Cash or Card?

One of the things I hate the most about law school is my constantly being ‘in the red’, so to speak, money-wise. With nearly all of my time being spent if not attending, then preparing for, my classes, finding a (paying) job and keeping it has been rather difficult. So it goes that at my quarter-life, I am still fully being supported by my parents. Unlike my non-law school friends, I have yet to see my name printed on a piece of plastic that isn’t an ID or a rather battered ATM card. Credit cards are, to me, still something I need my parents’ permission to use, since I have none of my own, and this makes shopping online from foreign sellers a rare luxury for me.

The other day I was able to borrow my mom’s credit card to order some books that have proved practically impossible for me to find here. Even special-ordering from the big bookstores was not an option, since some of the books were out of print. Amazon.com, however, had those out-of-print books available from accredited sellers, and I found myself having the chance to FINALLY get some copies. I was practically bouncing in my seat while filling out the various order forms online. The problem was, all of the accredited sellers from whom I was buying books didn’t ship to the Philippines. I had to have them ship the books to my aunt in LA, who’d then ship me the books.

Still, that particular inconvenience aside, I’m finding the online marketplace a wonderful, wonderful place. Thinking about it, it’s probably not such a bad thing that I don’t have a credit card of my own – I might end up finding myself under a mountain of debt otherwise.

[end blog no. 6]