Charlie and the Credit Factory

Credit

So, let's say you're at your first year in college and are finally out of the watchful eye of those parental units you really love, but sometimes loathe. Because they understand the pressures of having to start college, move away from home and having to find a new Blockbuster close enough to you, they ease your burdens just a little bit by giving you your very first credit card. Sound scary enough? Not really, because now you can charge both your gas, slurpees and cigarettes on your card and finally do all that online shopping on ebay that you have been dying to do.

I have a credit card. Now what?

With a little more flexibility and financial freedom, owning your own credit cards gives you the mighty strength of a Power Ranger towards all your purchases. But there is a need to be careful though, because the reality that is called your monthly statement will catch up with you and sooner or later you will need to pay off your bill. Although it looks convenient enough to just pay off your minimum balance, the demons from your local credit card company might come back to haunt you with a sizeable debt that will turn out to be a huge burden on your shoulders.

What would Willy Wonka do?

He'd throw you out of his Credit Factory, that's what he would do. Blemishing your credit history now can be very costly for you in the long run. Making foolish mistakes today such as overcharging on your card or spending more than you earn may result in credit card companies losing their trust in you and denying you the opportunity to apply for additional credit cards.

Credit

Having a bad credit history is like looking back and analyzing your past dating record. No matter how colorful or how black and white it may appear to have been, nobody likes to admit to the poor choices they made in their past. Treat your creditcards with the same amount of respect you would to a significant other of yours. Take it out to dinner once time a month, but it flowers from time to time, and never become unfaithful. Learn to love and treat your creditcards with respect. Because even if you it takes you some time and some credit card debts, you will end up learning - better sooner than later.