Long ago in my stupid days, I went nuts with credit cards. I ran up a six-figure debt over a 12-year period. I did pay all of it back plus interest and fees, and it was anything but easy. I’m still shocked and embarrassed I let it happen.
The funny thing is I didn’t make any really huge purchases. I didn’t max out a $10,000 credit limit with a single purchase or anything that extravagant. It was just a constant accumulation of smaller purchases exposed to double-digit interest rates and sloppy money management. The truth is I five- and ten-dollared myself and my family into a kind of financial death.