Rachel Naugle of the Republic of Austin told us pointblank that SmartyPig is a life changer. As you can watch in the video below, where Rachel sits down with our CEO, Bob Wienschenk and me, Rachel has been a life-long slave to the plastic and a victim of the trappings of having a "buy now, pay later" mindset.

No longer!

Writes Rachel in her blog: "(The SmartyPig guys) really sold me on their concept of being able to set up a savings goal that I could share with my family and friends, allowing them to track my progress, cheer me on and contribute. With consumer interests their top priority, they want to encourage good spending and saving habits. My heart just melted a little bit…" Why? Because if Rachel and her husband want to take their much-deserved 10-year anniversary trip without paying for it the next 10 years, they need to start saving now.

Rachel created a SmartyPig account, set up the goal, and began making small transfers from her checking account into her Smarty Pig account once every two weeks, and then more on payday when she has access to a bit more. "I think about how excited my husband and I will be next year, relaxing on our anniversary, enjoying each others' company, and knowing that the only thing waiting for us when we get back is our kids - and not a credit card bill. That will be such a GREAT feeling," she goes on. And then to make sure she stays true to herself and her goal, she does away with her cards once and for all.

Are you like Rachel and in need of some scissors to keep you on the right path of smart saving and spending? We'd love to hear your story and see your video today!

Thanks,
Mike Ferrari, SmartyPig co-founder
@mferrari

Early next year, the new Credit Card Act will keep banks from a variety of unfair practices. Just one problem: what this act does not do is keep the card companies from jacking up your interest rate. "The credit card reforms outlawed some seriously abusive practices," Harvard University professor Elizabeth Warren, an advocate for consumer financial protections told CNN Money. "But the cards will still be loaded with other tricks and traps."

And just in time for the holidays. Gee, Merry Christmas.

So with credit card companies determined to keep you way down while hiking your interest rates way up, is there anything you can do to avoid these tricks and traps? To fight back? To get even, or maybe even (gasp!) get ahead? Well, taking on the big card companies is a toughie. This sniveling, swindling group of greedy power mongers forces even the most powerful Washington "leaders" to cower - as you can tell from the aforementioned watered-down legislation. Like the old joke goes: "Many banks have a new kind of Christmas club in operation. The new club helps you save money to pay for last year's gifts."

Your best bet to sidestep the fiasco: Don't mess with plastic in the first place. With interest rates averaging 14%+, and it taking years upon years to pay off a few days of shopping while making minimum monthly payments, one can only wonder: "Can I be nice without being fiscally naughty?" The answer is "yes." You just need to save up first and buy only that which you can afford - like a real Christmas club. And with SmartyPig and our cash boosts of up to 12% at your favorite retailers, there's never been a better time to shy away from credit cards and fatten up your coffers, not the card companies'.

SVB from Wisebread posted an article on that site recently regarding why using cash is king. He writes, "I understand the need to wait on big purchases. Because I can no longer run out and get anything I want with a swipe of the plastic, I have to wait and save up the cash. This waiting period, highly recommended by many credit experts, has really worked for me. In most cases, the stuff I really wanted and didn't really want because of a case of out-of-sight/out-of-mind for me after the waiting period."

Buying stuff with plastic you don't really need that you cannot really afford? Your credit card company is counting on it. But you're smarter than that.

Says Pohler while thumbing through Parnell's self-help book, Don't Buy Stuff You Cannot Afford, "Look honey, there's a whole section here on how to buy expensive things with money you've saved." To which Martin replies, "And where would you get this saved money?" At SmartyPig, we've got your answer.

From the drawing board to our launch last spring until now, SmartyPig has been, and always will be about helping people save money for specific goals - items that otherwise, most could not purchase out of pocket. We simply want to help people move away from the "buy now, pay later" credit card mindset that has gone a long way toward ensuring our rough economic ride. We understand that credit cards aren't solely destructive and not everyone abuses them, but in this post from a few days ago it shows how delinquency rates are on the rise. Average debt has increased, while credit card companies continue to gouge customers with up to 24% interest in some instances. There's no way around the simple fact we all need to work on our fiscal fitness, we need to depend less on plastic, and we need to "Not Buy Stuff We Cannot Afford."

