Asking that question takes me back to the day that my husband and I got our very first credit card. I remember we were having some kind of ridiculous argument that only newly married couples in their early twenties have, and in an effort to expend some energy, I went down the stairs to check the mail. That's when I saw it. That vague, nondescript white envelope that made you say, "What's this?" as you felt the square hardness of the card. And, suddenly, I was excited. I ran back upstairs, exclaiming, "We got it! We got it!" The mere fact that we were "approved" was very powerful. In fact, we forgot all about our fight. And now, looking back, it's almost as if someone was saying "You are good enough" to two people who really needed to hear that. And that, my friends, had very little to do with money.
So for me, when I think about cutting up these symbols of approval, I become immediately unsure of myself. What am I doing this for? Don't I need these? What if there's an emergency of some kind? It's for these precise reasons that I have decided to just slice and dice my Platinum Macy's card today. Somehow, I believe that many of you winced after reading that. But, folks, it must be done. We all know there's really no such thing as a Macy's emergency.
I actually have not used the card for a while - wait, I did kind of splurge on myself over Christmas when I was (supposed to be ) buying other people presents. Credit cards kind of give you those kind of ideas or that kind of permission. It's the procrastinator's dream ... "I'll just deal with that later". It's where immediate gratification and entitlement meet in a harmonious shopping experience. Plus, I feel rather important or special that I have a platinum card. And, therein lies the problem. Aren't I already important? Just for merely being born? This is what I tell my patients - so how come part of me feels like I need a credit card to prove it to the world?
I don't. So, here we go......grabbing scissors now. Done. That wasn't so bad. Rest in peace temptation. Rest in peace false symbol of my importance. Rest in peace extra money spent on interest.
Now, the other cards I am not so confident about - I'm currently awaiting an email from my husband to give me the green light. I sorta, kinda know already that he's going to instruct me to destroy them and free myself of this false security. But, I am holding on to them until I get the go ahead. In the meantime, I raise the question.....
how many plastictomies can you perform?
Good for you. I got rid of all my department store credit cards many years back -- except for Macy's which I can use once and have to pay it off before I use it again -- that's the agreement I made with myself. I did keep a Visa card but it has to be used in the same manner as the Macy's card -- it's hard to do and I don't always succeed -- which is were I am currently -- the visa got too high and now I am focused on paying it off. I also kept my American Express card because I have to pay it off each month -- so it makes me think about what I am about to purchase as to whether I can afford it or not. I hope that you are successful in your plastictomies!
ReplyDeleteHey Al - Thanks for the comment!
ReplyDeleteI want to mention that my Macy's is not maxed out - in fact, the balance has been zero for a while. The whole purpose of this lifestyle change is to take the power away from the credit card companies and put it back into our hands. This culture has convinced a lot of people that you HAVE to HAVE a credit card to get a lot more THINGS. When, really, you can pay cash and avoid the stockpiling of things you don't really need, etc.
I would really encourage you to ask yourself what holding on to those cards is doing for you...