. I immediately paid them both off and moved any balance I had over to AMEX. That was 2006. I paid down about 90% of my cc debt and finally got the last 10% a few years ago. I sometimes will carry a small balance ($100-200), but only use my credit card for large purchases like furniture and deferred reimbursements like travel expenses. It's handy to have for those reasons.

As for checking, I don't write checks that often, but it's very convenient to pay some things with a check. It's a guaranteed paper trail. I recently bought a new HVAC system...I wrote a check. I was able to move money from savings over to checking and it worked out. I don't typically leave a lot of money in checking so if it ever gets raided by identity fraud stuff I can still get to my savings....plus I have multiple bank/credit union accounts with money in all of them. The key to it all is to have access to your money when you truly need it.
 
Texashiker said:
It is honorable that your friend is making a valiant effort to better herself. Most people are not willing to make such sacrifices.
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That's why most people are in debt. They don't want to live in that studio apartment or with roommates. You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

As for slums, there are areas in my city where you can get a very cheap apartment and it not been crime ridden. Safe for kids? No. But def not gangs and drugs.
 
Codewiz said:
I love how you have pretty much ignored my posts.
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I have not ignored your post on purpose.


Codewiz said:
So to reiterate and prove your trolling...
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How is living a different lifestyle from your trolling? Do you say harsh words to people of different race or color then you? Anyone that is different then you deserves to be insulted?


Codewiz said:
Add in that I get 2 points for every purchase, I got my 7 day cruise for my family for FREE next month.
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No, the cruise was not free - someone else paid for it.


Codewiz said:
Why? Because I am responsible and you aren't.
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I dont see where living within my means, having a paid for truck, paid for SUV and a house that is almost paid for irresponsible?


Codewiz said:
Once again, you are like an alcoholic telling everyone not to drink because you can't handle alcohol. Just because you have a problem doesn't mean everyone else does.
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I have to respectfully disagree with that. All I have stated is that I do not want to pay the interest or late fees that credit cards charge.

If credit cards work for you, thats great, but I do not want them.
 
Your missing the point, his ex-wife ran up the credit cards and he was on the hook for it. He is pretty sure he would be alright but he doesn't want to be on the hook for his new wifes indescretions. I don't see an issue. Cash back bonuses are nice but you can live without it easily.
 
Texashiker said:
No, the cruise was not free - someone else paid for it.
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It didn't cost him a dime, so therefore, it IS free to him. Tough crap if someone else is paying for it through fees, interest, etc. Smart and savvy users avoid all of that. If people aren't smart enough to avoid it -- well, too bad.
 
This is why we do need a Finance subforum. So much fail in basic econ/day to day finance/banking/investment.
 
Svnla said:
This is why we do need a Finance subforum. So much fail in basic econ/day to day finance/banking/investment.
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I don't like subforums, they only draw the people who are really into the subject. I like when forums draw attention from people on topics those people did not intentionally search out for. It keeps opinions diverse and discuss lively. Unlike the auto forum where it's all knowledgeable car snobs competing about who knows the most.
 
IceBergSLiM said:
Your missing the point, his ex-wife ran up the credit cards and he was on the hook for it. He is pretty sure he would be alright but he doesn't want to be on the hook for his new wifes indescretions. I don't see an issue. Cash back bonuses are nice but you can live without it easily.
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True, but it is there, and why wouldn't you want to take it? 😀

"Free money" for the taken IF only you be responsible with it.

See my reply to OP (post #145). Two situations, one without cash back (paying with cash/check/debit), one with cash back (paying with reward credit card). Within one year, I can get at least a couple thousands (if not more) cold hard cash back plus all the benefits of a high end Visa Signature credit card (see link).

To clarify, I would NEVER run out and buy things that I don't need or can't afford just to get reward cash back. I would pay ALL of my bills (normal day to day household bills -rent/food/utilities/etc.... plus my business bills) with the reward cash back credit card because I would HAVE TO pay the bills anyway, why not get some cash back plus the fringe benefits/protection from the reward credit card in return?
 
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Svnla said:
This is why we do need a Finance subforum. So much fail in basic econ/day to day finance/banking/investment.
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Regardless of what this thread would have been about, someone would have complained about something.

I see this more of a life lesson then financial discussion.

Being responsible with a credit card can also be applied to driving, drinking, drugs, sex,,,,,, everything else in life.
 
