<prompt> Human: Balance: 1,486.66. Minimum payment: 29.61. At your current rates of interest, if you make only your minimum payment by its due date each month, it will take approximately 23 years and 9 months to repay the account balance shown on this statement. 23 years and 9 months A message like this comes on every credit card statement I get. Its scary how bad it can be.  <response>: For me, not having credit didnt always seem bad. I had a great job from the time I was 18, and I had a salary to afford anything I wanted. However, one day my car broke down, and I didnt have enough cash to pay for a new one out right. I went to get a used car, but everyone thought I was a total joke, because I had no credit.Being completely uneducated on loans, I took an 18k loan with a 21 interest rate financed by the car dealership. I pay almost the cost of a new luxury car, but Im driving a 10 year old model. Its out of range for refinance, so far as I know, and the loan was upside down the second I drove the car off the lot.It was one of the worst decisions of my life, and I had no idea what I was getting into. These days, its much different thankfully, but I still have a year left on my terrible loan to serve as a reminder. Always maintain a good credit standing when possible, and always stash money away for emergencies! 