Thursday, May 21, 2009

I'm Un-American

Tonight I was told that I was un-American! Here is what happened and why I think it's absolutely hilarious.

Two days ago in the mail we got one of those promotional fliers with a car key attached from a local car dealer. Normally I wouldn't have thought twice about it - but my wife, Stephanie thought what the heck we could win a free new car. Well, we like free so while we were out tonight we stopped in to the dealership.

A salesman sits us down at the table and starts to fill out this "entry form" (I'm convinced it's just so they can call us later to try and sell a car) anyway he asks what kind of cars we have. We kindly inform him that we have a Toyota Yaris and a Camry. He asked if we won the new car if we'd be trading in one of our own. Then he asked what I'd want to trade for. I told him what I 'want' (note; want not a need) and then he asked what year. Moving on - he continued to do his job - trying to sell me a car.

Stephanie pointed out to him that we really weren't interested in buying another car as we currently have NO CAR PAYMENTS (translation; NO DEBT) He laughed and said that was un-American. The American way was to have car loans, insurance bills, 3 credit cards and so many bills you could hardly keep up. He said, I suppose you're debt free.

Stephanie and I both said, happily - other than our house payment and the last student loan debt - we were debt free. And if that makes me un-American then I'm happy to be.

Thank you Dave Ramsey! :-)

Sidebar: I don't feel un-American as my financial adviser would say if Debt is normal Be weird so I guess the translation in this story is that Debt is American, be un-American?!

Almost Debt free and Loving it,
~C

2 comments:

Unknown said...

actually as fun as the stereotype that all Americans are up to their eyeballs in debt is, it's FAR from true most of the greatest American businessmen ever were far from debt and doing great! so I'd say that to have debt is more Un-American than anything lol just look at warren buffet :)

B. Obermeier said...

thats awesome, its funny how stories like that come up. Also I would like to add I have no debt period (also no house).