financial reflections

I’m the one in the house that goes through the mail.  I end up with about a ream of paper in a week.  Most of that is credit card applications offering seemingly great deals.  I’ve heard that about six billion (yes, with a B) are sent out every year.  I’m thinking about 2 or 3 million of those end up in my mailbox.

Of course, if I didn’t have so many credit cards for so long I probably wouldn’t have a target painted on my back with “send me a credit card application” written on it.  I really only have myself to blame, but until I get that target removed, I have to contend with the fallout, which means I have to contend with the tricks the credit card companies include in the deals they send out.  I’ve even compiled a list.

My current top-four pet peeves:

1. The little slip of paper that falls out - Ever notice that whoever the credit card deal comes from, there’s a small piece of thick paper (about 1″ x 2″) inside that falls to the ground when you open the mail?  It has the toll-free number to call on it (of course) to get the card.
2. The fake card inside (that resists tearing) - They put a fake card inside to make it look authentic.  That’s fine, but sometimes they put in a plastic card that makes it impossible to tear up the envelope.  The alternate method is to make the window on the envelope so thick that it won’t tear.
3. Affinity cards - Nothing says love like consumer debt.  There’s an affinity card for just about every organization out there.  I love the college I went to, but I’m not about to take out a loan just to prove it to them.  I’ll just send a check.
4. Confusing terms - Am I the only one who goes cross-eyed when reading the terms?  Is it really a zero interest card or not?  I just read a great article on Yahoo! News about tricks of the credit card trade.  Sometimes the confusion isn’t just limited to the fine print.  I received an offer that promised “no annual fee for the first year.”  I assumed it was a card for people who didn’t understand what the word annual meant.  Either that or they assumed that charging me fees up-front, before I even made a purchase was normal.

To reduce my stress level, I decided to opt out of receiving the deals.  I think it takes some time, because the deals haven’t stopped yet.  Or perhaps they are targeted at my spouse, who hasn’t opted out yet.  I tear them up so fast these days that I’m not paying much attention at who they are addressed to.

It’s all part of my plan to get rid of my credit card debt.  I keep moving forward with my monthly goals, hoping to reach my yearly financial goals.  So far, so good.