made my way out of the crowded mall. Suddenly, my attention was drawn to a huge banner that hung in a window display of Anchor Blue (a clothing store). The sign stating: "Levi 501 Jeans, Buy One, And Get The Second At Fifty Percent Off Sale." I could not resist. I entered the store and before I knew it, I had four pairs of Levi's, a brown shirt and a brown leather belt to match my newly purchased pair of shoes. I knew I only had about $6.00 cash, but I just couldn't pass up, such a good deal. At the register, I handed over the clothing to the cashier, opened up my leather wallet and pulled out my silver and blue, Citibank Platinum MasterCard. The total of my purchase came out to be well over $80.00, but no big deal--right? I would have it paid off with my next paycheck. Wrong! By the time I received my next paycheck, I had better things to spend my money on. I never desired to give more than the recurring, minimum monthly payment of $150.00 to my Citibank credit card. I was in a never-ending cycle of borrowing, then paying back. Credit cards controlled me; I didn't control them. This is the way many U.S. citizens, not just me, shop for goods and services in America.
             But what exactly is a credit card? In the book Persona Finance, by authors Thomas E. Garman, and Raymond E. Forgue, the definition of a "credit card" is explained in great detail:
             "A credit (or charge) card is a plastic card identifying the holder as a participant in the charge account plan of a lender, such as a department store, oil company, or financial institution... All allow multiple uses without reapplication for credit, but some require that the entire balance be repaid each month. Credit cards and charge accounts are now the primary source of household debt other than home mortgages" (212).
             With credit cards in mind, I will now clarify the meaning of revolving credit and how it applies to credit ca...