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I am a professional freelance photographer. I have about $35,000 worth of cameras, lenses, computers, printers, lighting set ups, etc. It’s an expensive business to be in. Most of it was purchased using a credit card. It costs me an arm and a leg. But I knew going into it that I was taking a huge risk. I had worked for several companies who used venture capital and their experiences were terrible. Not only did they have to justify every penny they got, they had to try to explain a out-of-the ordinary business idea or plan to someone whose only skill was saying “no” to new ideas. And, if they managed to pick the right niche and the right time with the right market and the right product the venture capitalists took half or more of what the earned. I even went that route once myself. Never again.

I am up to my eyeballs in credit card debt. It takes everything I can do to make the payments and have enough left over to feel like I’m getting ahead. But at least I have the knowledge that it’s my effort that will make it go or not go.

Some days I wake up and wish I had never gotten into the rat race. But most days I wake up and thank God, literally, that I live in America and that I can risk everything I own in return for the opportunity to do what I love to do and maybe even make a living doing it.

I know this plan will get a ton of heat from those who believe in pay as you go. But that’s not my nature.

I won’t bore everyone with the stories of how missing a single payment to one company can cause the others to lower my limit and raise my interest rates. Suffice it to say I might well live to regret my risk-taking nature, but for now I’m reasonably happy with my life.

PS I’m over 65 and I a ‘retired’. You can get a feel for my work at my website: http://www.jwparker.com No nasty comments about all the kid's birthday parties, etc. If it pays I'll shoot it.

During the divorce, I knew the ex would want all the pictures of our marriage. Since the furnace was broken and it was winter, I spent a couple of months in a single room and scanning 4,000 pictures. She eventually demanded all the hard photos and albums. I have all the pictures on this computer backed with another hard drive.

The furnace was eventually fixed with both of us sharing the expense so it was cheaper that way for me. I also have about sixty really great photos that are professional grade. If I have to make any extra cash, I can always get those photos copywrited, printed and sold at art festivals.

If divorce is on the horizon or an inheritance with squabbling siblings, convert your pictures to pixels.

am a professional freelance photographer. I have about $35,000 worth of cameras, lenses, computers, printers, lighting set ups, etc. It’s an expensive business to be in. Most of it was purchased using a credit card. I am up to my eyeballs in credit card debt. I’m over 65 and I a ‘retired’.

Why are you still using credit card debt with sky high rates? At the very least, you should go to the bank and apply for a debt consolidation loan which will give you a much lower interest rate. How about a home equity loan? That's a much lower rate too. Since you are 65, how about a reverse mortgage if you own your home outright? You've probably got many options to get rid of those sky high usurious credit card interest rates.

Good luck parker. I also have some major debt on credit cards I’m working my arse off to pay for.

For the average working class American, credit cards are a necessary evil. There are many people, such as you and I, who have used credit cards to grow a business, or some other worthwhile enterprise. Calculated debt is not a bad thing. Manageable debt is not a bad thing.