Live Credit-Free in 2012

I, like many other Americans, have had my bouts with the credit monster in the past. If credit were a woman she'd be the vixen and I'd be the scorned, heartbroken fool. She's been good to me in the past; she has helped me amble along the way. Still, in her wake, the credit monsoon which has overtaken mine and so many of our lives makes one wonder if those expensive designer duds I had all those years ago were something I should still be paying for today.

I'm a reasonable guy. I've moved around a bit with our SleepHereNow project in recent years. Much of that has been at the behest of credit providers. Still, now that the wife and I have settled down in apartment and into jobs which look promising for the foreseeable future; I finally decided this morning; 2012 will be the year of no credit. Let me tell you my idea and you can tell me if I'm wrong.

What does 2012 Year of No Credit Mean?
No credit means no credit. Put rather simply that's totally what it means. No credit cards; Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Amex; no department store credit cards; Target, Sears; no clothing store credit cards; L.L. Bean, Gap, Banana Republic. No credit cards whatsoever.

What does 2012 Year of No Credit Include?
While the mere thought is a little antiquated of an "all-cash" existence that is essentially what I will be going for. I will be walking around with more cash (note to muggers) for sure but included in this will be my Fidelity MySmart Cash Account debit card, my PayPal MasterCard debit card, my MetroCard (for the subway), and any pre-paid cards I get as gifts either from retailers (Starbucks) online stores (iTunes) or in the form of actual cash-account pre-paid cards.

Don't get me wrong; I have no problem with credit cards. I appreciate all that they have gotten me and I sort of appreciate (sort of loath) all that they have taught me. I just can't be inside of this tunnel of debt anymore. It's depressing to look at all these outrageous balances on Quicken, to think about how I can use one card for a little while and then when the payments for another goes through, switch to another card. It's not even as though I need to do this; yet I still do!

We're not poor. This is not a cry out for a lifeline; this is a wake-up call for our future. Credit will invariably be a part of my life again; when the mortgage papers slide from beneath my hands or a child comes into this world I won't have time to be so bold. But this year; 2012; will be my year to live completely credit-free.

What do you think of my idea?