I had a massive overdraft when my husband died in 2002. This was mostly because I spent too much money and partly because in those days it took months sometimes years for a barrister (UK litigation attorney) to get paid. I know, you don't believe it, but trust me. That's how it was.

After my husband died, I negotiated that overdraft away with a friendly bank manager and a bank that to my astonishment was willing to give me a break.

When the overdraft had officially gone, I couldn't believe how light and relieved I felt. I hadn't been aware of it at the time, but there had always been a knowledge deep in the pit of my stomach that a bank owned me and my children.

Since then I have never had an overdraft. I paid off and cut up all my credit cards (took a while). I've had mortgages but only to buy property I planned to sell, which I did about ten years ago at the worst possible time. The house I'm living in hasn't got a mortgage thanks to a legacy from my mum.

When you get a bank loan, the bank creates the money and puts it in your bank account. The bank doesn't take it from deposits; the bank creates the money by fiat out of thin air. Then they charge you for it in massive fees and interest.

Obviously they want to discourage you from having no debt because then you're not paying them any interest. So your credit score says whether you're willing to be owned by a bank and for how much, which tells them how profitable you'll be to them.

Obviously I have a terrible credit score. If I think I may need a mortgage in the future I'll take out a credit card and a bank loan and pay them back so I look profitable. However I insist that I have to be able to overpay the mortgage and finish it early if I want. And I will.