Quote Originally Posted by Lady's Human View Post
Try the late '70s to early 80s? That was made worse by a prime interest rate in the teens, combined with unemployment near 10%, as opposed to a prime rate now around 5% and unemployment around 4%.

Here's a graph of unemployment data:

http://www.csus.edu/indiv/j/jensena/sfp/us/US-UR-50.htm

inflation data:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:U..._Inflation.svg

and Prime interest rate data:

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/data/PRIME.txt
(look at the prime rate for 1978-1982 and figure what your prime+10% charge account would be at those rates)
I was just thinking of the 70's, the lines at the pump, out of gas signs, and heck even lines twice as long for a single ad saying now hiring. Only good side of it was the money I had in a CD earning a whopping 12% interest!! Sheesh I should be grateful for my one earning 5% because the rest are about 2-3% and going down.