[Vraxx]

As an aside to your main point, I am curious about why you have a complete disdain for using credit cards. I'm certainly not advocating using a credit card to spend beyond your limits, but intelligent application of a credit card can just net you assets. I'd also like to point out that I find the motives of credit card companies to encourage people to spend beyond their limits through temporary/immediate convenience deplorable, but that is not the only use case for these cards.

For example I have a cash back credit card that I run every purchase that doesn't entail a fee for credit card usage through and pay it off immediately. I accrue/pay no interest, and still don't spend beyond my means, but I get a discount everywhere.