Rachel Webster

And in that very same year, at the end of the 20th century, just across Central Park from where I stood, holding a shiny new sliver of plastic, some copywriters on or around Madison Avenue were launching a brilliant new marketing strategy for that very same plastic product.

And in that very same year, at the end of the 20th century, just across Central Park from where I stood, holding a shiny new sliver of plastic, some copywriters on or around Madison Avenue were launching a brilliant new marketing strategy for that very same plastic product.

Just as I and many other elder millennials were entering the financial mainstream, the Priceless campaign was infiltrating the zeitgeist.

Just as I and many other elder millennials were entering the financial mainstream, the Priceless campaign was infiltrating the zeitgeist.

MasterCard was invoking a deep-seated sense of FOMO by connecting priceless human moments to things, well, with prices. And that philosophy of spend now, pay later, hashtag no regrets, would come to represent exactly how credit cards would undo the middle class in 21st century America.

MasterCard was invoking a deep-seated sense of FOMO by connecting priceless human moments to things, well, with prices. And that philosophy of spend now, pay later, hashtag no regrets, would come to represent exactly how credit cards would undo the middle class in 21st century America.

Because we know firsthand what it's like to lose sleep over debt.

Because we know firsthand what it's like to lose sleep over debt.

To get out of debt, but find ourselves falling back into it.

To get out of debt, but find ourselves falling back into it.

Run the numbers on that. So that's... So as a reminder, Jamie was working with five credit cards when she started her debt journey. Yeah, you won't let me forget it. And all of them carried a balance. But once we got them laid out, figuring out how to pay down that debt was going to require some math. A tall order for a couple of art school kids.

Run the numbers on that. So that's... So as a reminder, Jamie was working with five credit cards when she started her debt journey. Yeah, you won't let me forget it. And all of them carried a balance. But once we got them laid out, figuring out how to pay down that debt was going to require some math. A tall order for a couple of art school kids.

We need like maybe to have somebody who knows how to do math. Maybe we should get a mathematician. Getting out of credit card debt was looking harder by the minute. Each minute costing 20.24% more in interest. You know, it would be a lot easier as if we just had a certain amount of money and then we use that money and then we didn't go, we didn't borrow money.

We need like maybe to have somebody who knows how to do math. Maybe we should get a mathematician. Getting out of credit card debt was looking harder by the minute. Each minute costing 20.24% more in interest. You know, it would be a lot easier as if we just had a certain amount of money and then we use that money and then we didn't go, we didn't borrow money.

I first heard Elena Bethea speak on a Zoom call with a debtors' rights activist organization where she was discussing her book, Delinquent. I admit that when the talk began, I was barely paying attention. I only joined, really, in hopes of getting in touch with the event's organizers. But then the words coming out of her mouth caught my attention, and I immediately called Jamie.

I first heard Elena Bethea speak on a Zoom call with a debtors' rights activist organization where she was discussing her book, Delinquent. I admit that when the talk began, I was barely paying attention. I only joined, really, in hopes of getting in touch with the event's organizers. But then the words coming out of her mouth caught my attention, and I immediately called Jamie.

So urgent, we immediately booked train tickets to D.C. just so we could speak to Elena in person and also to eat Amtrak hot dogs. Do you want one or two hot dogs? One. Two. Two.

So urgent, we immediately booked train tickets to D.C. just so we could speak to Elena in person and also to eat Amtrak hot dogs. Do you want one or two hot dogs? One. Two. Two.

Do they have onions? Yes. Like good New Yorkers, we took public transport and walked everywhere with our recording gear.

Do they have onions? Yes. Like good New Yorkers, we took public transport and walked everywhere with our recording gear.