I have really bad credit and never could get approved for a credit card. I didn’t have the opportunity to but the things that I so desperately wanted from home shopping channels, infomercials, or online. You can buy your favorite products for a fraction of the price you would pay in retail stores. I guess it was a blessing in disguise for me not to have a credit card because I have a bit of a shopping addiction.
I filed my taxes last year at H & R Block like I usually do and was surprised by a new option my tax preparer presented to me. They now have a payment method that puts your tax return money onto an actual MasterCard that you can use almost immediately. This little green beauty could be used like a real credit card because it was a real credit card, but without all the interest charges and high annual fees.
I went a little crazy online the first week I got my card. I was euphoric searching for everything that my shopaholic heart desired. I had $4,000 and the power of MasterCard and would hurt anyone who stood between me and my internet. After spending $500 in a little under two hours I decided to take a break.
I knew that shopping was fun, but doing it in your pajamas and bunny slippers without the hassle of dealing with other customers or pushy salespeople trying to persuade you to buy a product you don’t want is the way I picture Heaven to be. Forking over your cash is so much easier to do when you don’t actually see the physical dollar bills exchanging from your hands to the seller’s. I found out that this can make you a bit reckless in your spending habits.
After I introduced my AOL service to my new H & R Block MasterCard, they really hit it off. In fact the two were inseparable for months. There is no limit to what is sold by online companies and individual sellers through merchant sites like Amazon and eBay. I could also purchase products that were not available in any stores where I would shop in person.
Needless to say, I emptied my credit card in less than three months. It was the fastest money I had ever spent. I have learned that I am very lucky not to have ever been approved for a credit card before all this. Thank God for blessings in disguise! I am very impulsive when it comes to buying goodies for myself, so credit cards are not for me.
This doesn’t mean that I won’t be getting another one come tax season, though. I know what you may be thinking, but did I mention that I’m a glutton for punishment as well? Oh well, the money may have went quickly, but it was the best shopping spree of my life. I can’t wait to get this year’s W-2 forms! Then I can go to Amazon.com and buy Frugal Living for Dummies.
