A wrong ideal?

You are very correct. Why I am debt free. Its amazing to all the actions of the government regardless of who is in power is to encourage you to borrow, spend, borrow spend. In fact the response to the entire Fiscal Crisis has been just that. There pumping money into the economy at almost 100 billion a month, almost zero interest rates all to keep the house of cards going.
 
Powerwiz theorem is its a strong middle class that has created this. My grandparents grew up on a farm....there still alive in there middle 90's now but they grew up through the dust bowl, the great depression, WW2. They knew what life was like without and worked hard to get what they have. The memories of those events drove them to save, be frugal, and prepare for the worst.
 
So you have the baby boomers god bless there crooked souls, but you have them where its a obsession to have that house and apple pie you talk about. There kids...myself as one of themlive a unparalleled lifestyle. Basically middle class American kids want for nothing. They live in a nice house, nice things, iPhones, iPad, even decent cars. When you throw them out of the house they want to replicate what there parents took all of there lives to build today. The easy way to do it is to drown yourself in debt. They have a sense of entitlement no understanding that you work most of your life to get nice things there not a given. Everything today is replaceable and obtainable through easy loose credit.
 
Its why we need the fiscal wipe out. When collectively we all suffer for decades like our grandparents did then you realize what is really important. When 40% of America is unemployed, when food is so scarce your eating dried meat and grits you tend to value things more. No one wants to experience pain, but from pain comes important lessons. Thankfully this country is on the path for such a fiscal event. The lesson will be learned within our lifetimes.

 

Inspiring post, especially since im looking at my power bill right now. Life just seems like one payment after another.

 

This is why weed is illegal.
 
Because it can make an even once blindly patriotic American look at history, his own life, his own country, and realize that it is not what he wanted. Not right. Not how he would do things.
 
I am very patriotic, but only because America is all I know.
 
The Founding Fathers had a benevolent idea, a noble mission. However, what has it become?
 
You got it exactly right in the OP. Americans, by far, live some of the least fulfilling lives imaginable. That's why American culture and society is completely shot. Our morals, thought process, are completely shot.
 
Through our ignorance and materialism and selfishness, our economy is shot. Our jobs sector is shot.

 

You know, I've worked my ass off since I was 16 and have nothing to show for it; but I don't have any major debt (aside from medical bills). I'm not stuck paying for a fancy car, I live with friends that I consider family, no student loans on a useless education. But I'm happy. I'm as happy as I've ever been. And that's what matters most to me. One day I'd like to own a home, MAYBE (big maybe) have a kid or three, drive a nicer car but right now, being 21 and happy is what's important to me.

If you ain't choking, you ain't smoking.

 

 
Being saddled with debt is never a good thing, and doing what you love is always good advise, but sometimes doing what you love requires going into debt.
 
I love my husband and my son, and love spending time with them.  I don't think it's selfish or materialistic to want a comfortable and cozy place to raise your child and spend time with loved ones. We got married in our mid/early 20's, and didn't have parents to support us, so we had to get a mortgage. I opened a photography studio a few years later. I love photography, and made it a career for 10+ years, but it required going into a little bit of debt to get started, but I eventually paid it all back and it led to an even more interesting career that I have now.
 
We were still happy, and doing what we loved, even when we had some debt. 15 years later we would not be where we are now, if we hadn't acquired some debt along the way. 
 
You don't have to approve of my choices, but you don't have to take care of my family either

 

If you have kids, you'll probably be in debt.   I avoided all that hell and am glad I did.  Besides, there's enough misery in the world already and there's no point in creating more by having children.  

 

It used to be a house or college education was a guaranteed way to make money so debt wasn't as much of an issue. These days that often isn't the case so you have to be smart when you go into debt.
The 30 year mortgage is a wealth killer, go for 15 years, the payment is only a little more.
Another thing to avoid is car payments, if you pay cash for an older car instead of making payments you will always be in better shape financially.
Learning to live within your means and being content with what you have is a lot better than worrying about payments coming due!

 

A little debt is ok if put to work and if you afford it to carry it.