Credit Cards, Debt and Vampires

Over the course of the past 3 years, I have developed a love addiction obsession with  vampires. Those blood sucking, fast running, night walking mythical creatures appear in all the books I’ve read. They star in most of the shows I stream from Netflix. They make me giddy with excitement for November 18, 2011!

It wasn’t until recently that I realized how much it had taken over my life. I spent my entire Saturday streaming The Vampire Diaries Season 1 on Netflix. This was time I could have been unpacking or working on school work or finishing up on the freelancing project that I’m behind on.

Instead I laid around and fed this addiction. Much like my addiction to shopping and credit cards, I have become addicted to vampires.

For me, vampires and credit cards are one in the same. Allow me to show you how they are so similar.

 Vampires are dead, but also alive.

The  juxtaposition of the two is the charm of the vampire. They’ve died but they’ve been reborn and at least in the Hollywood sense, they live very much like humans.

With credit cards it can feel like it is your money but it really isn’t. The two are the opposite of each other but living in the same “body,” if you will. Credit cards are not money, they are a loan. And it’s best for you to remember that not only are you using someone else’s money but you are going to be paying back more than you owe.

Vampires are powerful.

Credit cards can make you feel powerful. They give you the power to buy anything you want right when you want it. You can just walk right into a store and take out whatever your heart desires. That little four inches of plastic is power in your wallet.

Of course, it really isn’t powerful unless you feed it. If you say no to yourself, the credit card holds no power. If you deny your urge to be reckless then the credit card has no power over you.

Vampires are very powerful until they stop feeding. By ignoring the urge to kill a vampire loses its power.

Vampires can not go out in the sun.

Vampires are controlled by the sun. They can not go out in it. The sun holds them back and prevents them from living a normal life.

Debt is the same way. Your life is controlled by debt. When debt gets out of control it prevents you from living a normal and fulfilled life. Debt stops you from enjoying the little pleasures that life has to offer because you can no longer afford them. Debt holds you back from moving forward in your life.

Vampires can suck you dry.

Vampires drain the blood from your body as a rule. They prey on your vulnerability and use it to their advantage.

Debt sucks you dry as well. Once it gets out of control, it takes all of your money. Credit card companies prey on your inability to pay them back each month. They make their money by taking advantage of your need for instant gratification, poor budgeting skills or the low points in life when you use credit just to survive.

Vampires can only be killed by a stake to the heart.

The heart of debt is credit and the only way to kill debt is to take out the credit and stop using it. Lucky for you, removing credit allows you to delete debt and thereby brings you and your finances back to life.

Vampires can control your mind.

In most adaptations of the vampire, mind control is a primary power of theirs. They can mess with your head, you mental capacities and render you helpless.

Debt does the same thing. It controls you and takes over your power. Being in debt is depressing and can weigh on your mind every minute of the day. Debt renders you helpless. It leaves you incapacitated, giving you no ability to make the decisions you would otherwise make.

Vampires sparkle.

Ok usually they don’t, but when they do, they are so pretty.

Debt doesn’t sparkle. It’s a black cloud hanging over you.

As you can see, vampires and debt are really very similar. Vampires very purpose is to prey on you when you least expect it. Debt will do the same thing. Credit card companies prey on you, they look for their idea of the most likely credit users and when you least expect it, they will suck the life out of you. Once debt is out of control, much like a vampire, it can not be stopped until it is stabbed in the heart. Only then will you have the control you need to live a carefree and happier life.