Replies

Amen.
I remember what my parents went through to raise 3 of us in the 60s & 70s. We "went without" a lot of stuff, but we never went without the things we needed. Mac & Cheese with Spam, tuna casserole, American Chop Suey were staples. My father carried his lunch to work, we each carried ours to school. I remember helping my mother do laundry with an old wringer washer. My father spent weekends with his buddies keeping their cars running. To drive the same car for 10 years was not uncommon, it was expected. I learned how to fix cars, wiring, washers, dryers, toasters, furnaces, just about anything mechanical or electrical in or around a house. I now realize that Dad didn't do these things because he enjoyed them, he did them because he wanted to save his hard earned money for 'fun' things. To this day I have a real problem admitting that I have to pay someone to fix something that I can't. My wife told me after we were married that one of the things she found attractive was that I could 'fix' things. It took a lot of years for me to recognize just what an exceptional job they did!
IMO a big part of the problems today come from a lack of social stigmas. Want a divorce? No problem, sign here. Can't pay your debts? No problem, sign here. Want a big screen plasma TV to go with those food stamps? Sign here. Didn't pay attention in school? No sweat, you'll get your check on the 15th & 30th.
We need more personal responsibility, more social pressure to do the right thing, less handouts and less marketing.

You're right, well put! I asked a friend at a Christmas party what he got for Christmas and his reply was, we really don't need anything.

It's the "Need it" as opposed to the "want it" generation.

If everyone had to go on a no-credit-card buying spree how much would really be bought with cash? Put Those evil credit card companies out of business ;)

Sounds like MY family,very self reliant and frugal.
But that was then,this is now.These college girls go around strutting like a bunch of sluts and often cuss worse than the young men.They are ultra materialistic and want it all NOW.
You can't blame these yound men for being reluctant to get caught up in these females unreal vortexes.Its nothing but a lige guaranteed to be full of stress and unrelenting drama.