used to be anything but a cheapskate. I would break into a cold sweat at the thought of being considered cheap. I was driven to make absolutely sure that a very clear line of demarcation was drawn between my world and those pitiful souls residing in the land of Cheap. I could outspend anyone and I charged my way through life feeling quite entitled because I had every charge card known to the English speaking world!

It all started quite innocently with a promise. As a child I was a daydreamer, a future planner. I grew up embarrassed that I had to wear hand-me-down clothes and things purchased at the second-hand shop. I, the Scarlet O'Hara of the 50s, vowed that I would never be poor and that my children would never wear clothes from the thrift store. There! Just like waving a magic wand I guaranteed my adult status and that of my children. If only I would have been wise enough to make a similar vow regarding a way to pull it off.

Within days of my wedding I cautiously suggested to my new husband that perhaps we should look into getting a gasoline credit card. After all, we were now in a different social strata and every real family must be prepared for unforeseen emergencies. We needed to get with the program and stop depending on cash so much. We needed plastic! Harold went along with the idea and before I knew it we received two shiny new credit cards, each one bearing our individual names. Wow! "Free" gas whenever I wanted! No longer would I have to dig around for loose change in order to pump a few gallons into my car. I could fill up whenever the mood struck and I knew that never again would I have to be concerned with the mundane issues like the price of gas. I carried clout and it felt good. Being a married woman was quite prestigious!

It seemed only logical that we should have an alternative brand of gas available (just in case of emergencies) and so we went for a second set of cards. After all, if one is good two should be better. These came more quickly and with less effort than the first. I could feel our status soaring to new heights and I carried the proper credentials to prove it.