Rent to own car dealers and buy here pay here dealers are also doing quite well for themselves in this economy. As more and more people are unable to afford buying a car in cash or qualify for a car loan, they are relying on rent to own car programs.

This morning the Dallas News published a story about how things are quickly changing for many Americans.   It seems that the rent to own industry is doing quite well in this current economy.I suppose it’s no surprise.

Rent to own furniture stores cater to people who are struggling to make ends meet. Those who don’t have the full payment to buy needed furniture or a home appliance (TV or washing machine) can choose to make installment payments instead. In the end, they end up paying much more than they would have if they’d had the money upfront.

Meanwhile, as other retailers warn of disappearing earnings, Rent-A-Center reported better-than-expected year-end results this week.  The company has been busy advertising and promoting a new site called creditfreelife.com which encourages people to live without credit.  Huh, really? 

I suppose what they are doing is not much different than what we are doing here — except we adamantly encourage our readers to do whatever it legally takes to improve their credit.

Living with bad credit or no credit means paying more for everything and dealing with more hassles.  It’s no way to live permanently.