“I get a rush!!!,” 26-year-old research assistant Robyn Reliford exclaims as she buzzes around the store, grabbing several colorful t-shirts to buy for a friend, her hair perfectly coiffed in a flip. “I have to buy something for myself,” she jokingly reminds herself out loud. Throughout the day, she pulls out her shiny credit card to pay for several purchases, out from the fat day planner that holds her list of things to buy.

Reliford acknowledges that she “tries to save,” before letting out a laugh. And although she has paid off her bills for the month, she’s still staring at a debt that would equal a down payment for a house. But she’s not the only one. Today, it seems like everyone is racking up debt and buying unnecessary things while trying to keep up with the Joneses, in what has become a sort of “faux hustle.”

“I think the most serious, needless, and unnecessary expense was in January 2005 when I decided to trade-in my perfectly fine 2000 Ford Expedition 4x4 XLT. It was in great condition,” she explains. She almost looks dwarfed inside the vehicle which holds up to eight people, the oversized pink sunglasses making her look girly in the huge monster.

“I decided to use part of my $5,500 school loan money to use as the $2,500 down payment on this vehicle (a 2004 Expedition 4x2 XLT), and to help me pay for the first few monthly $625 car payments until I was able to use my regular salary for these payments. Now, I’ve added to my large school loan debt.”

Although she now has the luxury of a newer car, she has paid the price for it in more ways than one. “You can say that I am living a fantasy because I do have what I personally want and need,” she says, “but I know I’m going to have to face the consequences of my actions sooner or later because I’m like $100,000 in debt.”

Credit cards afford many otherwise lower to middle class consumers the lavish life they desire. According to statistics compiled by Plunkett Research Ltd., as of 2004, 73% of U.S. households have either “charge/credit, signature debit and store credit cards.” The amount purchased that same year on these “payment cards” reached $2 trillion.

“Everything comes out of my debit card. I don’t have a dollar in my wallet,” 26 year-old account executive Omar Gonzalez says while driving his brand new Acura around downtown San Francisco, the new car smell still emanating from the lush leather seats. “I’m not a cash carrier.” He looks sharp in a clean white jersey with his last name emblazoned on the back, white Kangol hat, diamond earrings and silver jewelry.

Gonzalez, who is already “hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt” because of his mortgage, also recently financed his car for $15,000 and has approximately $8000 in credit card debt, a result of his “lifestyle” and “responsibilities,” he claims. He estimates his total amount of debt (apart from his mortgage) to be $32,000.

Despite these responsibilities, Gonzalez found some space on his charge card to buy some unnecessary trinkets. A 52” plasma television, clothes, shoes, and a cruise vacation are examples of some of the lavish things he has charged on his credit cards. He also has planned a romantic Mexican getaway for his girlfriend in May.

While some believe in buying only what they need and can afford, others use credit cards as a way to get things that were once off limits. “I live beyond my means because I want everything even though I know it’s far from reach,” Gonzalez explains. “People in general live beyond their means because they just feel they will pay it off eventually.” As for his enormous plasma television, he says, “I was able to justify it because I got it financed with 0 percent interest for two years so the payments were easy to make.”

Nadine Saez, 29, who has paid off and cancelled all credit cards and is now debt-free (“I wanted that debt out of my life”), states it simply when she says, “[Debt] shouldn’t be normal, but it is. For students, it’s expected.”

Glossy magazines and TV shows, which showcase what rich celebrities such as Paris Hilton are spending their almost limitless fortunes on, seem to add to the pressure for the average Joe to have it all. Reliford agrees that the media isn’t helping her or anyone else’s debt.

“By having Michael Jordan (or any other athlete promoting a shoes, sports drink, etc.); by having a star promote a certain type of make-up or clothing, and by having the rich and famous promoting their purchases…the people will want to mimic them,” she explains. “[It’s] all about the money.” Reliford has used her credit cards to buy several pairs of shoes at once, clothes, gifts, and a plane ticket. “I just do it to make myself feel better, like therapy, because I get a rush out of purchasing things. [It’s] almost like a drug for me.”

In the end, it really comes down to how easy it is to get a credit card and continually spend on it. With companies constantly sending offers in the mail and representatives showing up on campus to sign up potential customers (and credit card abusers), it’s not difficult to get your hands on plastic money. “It’s access is right at your fingertips,” Gonzalez says.

It‘s an easy problem to get into, but the solution is just as easy. Although she once splurged on a $400 BCBG coat on her old card, and used to have a $7000 credit debt (which she paid off in four months), Saez enjoys the debt-free life far better. She shares her thoughts on the compulsion to purchase luxury:

“If you really want something, save for it. If you don’t want it by the time you have the money saved for it, did you really want it? Imagine all that time paying off something that you didn’t really want anyway. Learn to differentiate your feelings of lust, desire and greed over an object versus a true need for it.”

Reliford’s philosophy is much simpler: “If you’re a college student, DO NOT GET A CREDIT CARD!” This is a sentiment she drove home earlier in the day as she refused to open a Mervyn’s card, despite the cashier asking her nicely and the voice resonating over the P.A., tempting potential card owners with discounts and special savings. Oh well, they’ll get someone else.