I never thought I’d need a paper shredder … until after I read a considerable amount of information about identity theft. Alas, it took me more than a year to pick up a paper shredder of my own last week. Have you ever considered what might happen to a credit card application you’ve torn up and thrown in the trash? What if it fell into the wrong hands? Proof in startling point: The Torn-Up Credit Card Application …

After reading this amazing piece about a torn up and taped together credit card application, am I ever glad I finally got my own paper shredder.

In short, the author took a credit card application, tore it into little squares, and taped it back together again. Then he filled it out, changed the return address, added a cellphone number, dropped it into the mail and waited to see what happened.

A few weeks later, a brand new shiny credit card arrived. At the new address.

Scary stuff.

My son’s eyes lit up when he saw the new paper shredder. He was ready to shred everything in sight … until I told him to take heed of the paper shredder warnings. Paper shredders might be fun, but they’re not toys.

Rancho Indebto’s new paper shredder was inexpensive … just under twenty bucks, courtesy of Staples. I decided to forgo the warranty and paper shredder oil, choosing instead to take it easy on the little beast. (Shredding one sheet of paper at a time, rather than its maximum of six sheets.) If it breaks … well, twenty bucks a pop sure seems like it falls into the disposable razor range … come to think of it, maybe I’ll pick up a spare and store it out in the shed …