The map I sent the test photo of -- we colored several of them, one per child. We play a game with them where we draw a card with a state name on it (we also made those) then we have to locate it on our map. First one who correctly shows the state on their map draws the next card.
We also pass out cards to each and play that way -- which state(s) borders the one in play. They youngers don't know their geography well enough to play along so we made the maps to go along. I still have to laminate them, though.
I was talking to a friend about finances and we disagreed on some things. Mind you, it was a given to begin with. They are pretty heavy into credit cards and loans and we aren't. Folks who enjoy spending money they don't have (like credit cards) don't usually see wisdom outside that pathway. Same with those who have no credit cards aren't likely to see benefit of getting them.
Of course, most topics about money come around to my being asked why we don't want credit cards, why don't we really worry about having a credit score, etc. I like Dave Ramsey. A lot of folks don't. He isn't one to candy-coat your financial mess. What most people don't like is that if they were truly honest with themselves, they are in the mess they are in because they are selfish and have no desire to change their ways. Those 'ways' are the spending habits they have lived with and they just want a fix, not a true change. They don't like someone telling them it isn't going to get any better, and they aren't going to be able to keep the same lifestyle and see a change.
I'm not changing their mind and they aren't changing mine. I want to get on the backside of debt. Yes, I have my own set of selfish tendencies to get past with thoughts of money. If I didn't we'd have paid these loans off already -- or better yet, we would have never gotten into them in the first place.
I don't like debt. I don't believe I need a good credit score. I don't believe I need any credit score, really. Credit scores are used to determine if I am eligible to get a loan or a credit card. I don't want a loan or a credit card, so I'm not worried about what someone thinks my credit score is.
If I need it now, I hope I have enough set aside to get it. Emergencies do happen. I don't need to go into debt because of an emergency. I don't need to go into debt because I want something now. I need a tiller now with gardening right around the corner. I'll get one, but I won't get a loan to get one. I don't need one that bad.
When...and I do mean 'when' not 'if'...we are out of debt in another several months here (I'm hoping for June), we won't have to look ahead to what kind of job we'll have to have to get by. Once we have made those lifestyle changes we should have done eons ago, income will be a bonus, not a necessity really. Sure, until I get Dewey on the off-grid wagon, we'll have utilities to pay, but if that's all we have, Dewey can have any job. Utilities can be totally controlled, so he could go right ahead and be that Wal-Mart greeter if he wanted and we'd still get long just fine.
It was good conversation, but we simply aren't floating the same boat. They want to keep being able to get what they want when they want. They base their worth and future on someone else's idea of value, i.e. credit score. I don't. Been there, done that. Not interested in joining the folks floating that lifeboat down the river.
Maybe I'm nuts, but I always did like The African Queen...chopping away through the brush and swamps. A hard-earned path, not the route of common belief.
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2 comments:
I can agree with you totally about the debt thing..We are struggling to get out from under its curse ourselves. We got into debt in the first place when we were newly-married, young, and ignorant of financial matters. We wanted to continue having the lifestyle we had at home with our parents at the time, and it took debt to accomplice that. However, I will disagree with you about the credit score thing. It is a sad fact but nowadays a good credit score is required for more than a credit card or a loan. My husband and I just paid for a new house insurance policy to cover our house and farm and guess what??? our credit score was checked to determine our rate and if we were eligible to get more..and we paid cash!! It is also required nowadays for employment at many employers..not only government jobs, but even some retail stores (i don't know about wal-mart), and more private-sector jobs also. A friend of ours was just hired at an independent security officer firm, and guess what?? his credit was checked also. Many landlords are checking the scores of their renters before agreeing to lease to that person. Here in town a local mini-storage owner requires a credit-check before he will rent you a cubicle for storage no matter how you pay. Also, whether you are interested or not, a credit score is obtained for you to acquire services now from cell-phones, cable television and many other what I would call utility providers. Even here with my computer internet provider, a credit check was required before I upped my service to high-speed. It is ridicuous but it has gotten to be a fact of life. By the way, we are a family of 11...about to be 12 in a couple of months ourselves..I enjoy your blog!1--Jana
For big companies you can request manual underwriting, that is where they actually look at YOU instead of just a credit score. With the smaller companies and jobs all you need to do is explain why you don't do debt and why you don't have a good credit score. (In order to have a good credit score you need to have debit and be paying on it). There are other things they can look at: bank accounts, refrences and other such items to determine that you are trust worthy. YOu may also have to pay a bigger than usual deposit (for things like appartments and storage lockers). Frankly I would not want to do business with some one who wouldn't look at those things and who wouldn't be willing to work with me.
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