Why Retire in the Philippines/Marinduque Vacations: Living in the US without a Credit Card

Planning to Retire Soon!

If you are planning to retire in the Philippines soon, I suggest you visit several excellent websites on pro's and cons of retiring in the Philippines. However if you want to retire in the provinces, where life is simple, standard of living cheaper, less traffic congestion and pollution, availability of fresh seafood and vegetables compared to the big cities, my island province is the place for you! If this is your first time in my site, welcome. Some of the photos and videos on this site, I do not own. However, I have no intention on the infringement of your copyrights. The photo above is the front yard of Chateau Du Mer- Our Retirement Home in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines

Monday, July 28, 2014

Living in the US without a Credit Card

Can you live in the US without a credit card? Yes you can, although you may not be able to travel via air or stay in hotels, but it is possible and perhaps inconvenient at times. According to a recent business report from 20 to 25 million residents
in the US have no credit cards. There are two types of non-credit cards holders, by choice and those who can not have a card due to poor credit, immigration status and other reasons.

My next door neighbor is a non-credit card holder by choice. She is a widow who lives in a debt-free house and pays everything in cash. She does not believe in credit cards because she wants to be debt free. Even her major purchases are paid in cash. She does not travel via airplane or stay in hotels, but drives to places within 3 to 4 hours and even pay for gas in cash. She has never used the computer or learned how to e-mail and has never heard of Facebook or Twitter. Unbelievable but true.

According to money.msn.com living without a credit card means you'll need to do a bit more financial planning than those who put everything on plastic. Every time you leave the house, you need to have an idea of how much you'll spend so you can make sure you have enough cash in your pocket.

If you have a debit card, there must a sufficient balance on your prepaid card or enough money in your bank account to cover your debit card purchases without incurring overdraft fees. This extra planning takes a bit more time and can be inconvenient. You may not be able to make purchases when it is most convenient

In my case, I only maintained one credit card and pay the balance every month so I do not have to pay the exorbitant interest that most credit cards charged to their customer. My credit card has a mileage reward or gift program redemption. For every dollar I charged I get one mile for air travel or a point for a gift redemption.

Today if you need to have a credit card comparecards.com has listed the following to be the best and most popular credit card this year. Please compare first before signing to save money.

1.Citi Simplicity® Visa Card

2 Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card

3. BankAmericard Cash Rewards™ Credit Card

4. Chase Slate®

5. Discover it®

6. Chase Freedom®

The important fact is to budget and pay your credit card balance in full every month if at all possible.

No comments:

Fruit Trees in the Gardens of Chateau Du Mer

The Mango Tree-I have three varieties in my Garden-The Indian, Guimaras and Carabao Mangoes My caretaker/gardener informed me last month that due to the El Nino drought in Marinduque, two of my Durian trees died in spite of his vigilant watering. One of the tree was attacked by insects that looks like a big fly but yellowish in color that sucks the sap of the seedling. The roots of the other tree was attacked by ants residing in the soil. However, my other fruit trees, the rambutans( 2), the lanzones(2) and the jack fruits ( 2) trees are doing well. The above eight fruit trees were given to me by Retired General Recaredo Sarmiento of Boac and Lucena., about three years ago. General Sarmiento is the “atid” of my wife. “Atid” is the colloquial term for brother. Evidently, Macrine's father, the late Bernardo Jambalos was the Godfather of General Sarmiento during his baptism and comfirmation. Gen Sarmiento's hobby is orchard planting, reforestation and farming. The other fruit trees in my garden are guayabanos, cashew, avocados, starapples, duhats, ates, guavas, mangoes( 3 varieties) and papayas as well as several varieties of bananas . Of the above fruit trees, my favorite is the guayabanos, also known as soursop tree known for its anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties . The following are photos of the fruit trees. The Durian photo is from the web. Note that it almost look like a jack fruit tree, except that the leaves are bigger and shiny. My desire is to have a passion fruit tree in the near future. You are welcome to visit my orchard and flower gardens any time, if perchance you are in the vicinity of The Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center.

The Rambutan Tree and Fruits

The Lanzone Tree and Fruits

The Jack Fruit Tree

The Durian Fruit Tree