spending $ you do not have

[Wyss]

I see tons of people doing this and more than anything they are spending on frivolous things that they really do not need. Are some people just bad at having money or do they not care, they just *want* the stuff?

 

[BoyOBoy]

Spending beyond their means is what has gotten this country and the people in it in so much trouble. I think a lot of it is because of all that easy credit of the 1990s. Much of it targeted college students, too. They charged and charged, thinking they'd be able to pay it back after they got their degrees. Where are those big paychecks now, I wonder?

 

[Phillie]

It's just the way it is these days. Buy what you want, pay with plastic and then worry about how you will pay for it later. I see it all the time too and it makes me sick. Boy is right on with this one. It's the American way - our Government even does it.

 

[jason]

I hate to sound like a jerk, but I do think the whole entitlement issue is used today. To many kids grow up spoiled, or see what their parents have and want it. Not knowing that it may have taken them years.

It is sort of like McDonalds. When I was a kid it was a rare treat. Once or twice a year at most. Now for kids it is once or twice a week. Which leads to them being overweight and bad eating habits.

Children have learned from their parents habits. And schools not teaching basic finances does not help either. I doubt the reality shows and watching how millionaires live on TV does not help.

It bothers me though, from the person living off welfare for 10 years, to the government. It seems to be the norm anymore, and those that do work and try hard are the ones get left paying for the others.

 

[Sinbian]

I'm kinda like that. I will always spend more than I have and sometimes I even won't regret it. But this is something I know I need to change.

 

[Kost]

I could not agree more, its like people know there are no such thing has money trees but the government has already made welfare into a money tree. The cycle is not going stop until its dead. What happens when we get so much into debt as a country that everyone is poor and no one can work.

 

[Keepworking]

I see tons of people doing this and more than anything they are spending on frivolous things that they really do not need. Are some people just bad at having money or do they not care, they just *want* the stuff?

Yeah that is a shame. I think it is because applying for a credit card (and getting approved) is as easy as pie today. I am entertained to see that some people use their credit cards to shop and feel like they have already paid for the items.

 

[TakeYourTime]

That piece of plastic has gotten me into trouble at least a time or two. My wife thinks if it's on sale, then it's a good buy. The Everything's a Dollar store has almost bankrupted me. We don't need that cheap stuff that breaks a week later. I could go off on this one big time.

 

[Ifamily]

Yeah, an item is sold at a dirt cheap price for a reason. You couldn't expect good quality from a cheap product. In most cases, you would get what you paid for.

 

[ryan]

One big problem with this is that it can be a generational thing. Kids that see their parents spending money like it's water are going to learn to do the same thing. Also, I agree about spending too much on those so-called bargains. You can get some good values at dollar stores, but some of it is worth even less than you paid for it. These days, we only buy everyday household stuff like toothpaste, cleaning products, etc.

 

[wilson]

I think generational is way too easy to let a ton of people get credit for something so bad. Its horrible to think about so many people end up getting a holier than thou attitude over it.

 

[Bobby]

This is the right now generation. No one wants to wait for anything, whether it's the cell phone to send out a text message or buying that new game system the minute it comes out. Sooner or later everything has to be paid for. I think a lot of people are in for a rude awakening before too long.

 

[Babar]

Well we do still need most people spending money on frivolous things, otherwise our economy falls apart (like it has). The key is, spend money that you HAVE on frivolous things; don't charge them!

 

[Michael]

We're pretty good about not spending money unless it's on something we really want. We haven't gotten into the credit card habit and pay our bills off at the end of the month. I'm lucky in that my wife likes to save her money.

 

[jason]

This is the right now generation. No one wants to wait for anything, whether it's the cell phone to send out a text message or buying that new game system the minute it comes out. Sooner or later everything has to be paid for. I think a lot of people are in for a rude awakening before too long.

I'm worried they will not be awakened until they go to retire and realize they cannot due to the spending habits.

 

[Christian]

Well we do still need most people spending money on frivolous things, otherwise our economy falls apart (like it has). The key is, spend money that you HAVE on frivolous things; don't charge them!

There is your problem right there. Many families don't ever have money for "frivoulous" things, and some of their debt is actually using credit cards to pay bills. If you don't have money for frivoulous things you are right you shouldn't buy them, but now we have the economy grinding to a halt. The cost of neccessities is rising so much people have even less to spend. So now you get to a point where no one is buying (pick any item that is not quite a necessity) so there is a surplus in the warehouse. If we have a surplus we don't need to make more, and so then we lay some people off and shut down a factory...now we have even less money going into the economy. Perfect example of why the economic system is broken and cannot be repaired.

 

[footballtim]

I remember an old joke where someone was in a bar, drinking up a storm and celebrating. The bartender asked what the special occasion was. He replied, "All of my credit cards just got stolen". Then the bartender asked him why he was celebrating that. He said, "Because I have absolutely no doubt that the thief will charge up a lot less money than my wife did!!!"

I love her dearly, and we have this problem under control, plus a lot of it was not her fault. However, it has been a long struggle trying to get out of debt, and we have a long way to go.

 

[youngone]

I will never spend money I do not have, I don't even own a credit card and I don't intend to own one. However, I am guilty of buying stuff I don't need. I have spent over 500 dollars on clothes in the past few months, I don't really 'need' the clothes but I like wearing nice clothes...

 

[mollew3]

This mentality is how plenty of people get in debt. When people see something that they want they dont have enough mental discipline to say no. You have to have enough discipline to walk away from some of your desires. If you cant you will always be fighting against debt because your buying a whole bunch of things that you dont need.

 

[FrankSinatra]

This country is in the crapper because of that reason...people live in mixed neighborhoods and need to compete with their neighbors to have the nicest stuff at all costs so they can brag. Back in the day, everyone in the neighborhood basically lived the same life and had similar things so you didn't need to keep up with the Jones'