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Mixed in their stacks of monthly bills that cover life's necessities are those that also cover lives the clients don't want to leave behind: $800 car payments, private school tuition that ranges from $1,200 to $2,000, mortgage statements up to $4,000, cable TV bills in the hundreds of dollars and country club dues, to list a few.

This statement alone says it all. I earn what most people would consider an "upper middle-class" income, and even with no family to support I wouldn't even dream of buying half this crap.

Hmmm. But in fact some of this is directly due to kids, which in your case is not applicable (private school tuition and the expensive mortgage) whereas some of it is just stupid (cable TV bills and country club dues.) Single people are often simply unaware of the overhead expense of raising kids. You have to:

(1) Move to a "nice" area so that your kids are not victimized by gang bangers or street wierdos.
(2) Get a house - at least 3 bedrooms instead of living in an apartment. Kids need a back yard, to be able to ride their bikes on the sidewalk, etc.
(3) If you homeschool (which many, many people on this forum support) that means you are on 1 income. If you put the kids in private school, that means mo' money.
(4) Extra medical expenses. Extra dental expenses. Extra clothes, books, etc.

Bottom line -- we have to produce kids who will carry on, and ideally provide a positive environment. But that all costs money. So a lot of these "middle class" people that get hammered are not spendthrifts -- they simply have expenses that never married, single people haven't even considered.

I understand all that. One of the things that really stood out was the $4,000 mortgage statement. At a 6% rate, this corresponds to about a $475,000 mortgage over 15 years, or $675,000 over 30 years.

I have a hard time believing that someone carrying that kind of mortgage in Texas is living anything close to even an "upper middle class" lifestyle. Hell, even here in an overpriced market like suburban New Jersey that kind of mortgage will put you in the top 5% of the most expensive homes.

So a lot of these "middle class" people that get hammered are not spendthrifts -- they simply have expenses that never married, single people haven't even considered.

I live in Allen, the subject city in the article. Right across the street from me live a DINK couple who astound me. Their house is optioned to the gills. During a converstaion last year about interest rates and refinancing, mr. DINK mentioned they were paying an extra 2% on their mortage in order to finance the PMI. My thought was, and still is: Dumb, Dumb, Dumb.

When I bought my house, I had only options I could not easily add later put in. I've been slowly adding niceties.

While I was able to do a VA loan, I did check into FHA, just for kicks. The monthly costs were only slightly higher. To me, having to finance PMI is rediculous. I don't beleive these folks are unique. I'm waiting in wonder to see how many of my neighbors won't make through the storm with their "lives" intact.