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Avoid Easy Debt Triggers You dump all those fabulous outfits on the cashier's counter. If you sign up for a store credit card, the cashier tells you, you'll get an additional 10 percent off. You never particularly wanted a T.J. Maxx credit card, but hey, what can it hurt? And with that extra 10 percent they're practically giving the stuff away. You've fallen victim to a debt trigger. Another vicious debt trigger: the irresistible (and ubiquitous) catalog. The lovely salesperson on the other end of the line is so warm, so encouraging. "Take two," she says, "size 8 and size 10, just in case." (God forbid you should order the wrong size and just send it back.) She makes helpful "go with" suggestions. And now that she's getting a sense of your taste, did you notice the great trench coat deal on page 39? Only $349 marked down from $700. By the time you hang up, she's your best friend (and you're her best customer). As if catalog shopping wasn't enough of a seduction, now we've got online shopping. Jewelry, cosmetics, auctions. When I was writing Maxing Out I interviewed a woman who was spending $800 a month shopping online. She was single and making $50,000 a year, but of course that was before taxes. No way could she afford this $800 a month, but it had become an addiction. She just watched the balance go up on her credit cards and figured some day she'd find a way. Or that she'd start making more money. Or something.
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