Living proof

I was just cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry (such a festive new year's eve, right!)...and I got to thinking: "I just bought a new car."

I purchased a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic 5 days ago.  On my own.  A year and a half out of college.  No monetary help from anyone.  Just good ol fashioned saving up for a down payment, after getting my good ol fashioned bachelor's degrees from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas and getting a good ol fashioned job.  Ah, the opportunities that exist in The Heartland of America. 

MY BIG, HUGE THOUGHT:  "How many times was I told, 'You HAVE to have a credit card to buy a car; you HAVE to have a credit card to build up credit; 'I have a friend who went and tried to buy a car, and she didn't have a credit card, and they didn't LET her.'"

I really got to thinking, and my heart just really goes out to all the young adults out there in debt, all because someone told them they "have to have a credit card." This line is such crap!!!

I don't know too much about a whole lot.  But I do know that I put myself through college the old fashioned way: earning a scholarship (by getting good grades and playing sports, improving my craft over time), filling out the FAFSA to get government financial aid, and working my ass off hunting down every scholarship I could find (mostly through scholarships.com) that I qualified for; then I applied for every single one.  Many of these had absolutely NOTHING TO DO WITH SPORTS!

Once I started college, I worked a student job to cover anything that my scholarships wouldn't; random stuff!! Answering telephones, cleaning the weight room, filing, etc..I also got my CNA license over the summer between sophomore and junior years, and then was able to have a ((very)) part-time job, for a little extra cash. 

I didn't have a car; I got rides from friends, walked everywhere, and I was just fine.  Granted, not everyone goes to school in Lindsborg, KS, but even in larger cities, if there is a college or university, there is a business district within a mile or two( OR LESS ) , CHOCK FULL of shops, delis, restaurants, bars, banks, and gas stations.  And heck, most college students are fortunate enough to get a bike (even that, I didn't have; I did borrow from friends sometimes though).

 I had some dark times during college; times where I did not know where my next amount of cash was going to come from (if I hadn't been able to put any hours in at work due to track practice and other committments).  There were times where I had ABSOLUTELY NOT A CENT TO MY NAME.  My account went negative. There were times when it was extremely tempting to get a credit card, or that I kicked myself for not having gotten one in earlier times. ((Yes, yes, I know; you have to be approved for a credit card, blah blah blah.  Go argue with someone else over something.  That's not the point of this.))

What was ever going to guarantee that I could pay off my bill though? If I was having trouble coming across money in the first place, why the hell would I put myself through the crap of not being able to pay back money I was spending that didn't even exist??  I'm so glad I refused.

My credit is not very deep; it's damn good though.  And it's all happened from doing things the old fashioned way: hard work, making the most of every single moment I am awake, and making prudent financial choices.  I did not need a financial advisor to tell me that (although some people do, and thus, this is why these people exist).

Here's to hoping that in 2012, young people out there can start making better financial choices, and set themselves up for success instead of failure with their money.