Which is why my policy for the past few years is to rely as little as possible on credit.

Really, credit is a crutch. We as a society have been relying on it far too heavily. I believe it is a far better thing for most folks to learn to get by on what they have, which includes buying a house, paying for an education, buying a car, a boat, a plane, etc.

The less you have to use it, the less it will affect you. Couldn't afford to own a house otherwise you say? Well, tell that to the how many thousands of folks that have gone/are going through foreclosure today. Of course, those of us who were smart enough not to bite the rotten carrot of an ARM to finance a house purchase we couldn't otherwise afford now also get to pay the price for those who relied on credit rather than good sense. Might as well have taken those loans to the horse track for all the good it did us.

There's dozens of ways to slice the finance calcs and credit ratings, but no matter how you slice it, it's almost always ends up as one man living at the expense of another.

It all reminds me of Wimpy's motto, "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."