Texashiker said:
All I have stated is that I do not want to pay the interest or late fees that credit cards charge.
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it's fine if you don't want credit cards, but don't say that it's for this reason.
You can have them and avoid having to pay late fees at the same time.
You speak like if having to pay late fees is a granted thing if you have a credit card. Which means what? You can't control your spending.
 
Texashiker said:
Regardless of what this thread would have been about, someone would have complained about something.

I see this more of a life lesson then financial discussion.

Being responsible with a credit card can also be applied to driving, drinking, drugs, sex,,,,,, everything else in life.
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Your thread isn't about life lessons.

It is about you being irresponsible in such a way that you can't manage a credit card. And you tell everyone else to stay away.

It is exactly like an alcoholic telling everyone else not to drink....exactly like that.

I don't care what you do but this thread is pure troll. If it isn't trolling, tell me the purpose of posting this thread.
 
Codewiz said:
I don't care what you do but this thread is pure troll. If it isn't trolling, tell me the purpose of posting this thread.
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Like I stated in the opening post


Texashiker said:
How many people here do not have a checking account, and/or do not use credit cards?
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Thats it, nothing more, nothing less.


The real problem here (at least in my opinion), is that someone posted they lead a different lifestyle then the majority of the people. The people that use credit cards then rushed into the thread to justify their actions.

Did I ever said that credit cards were bad, or evil,,, or anything along those lines? I dont think so.

I dont think I ever lead-on that my wife and I were irresponsible with money? We do well for ourselves, our bills are paid, my truck is paid for, her SUV is paid for, Christmas is paid for and over - no left over credit card bills there. We do not receive any social assistance, we got to the movies when we want, cook a steak on the grill when we want, and everything else in life that we want to do.

So I do not understand why people keep saying that I'am irresponsible?

Maybe its more to the point that people do not understand why or how my wife and I live like what we do? Instead of accepting that my wife and I lead different lives then most of the people here, people start throwing rocks and sling mud.

Its human nature to distrust, dislike and even hate stuff that we do not understand. Most people do not "understand" how someone can live without a credit card or checks, so what do they do? The people that do not understand post insults and personal attacks, its just human nature.

The attacks are ok, I expect no less.

If someone wants to use credit cards - that is fine with me and I do not care. That has been stated over and over in this thread.

My wife and I have made the decision not to use credit cards or checks. For everyone else, live your life the way you want.
 
Texashiker said:
I know a lot of people that "claim" to pay off their monthly credit card debt, but they dont. Their level of debt is pretty clear when they go to a restaurant and do not have cash to pay a $20 - $30 bill, instead they pull out the plastic. Because their cash is tied up in the bank, the checking account, and paying on their cards.
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Or maybe they don't use cash because there is absolutely no reason to. Why pay with cash? It makes no sense unless you absolutely have to.

I don't carry cash aside from 10 x$1 bills for an emergency. If I buy something, I just use my CC. That way ALL my expenses are recorded in online banking. And if I ever have a problem with one transaction, I can dispute it. I also have an additional layer of security over cash, and I get perks (like cashback). And I don't have to deal with the inconvenience of carrying or handling cash and change. Using cash is so backwards and primitive by comparison.

All of my money (except those $10 I keep) goes straight to my checking account.

So if I spend $20 on food today, with my credit card, I just transfer $20 from my checking account to my CC using online banking. So nice, clean, and efficient that it brings a tear to my eye.

EDIT: Oh wow, an obvious troll, never mind.
 
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Texashiker said:
Perfect example - thank you for posting that.

Everything might be fine and dandy right now, but what happens when one of you loses your job? Your stuck with a large bill at the end of the month that you may not be able to pay.
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Uh, that's why you keep several months worth of payments in liquid savings and charge and pay off as you go. Hell, up until this year, I used from $10,000 to $50,000 of the credit card's money at 0% to make money.

But there are studies that suggest that people buy more on credit cards than they would if they were on a cash basis...this I tend to agree with. I know that I often do it (and would not have if it were on a cash basis).
 
This is an interesting post OP, it's like anti-bragging. You're quite candid about not being smart enough to not run a huge CC balance, and can't balance a checkbook. You're also quite candid about your poor taste in women... apparently going after ones who got held back in the same tricky arithmetic classes you did. Maybe I'm just shallow, but I prefer women who understand the benefits of having a positive number in their bank account. I also like breasts... HUGE breasts, but now I'm getting off subject.

Anyway, I appreciate your honesty. I also appreciate that you're at least taking the initiative to prevent any more accidents from happening. My prayers are with you with the hope that your next wife can work a calculator and teach you her ways.
 
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