So, great news about the Scottish Government having powers over borrowing and spending our own money. apparently we re getting ?12 billion.  Or it might be just ?200 million. I m not entirely sure, having difficulty with sums of money above a tenner.  I hope now we ve got this shiny new credit card, we ca  canny.  Don t go mad buying a new sofa out of DFS when we don t need one.  Folk do silly things when they get access to a bit of cash. Big car, holiday, a set of new breasts for the missus.  Before we flash the plastic, think: do we really need a new Forth bridge?  Couldn t we give the old one a wash and brush-up.  Get the Big Society in to do a paint job. (Or am I on the wrong Forth bridge here?)  I urge Finance Secretary John Swinney to pay off the national credit card debt each month so we don t incur interest charges but still get the cash rewards.  We don t want to be like the US Government which recently hiked its credit card limit to $14.2 trillion. Whatever a trillion is.  We should follow the economic philosophy of our grannies who refused to go into debt.  Save up for new consumer durables, such as renewable electricity windmills, and buy them cheap on amazon.  Don t get into hock with private finance initiative companies who are the worst kind of loan sharks.  Swinney could, however, look at some of the useless items lying around the Scottish economy and take them down to the pawn shop.  Or Cash Converters as I believe it is now known.  Let s see what they offer for a brand new, life-size tram set, unused, most of the kit still in the box.  Would suit a city half the size of Edinburgh.  Other stuff could go on eBay: former nuclear submarine base in fabulous scenic location, ideal for change to leisure business use or as a home for a reclusive billionaire.  The new thrift will be like going on a financial diet.  The early days (to use a  favourite phrase) of a leaner, fitter nation.