In Bed With Billy: The Score That Really Counts

By Broadside Sex Collumnist Billy Curtis

Throughout life, we are constantly observed, rated, scored and graded in just about everything we do. We all want to get good grades, so we study to get them. We all want good credit so we can support ourselves in the future by being able to buy nice houses or whatever we fancy. We all want to find a stable relationship that will bring us contentment. But regrettably, attaining a better credit is a little easier than being in a stable relationship. So lets start with the credit.

The joy of getting your first credit card is a luxury that most college students in America become all-too-familiar with, and statistically abuse. Managing your credit can be an extremely difficult task, especially when you haven’t been properly informed on how to use them. 

The same can be said for relationships. When you misuse your credit, you could end up paying some hefty charges, or even have your card taken away from you. When you mistreat someone you’re dating, you can end up paying in emotional charge for the carelessness you made on the obligations that come with the devotion and dedication of dating someone. Ultimately, you could end up losing your relationship, and while you can eventually rebuild your credit score, odds are you will never get to score with that person again once they’re gone. After all, a good score could take you everywhere you want to be, even the right bed.

Unfortunately I haven’t had the best luck in either department. I learned while in high school about the proper methods on how to maintain a great credit score, but there was never a class on finding that perfect someone. I managed to keep a great credit score of 800 up until this past year, when I managed to make some very bad dating decisions that subsequently led to my credit disaster of 2008.

I ended up maxing out 3 of my cards just to survive, thus ruining my credit rating, because I didn’t have the money to pay them off. I’m honestly still too frightened to look it up these days, and those creepy guys singing for freecreditreport.com aren’t a big help—especially with those tacky costumes and horrible lyrics that you can never manage to get out of your head.  It’s a shame that bad habits—especially of the financial variety—can be learned through the relationships we have. But I can happily say that I have moved on from both; the crappy credit score, and the even crappier relationship.

So how do you achieve a good credit score along with an even better relationship? The simple key to having a good credit score is this easy: care for your card, never neglect the obligation of payment when it’s due.

Credit cards are like relationships, they take smarts, and care to truly understand and avoid the damage that could be just around the corner. People take advantage of their credit cards, just as often as they take advantage of relationships. I’m not even referring to just romantic partners, you can take advantage of friends, family—anyone really. If you do take advantage of these people you could lose them just as simple as a credit card. So keep an eye on your spending habits, because as mush as your card—and credit card company—likes being swiped, overuse can turn into abuse, and eventually loss, and that’s another problem you probably don’t want, let alone need.  So don’t go out and use your credit card to buy frivolous items, like a new Wii, or something you probably don’t need. Instead, use your card for small purchases like food for the week or gas. Use your credit card casually and make sure to try and pay it off in full every month, and you can have a score that is worthy of someone who is credit savvy.

The relationship domain can be a bit trickier then that of the credit card, but the same principles apply. Care and dedication are most obviously paramount in a relationship. Good relationships are hard to come by the same way good APR’s are, that’s why its best to appreciate the person you have in your life and not abuse them, or neglect them at all. Sadly, a partner can be taken away just as easily as a credit card.

So make sure that you’re worth the look up when it comes to either good credit or a good relationship. Because you don’t want to be left in the past when the future seems so bright. Give yourself a chance to value you and build the knowledge that comes with age and time, because there is no such thing as a relationship when you don’t know what your worth!
This column is dedicated to my friend, Kyle. May he learn that his credit relationship will be in a very bad state if he doesn’t change his ways.