The reality sets in

So, my car died last week, and the mechanic said it needed some work. It had nearly 150K miles on it, and it was 8 years old.
I loved my car.
It was mine. The bank didn't own it, I did.
Yes, PAID in full.
SO, I found myself in the shopping mode for a new vehicle.
Several pre-requesites needed to meet my desires.
No mini van, room for at least 7, no red. Not too picky?? Price point? CHEAP.



Apparently since the last time I shopped for a car, the prices have changed. A LOT.
So, seeing what was out there where I wanted my payment to be, was a rude awakening.
I felt stupid looking at cars that were more than 5 years old with a price tag of $20K. But that was the reality.
A friend of mine who works selling cars, basically said I needed to increase my price range. OH NO!! I don't want to do that.
So, we kept looking. And talked to friends, and basically, they said the same. A good car is about $500 a month. Why can't we afford that?? Well, the issue is not being able to afford it, it's not wanting to afford it. I would rather do something else with our funds.
I need a reliable car.

What it led to was realizing that our nation must be in debt, so much more than I ever imagined. A house payment at $1000/mon is not a fancy house, and a car payment of $500. For alot of people that's one whole paycheck right there. Add in the monthly bills, food, gas and it's no wonder the credit card companies are reaping the benefit.
The average American family owes over $100K between houses, cars and credit cards.
that is the AVERAGE. The average american has over $7K on credit cards.
The average American income is $45K a year, (again an average). These are scary numbers.

The problem with averages is that many have less and many have more. More debt??
The major issue is our need to have status symbols as signs of success.
Think about a Mercedes Benz, if someone drives one, you think, wow, they are doing well. But in reality, do they own it or does the bank?  Are they doing well? Or is it just a desire they had to fulfill.
Living above our means is what the US does best, from the US government all the way down to the "poor".
There are many "poor" people who have the best cars, phones and trinkets, because they want them. Who really owns it?

So there are 2 methods of solving the problem, spend less or make more.
Spending less is hard, with food, gas, and prices going up, so making more is likely beneficial. However, in reality , only if you agree to do both will lead to true freedom. If you make more and spend more, you defeat the purpose.

One of my favorite quotes, "live like no other so that one day, you can live like no other".

So, the question is, what are you going to do?
Are you going to make more? Spend less? or BOTH.

In financial health
Barb