You know you are getting old when:

[Turnip]

But you should be careful with overdoing, the outcome might possibly make you slightly nervous otherwise…

 

[tonyb]

Charlie Watts dead at age 80. Another reminder of my own mortality.

 

[Fifty150]

"Sorry. We accept Visa or MasterCard. Credit or Debit. $20 minimum."

What year is this? 1980? You don't take American Express? How about Discover?

I had to pay cash. I only have 2 credit cards. American Express, because I liked those Karl Malden Traveler's Cheques commercials. I had absolutely no use for Travelers Cheques. Everywhere I went back then, the US Dollar was what they wanted. You don't want to know what you could buy with $1 US back then, in places like Thailand. The commercials suckered me in. Don't leave home without it. And a Discover Card. Because I used to shop at Sears, and the cashier (she was cute) asked if I would like to apply. "If I get approved for the card, can I use it to take you to dinner?" The girls is long gone. I haven't seen her since 1985. But I still have the credit card.

I know I'm getting old. I've got antique credit cards from The 80's.

 

[Edward]

"Sorry. We accept Visa or MasterCard. Credit or Debit. $20 minimum."

What year is this? 1980? You don't take American Express? How about Discover?

Discover is not one I've heard of. It was very common for a long time for businesses in the UK not to accept Amex; what I was told by several was that it had a reputation for the money taking too long to come through to them, as compared to Visa / Mastercard. I should have thought that was put to bed by digitisation in this era, but I've not looked into it. Don't remember the last time I saw an Amex, tbh - maybe when I was last in the US in 2011?

Not a fan of credit cards, myself. I have a couple sitting because they're good for my credit rating, but I've not actually used them in a very long time.

 

[tonyb]

…
Not a fan of credit cards, myself. I have a couple sitting because they're good for my credit rating, but I've not actually used them in a very long time.

You get penalized for keeping yourself out of debt.

The dewy-eyed bride and I took a helluva long time to retire consumer debt (stupidity accounts for most of that, with a dash of desperation) and student loans. Our credit scores were things of beauty.

Having gone through all it took to get there, and now having money to put to far better use than servicing debt, we bought NOTHING on credit. Sure enough, our credit scores went on a slow but steady decline.

On purchasing about 500 bucks worth of merchandise at my local big-box home-improvement store I was told that my purchase would be discounted by $100 if I paid with a store credit account, which I could open right then and there. So I did, and paid the balance in full within minutes of receiving the statement, a couple weeks later. My credit score went up 36 points.

Of course the retailer wants their credit card in my wallet.

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

You get penalized for keeping yourself out of debt.

The dewy-eyed bride and I took a helluva long time to retire consumer debt (stupidity accounts for most of that, with a dash of desperation) and student loans. Our credit scores were things of beauty.

Having gone through all it took to get there, and now having money to put to far better use than servicing debt, we bought NOTHING on credit. Sure enough, our credit scores went on a slow but steady decline.

On purchasing about 500 bucks worth of merchandise at my local big-box home-improvement store I was told that my purchase would be discounted by $100 if I paid with a store credit account, which I could open right then and there. So I did, and paid the balance in full within minutes of receiving the statement, a couple weeks later. My credit score went up 36 points.

Of course the retailer wants their credit card in my wallet.

Buying most things with a credit card and paying the balance in full each month will keep your FICO score well north of 800.

 

[tonyb]

Buying most things with a credit card and paying the balance in full each month will keep your FICO score well north of 800.

Mine had dipped below 800, until I made that one-time credit purchase.

There are many perks to using credit. The issuers see to that. Who wouldn’t take a 1 percent discount on most purchases and larger ones on certain others? Who wouldn’t want the air “miles”?

But just seeing the interest rates on unpaid balances makes plain how the issuers can afford those incentives.

Thank the chumps.

 

[belfastboy]

Discover is not one I've heard of. It was very common for a long time for businesses in the UK not to accept Amex; what I was told by several was that it had a reputation for the money taking too long to come through to them, as compared to Visa / Mastercard. I should have thought that was put to bed by digitisation in this era, but I've not looked into it. Don't remember the last time I saw an Amex, tbh - maybe when I was last in the US in 2011?

