After I got divorced, my credit went down the tubes. After all, my income dropped by 60% and I was raising two kids whose father thought $70 a month in child support was plenty. So I ended up filing for bankruptcy. Now I have over $30,000 in assorted medical debt, thanks to one night in the hospital without insurance, and I've been thinking about filing again. (Thanks to people like Joe Biden, it now costs $1800 instead of the $60 I paid to file the last time. How many poor people can afford it? I guess that was the point. Right, Joe?)

After reading this story, I figure, why even bother? (Donald Trump's companies have filed four times and they gave him a TV show!)

I have no credit at all. (Also, I don't care about my credit rating.) What they're describing in this article has happened to me. They keep trying to collect money that was discharged long ago. But did I mention I don't care about my credit rating? It was the most emotionally freeing experience in my life when I gave up. Because while I've lost jobs because of my credit rating, there are always landlords and employers somewhere who are willing to give you a chance if you have good references - and I do.

I recommend it. Not everyone can live credit-free, but a lot more people can do it than they think: