Originally Posted by Bamarich2
You mention the cost of housing, education, and vehicles. What about the cost of owning a boat and going to the lake? It amazes me how many people own boats and go to the lake every week. It's just an example of how many things exist for people to sink their money into nowadays. For me, it's hunting expenses.

That's actually my point, though. There aren't really any new expenses....people have always had vices and hobbies (and with minor exceptions, the same vices and hobbies). But EVERYTHING...vices, hobbies and necessities...cost a lot more (relative to income) than they did 20/30/40 years ago.

I'm not excusing bad spending habits or an unwillingness to work, by any stretch of the imagination. I'm just saying that only tells part of the story.

Look at it this way....take 2 people who have comparable jobs/careers and comparable spending/lifestyle habits. One is set in 1990 and the other in 2025. The one in 2025 is going to be cutting it quite a bit closer, financially, than the one in 1990 was, simply because "things cost more than they used to". All those poor spending habits or poor work ethic just throws gas on a fire that's already borderline out-of-hand.

Isaiah 5:20