Ding! That's the right answer. Guess I'm old fashioned, because that's been my financial style from day one. (Though forty years ago, I was just sorting out the difference between thumbs and toes.) Now I own my own place, have a low overhead business, have a bit set aside, and owe not one penny. People have been living high off credit and snickering at my frugal ways and old cars for fifteen years; now my discipline is speaking louder than words. "Pride cometh before a fall," says an old book, and it's going to be a long way down for some.

Anyway, regarding CC, I think there are two kinds of credit card issuers: those that plan on people paying off their balance (mostly), and those that rely on people paying minimums only (i.e., loan shark interest rates).

I had a credit card issued from one of the latter. Their game was blatantly obvious: get me in debt up to my eyeballs. Total SOBs. So I dropped the credit line from $15G to 500 bucks, just for laughs. They didn't like that, oh no. Now I use it for Internet purchases only, protecting my interests and theirs from fraud and the Russian mob. Instead of being grumpy and snarly, they should have offered me a corner office with perks. My fiscal conservatism was the right(eous) path. Hope these predatory types get a major spanking; they deserve every whack.