Shortly after moving back to the US in mid-2021, an extended COVID-19 hangover meant excessive economic angst for large swaths of the population. People responded to economic woes in a number of ways – some worked extra hours or took on side gigs, others cut back on expenses, perhaps eating out less often or vacationing near home. We did neither. Instead, I loaded up on debt. Debt as a Recession Tool Over the past few years I have been loading up on as much debt as the banks would give me. I wrote previously about how I got a mortgage we didn’t need and invested most of the proceeds . 30 years at 2.75% is basically free money. In addition, I now have about $100k in credit card debt from paying our normal bills ( about 1 years’ worth .) I pay the minimum each month so the balance continues to grow. This is all with 0% interest. And finally… when we installed a new heat pump HVAC system in August 2022, I borrowed from our HELOC at a 5.24% fixed rate for 15 years.…