Quote:
Originally Posted by cwilli26
You got it. Spent every cent we made. Ate out 3-4 times per week, had steak the 2-3 times a week we ate at home, blew a couple hundred a week in tournament fees at the local casinos, spend $500/month on gas (most of which was the 100+ mile round trip to the aforementioned casinos, etc). It really adds up.
No offense, but wtf were you guys thinking? Didn't it seem a bit excessive to be living such a hand to mouth lifestyle? Don't get me wrong, I think this "Ramsey" way is a big improvement over the way you were living before, but in reality, the optimal way of life has to be something in between. Debt can and should be a healthy way to live a comfortable lifestyle, you just have to be responsible about it.
Quick question -- did people's parents not teach them this stuff? Maybe it's because I grew up in the midwest in an everyday lower-upper middle class family, but every freaking day my parents harped on my brother and i how important it was to be responsible with your money. When we did something nice, they explained how it was a special occasion and if you save money you can treat yourself to nice things sometimes. When we couldn't afford something, they'd explain why (need new car, dog is sick, dad lost job, etc.), and we'd live a more modest lifestyle until we could comfortably afford whatever that is.
Do parents really not teach their kids this stuff? I guess it shouldn't be surprising to me, because I sure as hell never learned that attitude in school. Speaking of that, public schools should have a mandatory "don't be a dumbass with your money" classes, and I don't mean the consumer ed classes that were like: "this is a credit card, this is a mortgage: use them."