It Was Once A Wonderful Life

There are many articles and blogs written about credit cards; maintaining credit scores, reducing debt and spending wisely. All this is said with much warning, as failure to do so will cause one to lose an opportunity to buy a house, car, or even a job. If we don’t carry credit cards we can’t travel and we can’t shop online. Without credit cards we are poor souls without identity. We are almost being terrorized into having a credit card in order to be functioning citizens. So the question I ask, what was it like before credit cards? Surely there was a time when Americans didn’t live off credit.

My grandparents lived a very a good life. My grandfather was a state policeman and my grandmother was a home maker. They had a nice house in the small town of Hollsopple, Pennsylvania. They had two sons, my dad who I like to refer to as, “The Beaver,” and of course my uncle, “Wally.” They even had a rascally, trouble-making cousin, “Eddie.” They were never without food on the table, toys, bikes or sporting equipment. Even my grandfather invested in his favorite toy-trains. My dad and my uncle went to good colleges and went onto to be successful men. All of this was achieved on a policeman’s salary and with minimal credit. Maybe they took out a loan at Sears for a new refrigerator, but that was it. It was a wonderful life.

While thinking back to my grandparent’s time, I was reminded of the movie, “It’s a wonderful life,” which I watch every Christmas. The main premise of the move, Jimmy Stewart saves his family’s struggling small time savings and loan that grants mortgages to the poor working class; workers threatened by the big corporate bank. Sounds so familiar doesn’t it? It is life imitating art. But where is our Jimmy Stewart today and where is our wonderful life? And most importantly, can we have a wonderful life without credit cards? Some say we can.

I happen to know people who do not hold one credit card, and yes they have a house, a car and even a job. They are the happiest people I know. Living without credit and debt is something this girl dares to dream. I guess this all depends on what is one’s version of a “wonderful life.” Yes today we have more stuff. We have the ability to travel and to be fancier folks. But does “stuff” make life more wonderful? We are encouraged to spend on everything our little heart’s desire, but what is the true price?

As for Jimmy Stewart’s character in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” in the end he was crowned the “richest” man in town. Were his riches financial or were they the love and admiration of his community?