Debt Free?

My Old Man was a Banker... ( Old time, old Fashioned BANKER) and taught his children to be VERY conservative with our money. When I was about to get married, I was trying to figure out where we would live. The Old Man heard that an Old Family friend was in town, cleaning out his mothers Old (built 1898) House, and that he might be interested renting it to US. I went over and had a chat with the Fellow, and he puts his arm around my shoulder and says, "Sonny I don't want to rent this place, way to much work, but I will sell it to you for what it would cost to rent a place. Have your Old Man give me a call and we will get this deal going." I was 24 at the time and not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but that transaction, set my wife and I up financially, for the rest of our days. when I was signing all the Paperwork the next day, I wanted to read all the fine print, and the Old Man, says to "Me", " Just sign it Son, this will be the best thing you will ever do." and he was Exactly right. Took us 10 years to pay off that house and it went from $10K to $48K in those 10 years. Sold it and put money down on a New split-level in the country, and Moved out of town. Took us 15 years to pay that one off, and when we sold out to move to Alaska, banked most of the Capital Gains, and bought Land, here local, and invested in a Cabin right off, and have had no debt, since. We keep the Plastic but haven't paid ANY Interest on them in decades. Open Lines of Credit, that are there if needed, but never used longer than the monthly Grace Period. Living within our means, is a way of life around here. Debt for a House can be a good thing, and even for a Ride, if necessary, but Never for Plastic, and NEVER, NEVER, EVER for PayDay Loans, or that kind of ClapTrap. Those are a Trap, to suck you dry, in a heartbeat. Never, EVER, "Bet the Farm" or you families future, on a business deal.
...... YMMV......