Not a fan of credit cards, myself. I have a couple sitting because they're good for my credit rating, but I've not actually used them in a very long time.

When I produced personal development workshops 2001 to 2010 we accepted Visa, Master, and Amex. I hated Amex as their system was so antiquated compared to the Monaris system for the other two. I think the hoops they put me through, which included mailing in the hard copies, were just delaying tactics before they decided to pay out. It took at least twice as long to process Amex than it did the others and that was before having to mail the hard copies.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^
Which is among the beauties of honest competition. The customer can go elsewhere, and at some point s/he just may.

 

[Fifty150]

Discover is not one I've heard of.

It was a Sears credit card. Lowbrow individuals, such as myself, would use it finance Toughskin jeans. Most people can afford to buy a pair of pants, and afford to buy brand name, designer jeans. I was so poor, I couldn't even afford to buy pants at Sears. I needed to make payments on the cheapest pair of jeans.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^^
Sears was the first to extend me credit, when I was 19 or 20 (these are getting to be distant memories, so pardon the inexactitude). I bought a component stereo, paid it off over a year or so.

This was well before the Discover card days. The Sears card, the physical item itself, was undersized. In my experience, it was unique in that regard.

 

[tonyb]

According to Experian, on average credit card holders owed, at the end of 2020, a combined $5,897 in credit card debt. If I’m reading it correctly, this is for all consumer debt — bank cards and store cards. This was down from $6,629 at the end of 2019. So it appears that whatever the financial woes imposed by the pandemic, people weren’t making greater use of consumer credit.

Consider, though, how many card holders carry no debt at all and you gotta think that many people owe a helluva lot more than those averages.

 

[AmateisGal]

In my new cohort of graduate students (I'm starting my PhD in history), I am the oldest one by a LONG shot. Like, I could be the mother of every single one.

That certainly makes me feel old. However, it also means I get to embrace my eccentricities. . To wit, I carry a vintage Peanuts messenger bag and don't care one bit.

 

[Edward]

In my new cohort of graduate students (I'm starting my PhD in history), I am the oldest one by a LONG shot. Like, I could be the mother of every single one.

That certainly makes me feel old. However, it also means I get to embrace my eccentricities. . To wit, I carry a vintage Peanuts messenger bag and don't care one bit. View attachment 356910

In my postgrad class we had a lady who was in her early forties - (younger than I am now, how did that happen??) - when we were all mid-twenties. 97/98. She was a lot of fun - I think we enjoyed having someone with a bit of life experience around as much as she enjoyed it. It brings an interesting dynamic to it. Notably, we regarded her as very much a peer even while the occasional faculty who were only a year or two older than us were not. Interesting how the 'assigned role' played so much into perceptions there.

I went straight from my undergrad law degree to my masters - and then straight to work. I was registered for some years to do a part-time PhD, but fitting it in around the job never quite happened, and then an illness sort of killed it, so I am I suppose what might once have been considered an academic by the "apprenticeship" route. The PhD is a wonderful experience to have the time to really dig deep and go hardcore on the research. I'm currently supervising some really interesting projects, which is a lot of fun, and about to do my first examination...

Strangely, I think it's only really with the benefit of hindsight I've realised just how great it was to have those few years to be a full time student (a mix of rosily forgetting exam stress and that I was too busy living it to reflect on it at the time! ).

History was always my 'other' field; fascinating stuff. What aspect are you looking to build your thesis on?

 

[AmateisGal]

In my postgrad class we had a lady who was in her early forties - (younger than I am now, how did that happen??) - when we were all mid-twenties. 97/98. She was a lot of fun - I think we enjoyed having someone with a bit of life experience around as much as she enjoyed it. It brings an interesting dynamic to it. Notably, we regarded her as very much a peer even while the occasional faculty who were only a year or two older than us were not. Interesting how the 'assigned role' played so much into perceptions there.

I went straight from my undergrad law degree to my masters - and then straight to work. I was registered for some years to do a part-time PhD, but fitting it in around the job never quite happened, and then an illness sort of killed it, so I am I suppose what might once have been considered an academic by the "apprenticeship" route. The PhD is a wonderful experience to have the time to really dig deep and go hardcore on the research. I'm currently supervising some really interesting projects, which is a lot of fun, and about to do my first examination...

