[Cincinatus' Wife]

The relatively high income that results from both partners working, builds an expectation that the increase in income will continue to rise forever, and obligations are incurred that exceed the growth in net income.

In the Sixties, a family with an income of $10,000 was doing well. Now a family with an income of $100,000 is struggling to pay their bills. I have to agree, that not having a good downpayment required on a home is a good source of money problems. Now-a-days new home buyers take out loans to pay in the 20% to avoid mortgage insurance. Without having to put much down they get into bigger homes. Then they have to furish it, landscape it, heat and cool it, pay taxes on it, etc, etc. The sad part is both parents are working their tails off to pay for all this stuff and the kids are raising themselves in this big, empty house.

[Mad Dawgg]

"In the Sixties, a family with an income of $10,000 was doing well. Now a family with an income of $100,000 is struggling to pay their bills."

Horse hockey!

Mrs. Dawgg and I have a combined paycheck of LESS than 29K a month! Our daughter goes to private school and we live damned well.

No we don't wear the latest fashions from Abercrombie and Fitch, no we do not buy 150.00 Nikes, and no we don't buy brand new SUVs. We do however spend wisely, bank at least 10 percent of our income monthly and we put our savings in long term investments that give a good return.

[FITZ]

Now a family with an income of $100,000 is struggling to pay their bills.

It depends a lot on where you live too ---- in some areas people are paying only $2000 a year for property taxes on an average house but in some places they're paying quite a lot more. I've seen milk around here sell for as much as $3 a gallon and any family with several kids is going to need a pretty good income just to afford milk.

[Prolifeconservative]

This is also worth noting:

Nowadays folks have increased utility expenses. Such as cell phones, cable television, ISP's, second land lines, monthly home security monitoring, filtered water, on and on it goes.

Yes, it could be argued that these are all luxury items. But sadly most people who cannot afford these things go and get them anyway lest they be left behind by the technology boom. There is a herd mentality to all these stupid gadgets that only increases a family's monthly obligation. For instance, what man wants to be humiliated at work when the guys are talking about the big game on ESPN and he says, "we don't have cable, I didn't see it."

And, doesn't everyone have a cell phone these days. Most people did without not too many years ago, but now everyone needs one. WHY?

Not too long ago most people drank the water that came from their taps. Not anymore, they buy filtered/spring water. WHY!? - noone was keeling over from tap water.

All this technology gidgetry is taxing the common man. It is only my opinion that one day, I don't know when, the average Joe is going to wake up and say enough is enough and there will be a trend in America where people will turn their backs on this insanity and go back to a simpler life, a day when a man works to pay a mortgage, electric bill, and a phone. I don't expect it to be a large scale trend, but there will be some type of smaller scale rejection of this type of lifestyle. It's just getting insane.

For those in financial trouble I say to you, "add up every luxury utility expense (which is taxed and taxed and taxed)and see what you are doing to your bottom line.

Furthermore, forget about society's insanity that says you have to save for your child's college education. That's the biggest peice of howwash that's being sold to America today!!!!! What, we as parents are supposed slave to finance our kid's education so they can go out and earn a huge dollar when they get out of school and then they can carry on their lives with unsaddled college debt. I'm sick and tired of these pinhead financial experts telling America we need to save for our kid's college expenses and start today, don't wait, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah! My kids will get "room and board" help only, that is they can live at my house as long as they are a full-time student. Beyond that, they will find a way to be educated less my financial backing. Do college kids actually work anymore to put themselves through school?

Wow, this is turning into a full-fledge rant!!!

Debt robs you of peace of mind! Having no nest egg kills any chance at tanquility for most! And JOY can be found in most families where both parents know if they lose both their jobs today they can coast and get by for a specified time because they were prudent and saved, and haven't burndened themselves with enormous monthly expenses. So what is "peace of mind" worth? Making choices today can begin to restore "the peace that was meant to be."

Cable/Filtered Water/college savings/ISP/ETC or peace of mind?

Like everthing - It's a choice.