I was able to sneak in a movie last Tuesday which was already jam packed with working, volunteering, and studying. It was definitely worth mentioning, so I thought that I'd better do it now before I forgot! We watched "Maxed Out," a documentary about credit card debt, due to SSMast's intreguing movie review.


It was interesting both due to topic, and to the fact that both Chris and I have experience in the credit card industry. During our time at Cabela's/Cable's/Chabello's (or whatever else the hick men who called in could come up with!), we came across many happenings that offered us even more insight than the normal viewer. The documentary highlighted the lives of a handful of people who were negatively affected by their use of credit cards. Many had tens of thousands of dollars of debt, filed bankruptcy, and even took their own lives because of their ordeals. It's crazy how credit cards affect so many people in our nation, and it was sad to learn about how some credit card companies attack and target people which makes the problem even worse. One of the most interesting things I learned during the movie was that some companies target people who have recently filed for bankruptcy. Why in the world would you want someone who didn't pay their bills the last time around? Simple. They can't file bankruptcy for 8 more years so they have to pay their bills, and they are already known to be irresponsible spenders. For those who file and aren't abusing the system, this makes it even harder to start fresh with all the temptations from the evil credit card companies. Chris and I didn't experience anything like this during our time at Cabela's, so hopefully they're still among the companies with integrity.

Given the uncertain future of our economy and my dislike for paying bills, Chris and I were already planning to pay off all of our debts/loans by April. I also set in place a fairly strict budget to adhere to. We've been following it for two months so far, and it's been going great. Even if you're paying credit card bills off each month, they are still likely (or at least for us) causing you to spend more than normally. After carefully reviewing our statements, I saw just how easy it is to swipe the card without regard for price. Although they do offer great rewards, we're still losing out on money due to spending more than we would have if only carrying cash. And despite Chris' friends poking fun at his allowances, it is a foolproof way to ensure that you're spending only what you should be. It also makes it so much clearer how much is foolishly wasted on eating out, and all the little purchases when you watch your pile of cash quickly dwindling away.