Strangely, I think it's only really with the benefit of hindsight I've realised just how great it was to have those few years to be a full time student (a mix of rosily forgetting exam stress and that I was too busy living it to reflect on it at the time! ).

History was always my 'other' field; fascinating stuff. What aspect are you looking to build your thesis on?

I wish I was a full-time student! But the only way I can do the PhD is to take it one class at a time - and because I work at the university, my tuition is waived - which is another reason I can do it! So, I have the full-time day job which, thankfully, is very supportive of me going back to get my degree.

I'm focusing on anti-Semitism, fascism, and nationalism in the Great Plains of America in the late 1930s and early 1940s. This is a very under-researched topic, so I'm excited to dive in. I'm also leaving myself open to doing something else related to the WW2 homefront, as that is my primary focus, and I know people start with a focus and then totally change. That's what I did for my master's degree - I originally wanted to do comparative studies of women in the American and French Revolutions, but then went in a different direction and ended up doing German POWs in Nebraska (which later became my first book).

 

[tonyb]

I was in awe of my maternal grandfather when he told me he had actually gone to see Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show when he first emigrated to America.

Last month, when my cousin from Wisconsin and his husband were visiting, we went to the Buffalo Bill gravesite and museum, a fairly short drive from here. It occurred to me that Buffalo Bill, once among the most-celebrated people on the planet, may gradually be fading into obscurity.

William F. Cody was as responsible as anyone for perpetrating the romance (and myth) of the American Wild West. Hollywood picked up where he left off. Still, I doubt the average person under age 30 could tell you much about him.

The gravesite and museum still draws a crowd, on a hot day at the height of tourist season, anyway. But I wonder how much longer that will be.

I could be wrong, of course. There’s enough romance in that time and place for any number of retellings. There are African-American takes on it, and Asian-American accounts, and of course the Native American histories. And I see supermarkets still stock the magazines True West and Cowboys & Indians. The stores around here do, at any rate.

 

[belfastboy]

Last month, when my cousin from Wisconsin and his husband were visiting, we went to the Buffalo Bill gravesite and museum, a fairly short drive from here. It occurred to me that Buffalo Bill, once among the most-celebrated people on the planet, may gradually be fading into obscurity.

William F. Cody was as responsible as anyone for perpetrating the romance (and myth) of the American Wild West. Hollywood picked up where he left off. Still, I doubt the average person under age 30 could tell you much about him.

The gravesite and museum still draws a crowd, on a hot day at the height of tourist season, anyway. But I wonder how much longer that will be.

I could be wrong, of course. There’s enough romance in that time and place for any number of retellings. There are African-American takes on it, and Asian-American accounts, and of course the Native American histories. And I see supermarkets still stock the magazines True West and Cowboys & Indians. The stores around here do, at any rate.

Perhaps the German tourists will keep it all alive. It still seems to be a big 'thing' for the Germans to experience the American West. On our trip a few years back to Death Valley it seemed at least half the RV's in the camp were German tourists in rental RV's. We planned to visit Little Big Horn on a trip to Montana as Sitting Bull was childhood hero of mine. We ended up driving by as I decided I didn't need to see that sliver of ignominious US history. But it struck me that approx 75 years had past since my youth and the actual battle and then another almost 75 years had past since I last played indians and cowboys. So that the days of my youth playing indians et al sit at the approximate half way point between the actual battle and my present life. Put in that context I had no other option than to realize...."sumbitch, I must be old"

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

My high school classmates were planning a 50th anniversary reunion, but it died of COVID. We kept things going on an email thread. I dug out the yearbook from when we were in seventh grade (12 years old, for those not familiar with the U.S. education system). I scanned the pictures one page at a time and attached them to messages on the thread. We comprised four pages.

What a bunch of mutts we were! It's a real testimony to the power of hormones to remember that I had crushes on several of the girls when we looked like that.

 

[Turnip]

Perhaps the German tourists will keep it all alive.

…

Now that’s for sure. For Germans it’s like Hofbräuhaus, Neuschwanstein, Oktoberfest and old Heidelberg for overseas tourists.

 

[Turnip]

Not to forget the German Autobahn of course…