Recently I had trouble deciding whether or not I should cancel my Macy's card account. Much of the reason I didn't want to cancel was sentimental, but it was also the usual - not wanting to give up a card that I can use when I'm too broke to buy something with cash.
I've had my Macy's card for 20 years, and it's hard to give up something you've had that long, especially when it's been there for you time and time again. For instance:
- When I needed a dress and shoes for my 10th year high school reunion, my Macy's card was there;
- When I needed an Easter dress that I couldn't afford to pay with cash, my Macy's card was there;
- When I had no money for a suit to wear to important interviews, Macy's was there; and
- When I needed Timberland boots for Snowmageddon 2010, my Macy's card was there.
So, after realizing that canceling my card would be good practice in letting things go, because I hang on to everything (I have books on my bookshelf that I bought 10 years ago and have never read), I decided I would let my treasured Macy's card go.
But then something great happened! At brunch one weekend, a good friend of mine informed me that it is actually better to keep a credit card account open if I am trying to build up my credit. That it actually looks better on my credit report if I'm making my payments on time, which I am. I remembered that I had heard a credit professional say the exact same thing in a credit seminar I had attended some years ago, so I decided to keep the card. And all was well in my world.
Thing is, I know that credit cards are pretty much the work of satan - at least their outrageous percentages on purchases are - but I still can't help but to be happy that I still have my Macy's card. Now I can buy myself a treat every now and then. I mean, who doesn't deserve a good lip gloss now and then? Or a citrus-y perfume to give you a little lift, or a concealer with salicylic acid that covers up an enormous pimple that lands on your face a day before a big date?
This is why my Macy's card is necessary. For life's little emergencies and those days when I need a little pick-me-up. Because it's either shopping with my Macy's card or downing a pint of Häagen-Dazs on those days. And since shopping doesn't add 5 pounds to my thighs, I'm going to say using my Macy's card is the best option.
Besides, a little retail therapy never hurt anyone. At least not me. At least not in the last decade. I'll see how this next one goes. But I'm confident my Macy's card won't let me down.
