This may sound like a funny title on a financial blog. Most other blogs are telling you to save more, spend less, and get out of debt. Problem is, that is not realistic. The reason is that there is a fundamental LAW of economics working against you that says people, humans, always prefer more to less and have unlimited wants and desires. So, if we really do have unlimited wants, why are all the financial “experts” telling people to want less? They are only fooling themselves.

Many studies have been done that say financial diets are much like food diets. People tend to go back to their original habits after just a short time and are often worse off than when they started. If you really do want to save money and invest, read my other articles, but if you are the other 90% of the world, read on...

So, how do I get the most stuff with what I have? Most salaries are fixed or vary little every week (in most cases) and there is only so much one can buy with this money. So, to get the things you want now, you will have to use credit. How you manage your credit will mean the difference between getting the maximum amount of stuff, or simply paying high interest charges on worn out trash. So, how do I manage my credit?

Start by getting the maximum number of credit cards possible. You need to build these up over time. Usually you will only get approved for one or two cards at first, but then as you pay on them, other companies will see they can make money from you as well and will line up to give you credit.

The more credit you have, the more stuff you will be able to buy. Try to find cards with extremely low teaser rates and no annual fees. Many cards have 0% rates for up to a year, meaning you will only have to pay a minimum amount each month on the things you buy and no additional charges will accrue. After the first year, get another teaser rate card and transfer the balance, that way you can stay at a low percentage rate practically forever. Just be sure to make the minimum payments every month so you will have good credit to get another card.

You can also often get 0% or no payment for six month offers at furniture stores and electronic retailers, again putting off the amount you pay for down the road. That is the whole idea. Keep putting off the payments until you die, and then you won’t have to worry about it anyway. Many credit card companies will also send you convenience checks with two or three percent interest rates to keep rolling your balances over onto.

Banks are also a good source of credit. Many banks will give you “overdraft protection,” which simply means that you can borrow more than you have in your checking account, often at a low rate (banks vary wildly on this, so check around). Start four or five checking accounts with different banks, as it seems like all of them offer this line of credit. Also credit unions are really good for car loans and personal loans, since the members are the owners, they are more likely to lend to you if you have an account.

You may also want to lease a car. I hate leases, but to get more car than you really can afford, this may be the way to go. I haven’t seen any studies on this, but I would figure car companies are more eager to lease a car than sell one because they make more profit this way.

When it comes to housing, renting might be a good idea. Most rental agents checks credit but not how much you make, so you may be able to rent a house or apartment that is way out of your range because they don’t know that you can’t really afford it. Again we are talking about living the high life here, not about saving money.

And if you really want to live the playboy life, you can’t fear bankruptcy. So many people don’t ever enjoy their money because they fear they will be broke one day. Hey, 100 years ago that would have been a real concern, but today, not so much. Even if you do blow it all, at least you will have had fun, a load of stories to tell, and will have done something with your life. Many people go to and from work for 50 years and have no story, and then by the time they retire, they are too old to enjoy anything they worked for. I have seen it far too often.

Even if you do go bankrupt, there are plenty of people in America lined up to help. From food stamps and subsidized housing, to unemployment benefits and free medical clinics, it seems there is no end to the stuff that is given away to low income individuals. So, if you do waste all your money and loose your job or go bankrupt, there is always a new day in this country. That is the great thing, you can always start again.

So, the focus should be on managing your debt, not getting out of if if you want to maximize your benefits. You can simply buy more by using leverage than you otherwise would and experience things you otherwise wouldn’t have. I am not suggesting wasting your money on stuff you don’t need or want(read my article on saving money), but rather buying stuff you will truly treasure and remember for years to come by using your credit wisely.