Thursday, June 28, 2007
Out of Control
Did I mention that I spend my days talking to people about their debt?
According to my highly UNscientific research, everyone has plasma TV’s, new computers, leather furniture and brand new appliances. It’s true; a lot of houses I visit are what I would have called ‘rich people’s homes’ when I was a kid.
It has a significant cost. Remember when you were a kid and you went to birthday parties and fought for the piece of cake with the most icing (the coveted corner pieces or, holy cow, the one with the sugar flower) and then shoved cake into your mouth as fast as possible? Plus two hotdogs and three plastic tumblers worth of pop?
And then you went and bounced on the trampoline?
Y’know, I don’t think it’s about keeping up with the Jones’ anymore. Only one family out of hundreds admitted that was the case. It really is more as an addiction, now, the pursuit of the next little piece of happiness. Or boredom spending. Suddenly we're having that uncomfortable conversation that results in, "we need help."
There is a stage of debt recovery, right at the beginning, which I like to call the Throwing-Up Stage. It’s when you find out how bad it really is and what it’s going to take to recover. Trevor and I have been there and it really is a visceral reaction. The cake doesn't look so good anymore.
It also passes and it’s not so bad in the end.
posted by Working From Home Today
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