I got a ‘college-student special’ Visa my senior year. The kind that makes it look like you’re getting all kinds of perks just for being a student.
The first purchase was a backpack, and I don’t really remember why I thought I needed a new one in my last year. I don’t recall my old one falling apart, although I guess it’s possible.
I think I was pretty good about just using it for ‘emergencies’ (in that case, I didn’t have my checkbook with me). I can’t remember anything else that I bought with it then, so I’m reasonably sure I didn’t run to the mall and have a spree with it.
My mom and I went to lunch at the Mayberry Cafe in Danville, Indiana, then walked down the street to an antique shop where she selected her Mother’s Day gift.
I joined a health club in 1967. They filled out the credit ap for me, and soon a nice shiny MasterCharge It was in just my name (not my husband’s) Iwas thrilled.
I bought a CD player when CD’s were almost impossible to find… Paid $700 for a metal Philips player that weighed probably 20 pounds and survived a head on crash in my car a few months later that totalled my car…
I was bringing it to a friend’s place to let him see it, (Hey, they were still EXCITING back then!) had it sitting on the passenger seat and it went flying into the windshield when an idiot came around the corner and smashed into me while I was waiting to make a left turn…
Had one small dent in it, and continued to work for almost 10 years…
You know, I honestly don’t remember what I bought, or even what my first card was. I think I got my Penny’s card first, much to my surprise since I was 18 and my only credit was from my cell phone, and then my parents got me a USAA card when I’d been in school a bit longer… but I could be wrong. Heh, it’s only been a couple years, too.
I’m not 100% certain but I think I used it to book a holiday to Egypt
That was certainly the reason I got one anyway - that was my first major holiday abroad that I paid for entirely myself.
My first purchase was a camera that I bought with a stolen credit card.
Though when I saw stolen I mean that one day I collected the mail to discover that some very stupid bank had posted a credit card to a ‘Thomas Ryan’ who had never lived in that house. The fact that it was a University campus dorm and there had never been a Thomas Ryan enrolled there since 1982 led me to believe that someone had messed up so I bought a Canon.
Oh, the curse of youth and stupidity. I had just received my first credit card when the need arose for a new tie. I don’t remember the occasion but I do remember that it required very nice dress and none of my old ties would do. I walked in to the men’s department at Macy’s and was met at the tie counter by a very attractive young lady about my age. The conversation went something like this:
She: What can I help you with? Me (in “impress the female” mode): I need a nice tie for a social occasion. She (Vanna White-ing the display) : Well, which one do you like? Me (whiping out the virgin plastic and tossing it on the counter): Why don’t you just pick the one you think would look best on me and ring it up? She: OK!
That’s the day I learned that some retail clerks work on commission. I paid about $100 dollars for that tie. I made no headway with the cute salesclerk but it was a nice tie. I still have it.
My first card was a student MasterCard, issued by my credit union, which I got in 1989 just before starting college. The very first thing I charged on it was a fancy crystal castle (I collect crystals, mostly Swarovski) that I think cost something like $100. (Which, at the time, was 1/5 of my credit limit. :eek: ) But I still have the castle, I still think it was worth purchasing, and my credit union still lets me have a MasterCard (though now with a much higher credit limit, unfortunately).
I’m seriously considering getting my very first Visa card soon, to use as a replacement for my AmEx (as discussed here). If I decide to get it, it will be very exicting to have a new credit card for the first time in 5-6 years.
