Never had any debt. I pay my bills every month and if I want something, I save up until I can pay for it.
Of course, that means I don’t have much in the way of a credit score either, which I find completely backwards, but still, better than being a debt slave.
Play their game, you can still charge things but don't do it until you have the money to pay for it. Charge it, then pay it off immediately.
I have a AMEX Blue Card that gives me 6% cash back on groceries, 3% on gas and 1% on everything else so I use it for those purchases and get cash back on every day expenses, pay it off every month and get money back on money I would have to spend anyway....makes sense to me and I have a 770 credit score.