In the United States, your credit score is viewed as a crucial piece of your financial information. You need a good score if you want to open a credit card or get a loan of any kind. Often, landlords and even employers will ask for your credit information. Many Americans don’t think you can get by without using credit, but is that really true?

You can have the life you want without ever having to worry about credit cards and credit scores. It might be a little more of a hassle to apply for an apartment or get a loan, but it is completely feasible.

The main thing you want to do is save money. Always set aside a portion of your paycheck for your savings account. This is a good practice for basically everyone, but you’ll need a decent savings if you want to live without credit. This isn’t just to cover monthly bills or emergency expenses. You can use your savings to prove that you can cover a loan or a car payment.

Typically, when you apply for a new apartment, you will be asked for your monthly or yearly income and maybe also your credit score. If you don’t have credit, you won’t have a credit score. This makes it hard for the landlord to determine if you are trustworthy to pay rent on time. If you’ve already rented an apartment, you can ask your previous landlord for payment history. You can show this to the new apartment complex to demonstrate that you’re good for the rent. If that doesn’t work, you might have to pay a bigger deposit. This could be as much as half or all of a month’s rent. If you have nicely-sized savings, then you should be able to cover it with little issue.

The same goes for getting a loan. If you’ve paid back previous loans on time, then show those records to the bank. This might help lower your interest rate. In combination, your savings will also help you pay down the loan much faster than the typical borrower. Additionally, taking out a small personal loan and paying it back quickly can help you build your credit without having to open a credit card.

If you’re looking to buy a house, your credit score will be a big factor. Unless you’ve saved enough to buy the house outright (which is highly unusual), you’ll probably be taking out a mortgage loan. To get the best interest rate, your down payment will need to be at least 20 percent of the cost of the house. If you can pay more than that, all the better.

Lastly, instead of charging an expensive purchase to a credit card, wait until you have enough money to cover it outright. You might not be able to get that flatscreen HD TV right away. This prevents you from paying interest on the purchase. Even if you only take a few months to pay off the credit card balance, you would still be paying hundreds of dollars more than the cost of the item. Better to keep that money in your savings.

Living without credit is completely doable, if a little annoying at times. You’ll probably need to produce extra paperwork or pay a bigger deposit if you don’t have a credit score. Even in America, you never have to open a credit card if you don’t want one.

string(3325) "
In the United States, your credit score is viewed as a crucial piece of your financial information. You need a good score if you want to open a credit card or get a loan of any kind. Often, landlords and even employers will ask for your credit information. Many Americans don't think you can get by without using credit, but is that really true?
You can have the life you want without ever having to worry about credit cards and credit scores. It might be a little more of a hassle to apply for an apartment or get a loan, but it is completely feasible.
The main thing you want to do is save money. Always set aside a portion of your paycheck for your savings account. This is a good practice for basically everyone, but you'll need a decent savings if you want to live without credit. This isn't just to cover monthly bills or emergency expenses. You can use your savings to prove that you can cover a loan or a car payment.
Typically, when you apply for a new apartment, you will be asked for your monthly or yearly income and maybe also your credit score. If you don't have credit, you won't have a credit score. This makes it hard for the landlord to determine if you are trustworthy to pay rent on time. If you've already rented an apartment, you can ask your previous landlord for payment history. You can show this to the new apartment complex to demonstrate that you're good for the rent. If that doesn't work, you might have to pay a bigger deposit. This could be as much as half or all of a month's rent. If you have nicely-sized savings, then you should be able to cover it with little issue.
The same goes for getting a loan. If you've paid back previous loans on time, then show those records to the bank. This might help lower your interest rate. In combination, your savings will also help you pay down the loan much faster than the typical borrower. Additionally, taking out a small personal loan and paying it back quickly can help you build your credit without having to open a credit card. 
If you're looking to buy a house, your credit score will be a big factor. Unless you've saved enough to buy the house outright (which is highly unusual), you'll probably be taking out a mortgage loan. To get the best interest rate, your down payment will need to be at least 20 percent of the cost of the house. If you can pay more than that, all the better.
Lastly, instead of charging an expensive purchase to a credit card, wait until you have enough money to cover it outright. You might not be able to get that flatscreen HD TV right away. This prevents you from paying interest on the purchase. Even if you only take a few months to pay off the credit card balance, you would still be paying hundreds of dollars more than the cost of the item. Better to keep that money in your savings.
Living without credit is completely doable, if a little annoying at times. You'll probably need to produce extra paperwork or pay a bigger deposit if you don't have a credit score. Even in America, you never have to open a credit card if you don't want one.
"

It always starts the same way: I’m lying in bed, eyes wide open, doom-scrolling my way through the horrors of the world — climate change, inflation, AI replacing everyone, weird vibes from my boss. My heart races, my brain pings around like a pinball machine, and just when I think I might try deep breathing

Traditional weddings can be incredibly stressful, not to mention super pricey – many newlyweds couldn’t even buy a house with that money. What’s supposed to be the happiest day of your life can often feel like an endless quest for absolute perfection – almost as if the ceremony doesn’t come off flawlessly, the marriage itself

By Massimo Tornambe Scott Disick, aka “Lord Disick” has gained fame and a devoted following since his appearances on the reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Disick is renowned for his expensive taste in clothes, cars, and women. The question that millions of fans are asking is: where did his fortune come from? Scott

There’s a weird shift that happens when your kid turns 18. One minute, you’re mushing their vegetables and cutting their grapes in quarters, and the next, you’re side-eyeing the dinner check, wondering: Wait… are they going to offer to pay? Should I let them? Do they have enough in their checking account to cover an

Conversations about the Law of Attraction are super popular these days. Basically, it means: positive thoughts bring positive results into a person’s life. And negative thoughts or habits . . . Well. Let’s not bring negativity into this 🙃.  Many folks are eager to turn their lives around — seeking love, peace of mind, happiness,

As the old saying goes…the proof isn’t only in the pudding it’s in your closet, your cupboards, your back porch and – if you have one – your garage. You’ve got too much stuff. Everywhere. It’s not just a bunch of grandmas building enormous collections of margarine tubs or Uncle Bill’s believe it or not

Though the wave of tech layoffs and the threat of a recession has overshadowed yesteryear’s news of the great recession, everywhere you look, employees are asking for more — and getting it. Though this time of uncertainty could have given employers back the power, it’s still in the hands of the workforce. From Gen-Z’s boundary

The Momager May Be Worth More Than You Think… Kris Jenner is a pop culture icon for many reasons. While you may have watched her meteoric rise to fame on Keeping Up with the Kardashians — which originally debuted on E! — she’s actually been a fascinating figure in the public eye for ages.  As

Everyone says the economy’s healthier than ever, but some of us still find it necessary to make that paycheck stretch…and stretch…and stretch. The better we understand our spending habits, the better we can manage them. Living frugally can benefit you in many ways. You’ll grow more self-reliant, creative, and resourceful as you learn to make

Spring is in the air — and while you’re clearing out closets and scrubbing the back corners of the kitchen drawers, why not do a deep clean on something that really weighs you down? We’re talking about debt. Yep, those sneaky credit card balances, student loans, Buy Now Pay Later plans, and subscriptions that keep