I have never taken out a loan or got myself saddled with a credit card. Credit is a HUGE scam in this country and only serves to make the credit card companies and banks rich. You absolutely can get a mortgage to buy a home with no credit, you just need at least 20% down. Yes the rate will be higher, but, after 3 years or so, you can refinance and get the same rate as everyone else. Repairs? Do them yourself. It's not rocket science. Afraid of electricity? Turn the power off before touching anything. Afraid of poop water? There are waterproof, disposable suits for that. For a very small amount of money, you can buy the how to books and a small amount of wire and pipe to experiment with until you get it right. If you can't use a level and swing a hammer, shoot yourself, you are polluting the gene-pool. Same goes for cars. Want a new one? Save the money and buy it outright. Need it now? You should have thought and planned ahead. A beater can be bought for $500 or less and will last as long as you care to keep it running. Routine maintenance and simple repairs such as exhaust, brakes and tune ups can be done by the most mechanically deficient person out there. The day you buy a car is the day you buy the repair manual for that car. The cost for tools for all these things is roughly $3000 to $5000, if you buy new. Take care of those tools and you will never have to buy them again.
I took a guess the other day based on all the home and car repairs I have done throughout my life. I have saved around $150000 in mechanic and tradesman labor costs.
I own a 1999 chevy pick up and a 2007 saturn ion, both of which were bought in cash. (I even turned the tables on Mr. Slick Salesman with the truck. Saved $2000.)
You need heat, electricity, food and water. You want T.V. and internet. You are required to have insurance. Heat? Wood burning stove. Yes, it's a lot of work,but you'll always be in good shape. (That also cuts out the cost of a gym.) I live in an area surrounded by woods so I don't pay for heat. The cost of buying wood for the season is about 3 times cheaper than oil, 5 times cheaper than propane and 10 times cheaper than electric heat. Just make sure your pipes are not going to freeze. There are a dozen ways of ensuring that. Solar panels and wind turbines are becoming cheaper and more efficient. Plant a garden, fish and hunt. This cuts yearly food costs dramatically. Water is only cheap if you have a well. As for hot water, I recommend propane with no electrical connection. That is the most efficient I have found and no worries about power outages. Also, use the propane for cooking. I bought my own propane tanks and get them filled my self at about 1/3 the price of the gas companies. T.V.? I hate it. It has become unwatchable in the last 10 years. I am switching to the roku box. Internet is the only thing I haven't figured how to get cheaper, yet. Home owners insurance is a given, just make sure you list and keep up with the contents of your home. In the event of a loss, you'll be covered for everything. Car insurance is waaaaaay cheaper when you own the car. Forget all that theft and collision crap, liability is all you need.
One last tip. A college degree is becoming more and more worthless in this country. Unless you get a degree in a field that will actually pay off, don't waste the time and money. Learn a trade is my advice. Things will ALWAYS have to be built and fixed. I do better than any 2 of my college graduate friends, with a few exceptions.
It took me far longer than it could have to get to this point, but that's the price of having kids with the wrong person. I wouldn't change a thing.
