Credit 911: Secrets and Strategies to Saving Your Financial Life

CHAPTER 1

America’s #2 Addiction

Shopping. For man it is the real American dream the addic tion that compels people to buy things they don’t need and worse, can’t afford. Like all addictions, shopping can become addictive and may even cause psychological problems beyond ruined credit. Ask any recovering drug addict: You are likely to hear how drugs ruined all of their relationships and devastated them. Could a shopping addiction create the same kinds of problems? Absolutely.

Our credit system has made it so easy that for some it becomes irresistible. The desire for instant gratification tricks these poor souls into years of financial enslavement, and the credit card companies and other lenders become the taskmasters of the American dream turned to nightmare.

The Seduction

Have you ever had a one- night stand? The kind where you buy an outfit for one night, and then it stands in the closet for the rest of your life? How many impulse purchases have you made that fit this description? For most people, the answer is “plenty.” The real question here is, How often do you suspend your financial judgment when you get caught up in the thrill of the shopping moment? Marketers count on you doing just that every time you look at one of their products. And lately, it’s not just the shopaholics who are vulnerable—it’s everyone.

Part of the reason for this financial trap is the slick, high-tech, psychological warfare that the advertising industry has used in recent years. But the root cause ...