Free Of Credit Card Debt

Q: I finally paid off the last of my credit card on May 6, 2005. And to top it off, I paid an extra $1 on my credit card just to piss off VISA. It feels good to have this albatross off of my shoulders. It took me about a year to pay it off, but now I am free of CC debt. I've also increased my credit limit because I would get letters every few months from VISA saying that because I was such a great customer, they decided to increase my limit for me. How nice of them! ;) It is unbelievable how much more purchasing power that I have. Now, instead of having to make minimum CC payments, I can make extra payments to the principle on my mortgage. A few dollars here, a few more there does add up and will increase my purchasing power in the long term, even if I never get a significant increase in salary ever again. I've also learned how to be more self-reliant during this process. In order to save money, I started to pick up my dog's poop instead of paying someone else to do it. Instead of having an expensive gym membership, I work out in my basement with free weights. I learned how to do my own dry wall work. I brown bag all of my lunches. I see every single dollar and penny as something precious now--the banks are a stickler for pennies, so why aren't people like this? I still plan on keeping my CC, however--or I might switch to one that gives me airmiles or money back. I will use CCs to my advantage.

A: _I've done that as well, especially on cards that pop up with an extra few cents worth of finance fees after a reasonable person would think the debt had been repaid in full. Let them spend the money on extra postage and check writing costs.I know of one accountant who is legendary for his cheapness and a lot more vying for the title. Roger Corman of B movie making fame is a hero to many, and his cheapness gave many of today's big directors their start. _the more stuff you can do for yourself, the "richer" youll be. for example- the average person can wash their own car. i like doing it. it keeps me outside, provides some exercise, and results. _Many credit cards companies automatically send out checks

for small overpayments if the account is inactive for several months. It sounds to me like this person paid plenty of finance charges and will more than cover the cost of mailing a check. I have overpaid credit cards by as much as $10,000 in order to get 0% offers on other cards. If you do it right, you can get a $10,000 cash advance (or whatever your credit limit is) for less than 1% APR. _Congrats to the OP on this milestone! It really *does* pay to be out of debt and free of the burden of CC debt. I think after a year or so you'll be astonished at how much better you are financially speaking, and how little you miss all the so-called costly perks. kathy the tightwad .