[speaker001:] credit cards is one of my wonderful topics um do you have quite a few or
[speaker002:] I got rid of mine about uh oh it's been about four years ago now
[speaker001:] okay
[speaker002:] and uh went on a strictly cash basis
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and uh sometimes it's inconvenient but
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] it is so much better for me
[speaker001:] it is
[speaker002:] because I I am the type that will always find an emergency
[speaker001:] oh me too
[speaker002:] but I have found that there were so many things that with a credit card you know I really did need
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and with cash once you know it took me probably two years to get on a cash basis when I stopped charging
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] but once once I did you know it it only takes me two or three months to be able to save up what I want to buy
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] and I'm not paying the high interest rates
[speaker001:] that's what kills you on those credit cards
[speaker002:] because it's so easy you know you have these wonderful intentions of well I'll just pay off the whole balance and then I won't owe any
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and then something comes up you know and well I'll just pay the minimum well you just do that forever
[speaker001:] um-hum oh and and with the interest charge on the credit cards you're not getting anywhere because you're paying your interest every month and that's all you're doing
[speaker002:] no you're paying interest
[speaker001:] and with our Visa that's really high interest we're in the process of transferring from one account to another to get the lower interest on one of the cards so that somehow we can get ahead on that but
[speaker002:] you know I've I've thought about going ahead and getting something like American Express where you have to pay within thirty days
[speaker001:] yes yes pay the balance at the end of the month um-hum
[speaker002:] right and just for ID purposes
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] but it's become such a way of life
[speaker001:] oh it has
[speaker002:] and like I say it was so convenient and then pretty soon you get a consolidation loan
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] to consolidate all your credit cards and then they send you another credit card
[speaker001:] um-hum they I know like you paid that one off now here's another when really you're paying a loan for the other one
[speaker002:] uh right so I I just finally figured out that for my way of life I did much better and I've I've been able to buy as much or more
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] by just going cash and like I say it was tough because it's a really it's a habit
[speaker001:] um-hum it is because you think oh I'll get this and just pay it off later
[speaker002:] or you know you'll think okay I've got x amounts to spend this month and then somebody has a birthday or get they get married or something
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] you think well I'll just put this one thing on it well you don't do that once you start you know you're going to have a bill coming in anyway
[speaker001:] uh-huh no um-hum might as well just yeah like you said there's a lot of things that I could probably do without that I don't do without because I have the credit card
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] you know and uh
[speaker002:] and I I just you know for for me it was a trap that was too easy for me to get into
[speaker001:] uh-huh yeah uh my husband and I just moved from South Dakota to um Plano Texas and uh that was the thing that helped helped us get down here and that's what we're trying to get down on that because the credit card helped us move because we had just graduated from college and we felt that there was a lot of more opportunity down here and so it helped us out with the moving expenses
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] but um now we're in the process of trying to get that down too but it it did help in that kind of a situation but um
[speaker002:] well you know there are times when you know it is but I I've been laid off twice in the last four years and had I had a lot of credit cards
[speaker001:] oh really you're you're stuck
[speaker002:] I would well you know it it really helped that I didn't have that to pay for but in the other vein had I had them I would have lived on them
[speaker001:] right um-hum yeah because you didn't have any other income
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] yep
[speaker002:] and uh this way you know I I made do
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] and uh when I was you know employed then I didn't have all that that I had to go back and say well I've got ten thousand dollars worth of credit cards to pay off now
[speaker001:] right and that that's good that's a good feeling not to know
[speaker002:] it really you know with the first like I say it took me over two years to pay mine off but the first time you know that I could go out and make a major purchase
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh and pay cash
[speaker002:] and pay cash it was a real good feeling
[speaker001:] I bet