<p>Sweetny007,</p>
<p>Forget it. It’s obvious that Justinian, with his wealth of experience on how credit works, knows better than those of us who are self-reliant and experienced in the matter.</p>
<p>Especially those of us (myself excluded) who have things like mortgages and whatnot. Silly things, mortgages. Why not just buy a home in cash?</p>
<p>Justinian,</p>
<p>I knew what the word mea culpa meant long before I first engaged in “debate” with FS. I’ve just not found it important to use it 10 times in the same thread like she seems to.</p>
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</p>
<p>LOLLOLLOLLOL… Let me simply rewrite my sentence; bah, speed writing can be dangerous to ones grammar ability.</p>
<p>You surely can not make money when you spend so much time sifting through peoples posts. Surely, your time must be well spent! BRAVO!</p>
<p>LOL UCLAri…I know silly me with my near perfect credit score and zero debt trying to give advice on a topic that clearly only Justinian knows anything about. Of course you know, if you don’t have 500,000 in cash you should not even consider buying a place, you pauper. hehe</p>
<p>“Surely, your time must be well spent! BRAVO!”</p>
<p>Yes, it is. I am extremely efficient. Thank you for noticing! Also it is not what you do it is what you get done my friend. LOL</p>
<p>I mean, how absurdly stupid of me to take student loans to pay for college! Especially when I could have gone to a no-name Cal State for free! There’s no marginal value in going to a better school, but accruing some debt.</p>
<p>And what are the interest rates on mortages like these days? 5.7% or so? What a waste! Why not just live in a tiny studio apartment, lest you take any CHANCES with your money? I mean, it’s not like RISK TAKING is ever good, anyway!</p>
<p>Sheesh.</p>
<p>Hehe</p>
<p>On a more serious note, it does bother me when ppl come on here just to fight and make trouble. Most people come on here because they seek advice and have some to give. Then there are those who are just rude and unhelpful.</p>
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<p>I never said anything about mortgage payments or student loans. Sheesh is appropriate here, eh? I meant such things as umm big screen tvs, computers, or used vehicles-these should not be charged via credit card.</p>
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<p>Yessir, if you went to Jimmy Dean University, you still would have walked away with a piece of paper called a diploma and could have pursued a good job. You would have been debt free as well. You knew from the start the financial repercussians that would ensue from going to an expensive university. What is so wrong with one of them state universities? They are fully accredited. Yo no comprendo!</p>
<p>By the way, UCLAri and 007, sarcasm is usually not the best means of argument when debating. If you can’t argue in a non-sarcastic manner, then by all means leave the discussion.</p>
<p>There is no such thing as a discussion with you Justinian. You ignore the points we make and then make up points that were never made and argue against them. LOL It is obvious the kind of attention you seek and I am ashamed to have given it to you. Now I will join the long list of others and place you on the ignore list.</p>
<p>^Well, gee, is our ego hurt? Golly! I never ignored your points, I responded to them and you couldn’t create an argument back. As Donald Trump says, “Think big or get out!” </p>
<pre><code> Yes please, ignore me! Arguing with you is like watching paint dry!
</code></pre>
<p>Take it from parents–having a credit card can be a life-saver. Even my dad (of the old school–never bought anything he couldn’t pay for in cash) now has a credit card. He tried to rent a car once at an airport and it was such a hassle, that he went out and got a credit card as soon as he got home.</p>
<p>Sweetny’s thoughts on how to “build up credit” (using credit card to pay a bill that you would otherwise pay with a check) is a good one, since you won’t be increasing your expenses but will be able to build credit.</p>
<p>Go with your parents on this one. They’ve been around the block a time or two.</p>
<p>Justinian,</p>
<p>There are things in life called externalities and pecuniarity benefits.</p>
<p>I’m done with you on this thread, as you have no clue what you’re dealing with. You’re too young.</p>
<p>^Yes sir, wise sir. Just curious, but I have given you legitimate arguments. Don’t dub me as “too young” when I make valid points. You still have not answered my question as to what happens in the following scenario: if you use the charge card, then lose your job two days later, how will you make the payment? Seems like age can not deter the provoking aspect of this question.</p>
<p>Justinian,</p>
<p>What about your savings? Or do you plan on living hand-to-mouth? Losing your job also means that your bank account or investments are wiped out as well?</p>
<p>Next time, try a REALISTIC scenario.</p>
<p>Justinian,
I think the point most are trying to make is that you don’t use your card unless you already have the money to pay the bill. Using the charge gives you a little more time to keep your money in an interest bearing account, you pay the charge card in full when bill arrives–thus no interest and you establish credit rating and even pick up some extras like the air miles.</p>
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<p>I’d conjecture to say that many Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Yes, hand-to-mouth is relatively REALISTIC considering so many Americans live this way. So, if you are issued the paycheck with no savings, then you are “up the creek” when making that credit card payment.</p>
<pre><code>Consider this as well, UCLAri. The average Joe fresh out of college will probably not have that much saved up thanks to student loans, etc. I would dare say my assertion is correct.
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<p>Goodness, the term living “paycheck to paycheck” is pretty much well known here in the USA.</p>
<p>It’s best to hang on to a credit card, even if you don’t use it. Aside from the building credit issue, here are other reasons:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>certain expenses, like renting a car, can only be done with a credit card. (Most rental agencies won’t take a debit card). </p></li>
<li><p>there may be times when you will want to make large purchases, like airline fares, before you have the cash available, even though you know the cash is coming. This is often the case when you anticipate reimbursement from another person or agency.</p></li>
<li><p>credit cards are safer for online purchases. If your debit card number is stolen, your bank account can be cleaned out – most banks will reimburse you with proof of fraud, but it could be days or weeks before the stolen money is reinstated. With a credit card, you don’t have to pay for a fraudulent charge pending investigation by the credit card company.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>If you don’t plan to use the credit card, the best thing to do is to put the card away in a safe place - that way you are not tempted to use it and there’s less risk of the card being lost or stolen.</p>
<p>All of this assumes that the card itself is free – if you have a card from a bank that charges an annual fee, then you really should get rid of the card.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the great advice! I will definitely hang on to the card and use it more often.</p>
<p>Here’s another question. My card isn’t an afinity card or a rewards card or anything… it’s free, but I don’t get anything back by using it. I keep hearing how great these cards are where you get “points” or airline miles or whatever for using them. Does anyone have a particular card to recommend whose rewards or points are most broad and flexible (say, I could use them for groceries or gas)? Also, someone said that cancelling my current card would look bad… does this mean that if I cancel it in favor of a “better” card, it would still hurt my credit score?</p>
<p>Again, thanks so much for all the advice!</p>
<p>So you’ve gone from getting rid of one credit card to having two? My, we parents are persuasive.</p>
<p>If you are going to cancel a card, wait till after you have your new card set up and ready to go.</p>
<p>I don’t have a rewards card–have been meaning to get something, but never get around to it. Will you really be charging that much to make it worthwhile?</p>