Says Martin at one point during the skit, "So I buy something I want and then hope that I can pay for it, right?" Parnell replies, "No. You make sure you have the money, then you buy it." We couldn't agree more.

Credit card companies have situated themselves smack dab in the middle of college campuses across the country and have set the bait for uninformed, sometimes naive and ignorant students, fresh on the college scene. In a recent Newsweek article, author Kurt Soller examines the effects on credit card companies' invasion on college towns. Luring uninformed kids in with small incentives such as free sandwiches or coupons, they cast a line and, sadly, far too often reel 'em in. Within months some of those kids are up to their eyeballs in debt from trying to keep up with the crowd. The credit card companies offer "freedom." What a majority of students end up with is a form of debt jail. As the old saying goes, "There is no such thing as a free lunch."

According to Experian, of all college seniors, 96% have credit cards, and the average indebted young adult spends 25 cents of every dollar paying back debt. Factor in taxes from a first job, and it's going to take you some time to simply get out from under. A survey conducted by Transunion.com stated for the third quarter of 2008 that the average bankcard borrower debt increased nationally 1.57 percent to $5,710 from the previous quarter's $5,621, and 6.0 percent compared to the third quarter of 2007 ($5,387). And delinquency is on the rise as well. Nationally, the ratio of bankcard borrowers delinquent on one or more of their bankcards increased in the third quarter of 2008, up 4.8 percent over the previous quarter. And on a year-over-year basis the national delinquency incidence rate has risen 5.8 percent. Staggering, huh? Well, just think of the billions credit card companies are raking in on late fees as the cherry on top.

SmartyPig is a solution to this debt dilemma plaguing campuses and households alike. Paying exorbitant interest, and more often than not, making only a minimum monthly payment leads to years of heartache. By saving with SmartyPig for the things you want and need, you won't encounter the problems that come along with plastic. Creating goals and contributing to them each month ensures worry-free spending once you've met those goals. Save first, buy later. Some people have labeled it "Bank 2.0." We just think it's common sense for an upside economy.

But there is hope. If you are experiencing the pain of a horrible holiday hangover, SmartyPig can help. Start saving for the 2009 holidays now and prevent next year's debt from ever happening. In an article on MSNBC, it suggests the same plan of attack. "You probably did all of your holiday spending in the last six weeks - or less," writes Sharon Epperson. "Tally up your expenses for this holiday season, including gifts, travel, entertaining. Divide the total by 10 and contribute that amount to your savings each month from January to October. Next November you can start spending that amount, paying cash for your holiday purchases."

SmartyPig makes this process quite simple. Enter the total amount you want to save, when you want to save it by and SmartyPig will do the rest. Every month on the day of your choice, SmartyPig will pull those funds from your checking or savings account into your constantly growing SmartyPig account. You'll also be earning one of the highest annual percentage yields in the market; and SmartyPig has teamed up with some of the country's top retailers who will give you up to an additional 6% cash boost on top of what you've already saved. Most importantly, you'll be satisfied knowing that your spending cash for the holidays at the end of the year is being taken care of now.

Most people don't ever get to own the holidays. Using SmartyPig gives you the opportunity to do exactly that. No bills, no hassles, no worries - just an enjoyable holiday season.

Reading a post by Lynnae from BeingFrugal.net struck a chord with me. She's been saving for months for her holiday purchases using SmartyPig. She has all of her shopping done and is able to sit back and relax, not worrying about a bill-filled January. She knows she won't be a part of the holiday hangover crowd (paying off her credit card bills for the next year) because she owns everything she bought.

I also read a post from Krystal about her uncertainty of today's markets and what she should be doing with her money. She's using SmartyPig and set up a goal just to save. In her words, the simplicity, automation and the fact that her money can't be easily raided keep her from spending what she's saving. She's earning interest, watching her money grow and is able to share her progress with friends, family and readers of her blog.

They aren't the only ones. People everywhere are figuring out that the best way to buy something is to save up for it first. The savings rate has more than doubled from this time last year to 1.3% during the July-September quarter. Though still relatively low compared to other countries, it is expected to rise as more and more people begin to reverse the credit-card mindset of "buy now, pay later." And with SmartyPig's terrific interest rate (3.9%APY) and cash boosts, discerning savers are reaching out to us like never before. So join the saving trend! Create a goal! Today is the first day to start "saving" your life.