Do you know Peter or Paul?

It’s near the middle of the month and the bills are piling up. I have only received one check since going out on disability and money right now is tighter than tight, it’s non-existent.
Many people would just use a credit card to carry them through a time like this. We can’t - we don’t have any. When we first married, we got a few small credit cards. We got carried away and ruined our credit and have paid for it ever since. We’re regular working people getting by paycheck to paycheck, robbing from Peter to pay Paul. Sometimes I expect to see myself on the wanted list for how many times I’ve robbed both Peter and Paul.
As I opened the mail early this afternoon I noticed I had received yet another one of those credit card “% rate invitations” that everyone gets in the mail. I did what I usually do with anything not addressed correctly - throw it out. Then, as I sat writing $5 checks to everyone, I actually found myself wondering if my credit had improved enough to try and apply for a card again. Off I went to my favorite place to learn things - google. I thought I’d try and compare credit cards. In my journey today I found a site called The Thrifty Scot that explained a few things I didn’t know about credit cards. They have pages upon pages of explanations of typical offers and traps. I found a page on 0% credit cards and another on 0% balance transfers. I now understand why some people frequently change credit cards - the 0% balance transfer could be used as a neat trick to basically avoid paying interest all the time. Imagine how much money would be saved that way!
We’re probably better off without a credit card, I’m not sure we could withstand the temptation. But at least if I decide I’m ready to try getting one again, I’ll know more about what I’m getting into.

Filed Under: This and That