Dear Mr. President,

So I was thinking, sir, that probably passing new legislation limiting credit card companies from taking advantage of consumers is a step in the right direction.

But I was also thinking it would be a good idea to have a different conversation amongst ourselves around credit and debt and how we, the people, handle ourselves within the tricky and movable landscape of consumerism.

See, we were thinking we should take more drastic measures amongst ourselves in order to push things along a healthier path for ourselves and our futures. We were thinking this dialogue should begin within our small communities, where real change is born.

For the past couple of years, Matthew and I kept a small post on our front door that we would see each time we left the house. It read:

"Eliminate debt consciousness, good sleep, good nutrition and good exercise - Against a toxic culture"

Matthew and I discussed and came to the agreement that, on the most basic level, these things; eliminating debt, good rest, good wholesome, organic foods and wine : ) and moving our bodies regularly, would satisfy us.


We've committed to eliminating credit cards and any other kind of debt for that matter completely from our lives in pursuit of Benjamen Franklin's idea of the "philosopher's stone" or spending less than one earns.

Because neither one of us have been able to work within the credit card system successfully or peacefully, we've chosen to try another way. Because neither of us, Matthew or myself have a deep understanding of how we would manage large debts like home and car loans, we've decided to try another way.

When we spend money that we don't have in our hands always speculating that our future earnings will pay off the debt, we continue to perpetuate a cycle of gambling behavior. And this is what we hope to eliminate completely from our lives.

It's been a reckoning, this idea to live debt free. If we want things, we pay cash for them. We don't buy with credit and we don't pay later. If we don't have the money, we don't buy it. If we haven't planned in advance for it, we don't get it. Paying with cash forces us to be thoughtful about what we buy.

I trace my own "poverty consciousness" behavior all the way back to receiving my first credit card. I remember applying for that particular card when I was a sophomore in college - 1987. I walked up to a table and filled out some paperwork and a week later received a card in the mail with a $1000 limit on it.

Now, I understood, logically that I had to pay my balance each month. I understood it was BEST to pay it off each month. I knew I didn't HAVE $1000 in cash, but it certainly felt like it while the card burned a hole in my wallet on Friday nights as I lightheartedly offered it up to buy rounds for my friends at the bar.

And so my relationship with money began. And I've had credit cards ever since. I'd buy 3 pairs of shoes, no problem - on the card. I'd go to fabulous lunches - on the card. Everybody has them - everybody uses them. I assume that everybody manages them better than I do. I don't know for sure. What I understand clearly now, is there is no place in my life for credit cards.

The psychology of credit is tricky because each individual credit card purchase feels manageable until one day, the cards are just maxed out and the strange sinking feelings begin. It took a very long time to come to terms with the idea that credit cards, regardless of the amount of money I was making, encouraged me to live outside my means. They seem to be designed to do that. When I have cash in my wallet, I spend very differently - with more presence.

So recently, we took back our power around credit cards. We closed them. And we're paying them off, which hasn't been easy.

We no longer use credit cards for anything. And that is changing everything.


What this means for us, Mr. President, is that we only spend what we earn. We're learning to announce our dreams and collaborate and plan long in advance for trips, vacations, future big ticket items, supplies etc. Then we begin saving for those expenses. It's slow and it takes discipline and it helps to keep us connected to each other in the process.

We've stripped most all excesses from our lives, becoming aware of what we most care about and need. And as it turns out, once free from certain ingrained ideas about the American dream, we're finding out how very little we need to feel most satisfied and even luxurious.

When was the last time you took out cash and paid for everything you bought with it? I know a couple of people who do this and it creates a very different reality around what you buy and your relationship to "things" in general. Consuming becomes a more thoughtful process. And this is where we are.


I propose this to you, Mr. President and to my community. Use cash for a month. Not the credit card. Not the bank debit card either. For one month. And tell us how it goes.

Respectfully,
Ruth and Matthew