Nearly half of Americans would have trouble finding $400 to pay for an emergency.

[Boiler 47,438]

My dog will eat both pizzas, no sharing.

He likes pepperoni.

[smilesammich 10,727]

If two of my friends brought two different pizzas over - one pizza had a radius of 5 inches and they offered me half of it, the other pizza had a radius of 50 inches and they offered me a quarter of it, I wonder which one I would pick?

doesn't that depend on how hungry you are?

[OriZ 3,165]

My dog will eat both pizzas, no sharing.

He likes pepperoni.

Is your dog's name Putin, by any chance?

doesn't that depend on how hungry you are?

Well, not really. That first one is not even a snack.

[Boiler 47,438]

He is quite big, both would cause him no issues.

[Jacque67 7,328]

Not sure I understand why this has disintegrated into food budgets....there are expectations such as private schooling, club memberships, charity donations, vacations, clothing etc to be considered in a higher income bracket...present wages don't cover these unless both spouses work in most cases.

[Póg mo 1,749]

Not sure I understand why this has disintegrated into food budgets....there are expectations such as private schooling, club memberships, charity donations, vacations, clothing etc to be considered in a higher income bracket...present wages don't cover these unless both spouses work in most cases.

American culture seems to about dividing people into either winners or losers. Winners can afford to buy nice cars, fancy phones etc, while losers can't, and should be shunned. This would also explain why so many people think Donald Trump is a good choice for President. Lots of money to buy what he wants, and it's easy to believe that he worked for all of his own money, in spite of loser socialists stealing his money.

[smilesammich 10,727]

Not sure I understand why this has disintegrated into food budgets....there are expectations such as private schooling, club memberships, charity donations, vacations, clothing etc to be considered in a higher income bracket...present wages don't cover these unless both spouses work in most cases.

it's probably relatively easy for two working parents to live comfortably outside of their means throughout their children's elementary/high school days for the sake of being 'considered' high income, to fit in basically. endless credit makes that real easy and that credit wasn't there for say my grandparents or really even my parents (when they were starting out). the expectation then was the rich pay cash..

[Jacque67 7,328]

it's probably relatively easy for two working parents to live comfortably outside of their means throughout their children's elementary/high school days for the sake of being 'considered' high income, to fit in basically. endless credit makes that real easy and that credit wasn't there for say my grandparents or really even my parents (when they were starting out). the expectation then was the rich pay cash..

Oh and then paying for private care centres for elderly parents...

[smilesammich 10,727]

Oh and then paying for private care centres for elderly parents...

those 'apartments' that offer round the clock care with independent living (i.e. the cafeteria is a restaurant) are super expensive.

[Jacque67 7,328]

those 'apartments' that offer round the clock care with independent living (i.e. the cafeteria is a restaurant) are super expensive.

Yep...siblings fight with each other about who should pay the brunt of the costs...

[ExPatty 502]

it's a financial problem the entire us is affected by, being frugal isn't the issue. our entire country operates from a point of indebtedness (largely because we can't tax the big dogs as they should be) and so it's not surprising that the 'middle' class lives 'comfortably' (and yet in debt) as well. the issue can't be corrected by teaching the poor and middle class save money. the money is already gone..wages don't cover expenses (long term) for most. inevitably something happens (usually health insurance related) to knock any individual's economic progress back down to nada.

not a good picture but the best i could find. if you don't have disposable income you can't consume, and consuming is what our economy is all about.

http://www.franklycurious.com/LMNucleus/indexBase.php?itemid=8165

I agree in part, but we can be taught better. When I first started working I was terrible with money. I read the millionaire next door and it made a huge impact on me. I've let some of those lessons wane over the years unfortunately but part of this is indeed our own fault. I am an example. My savings are pathetic when I compare them against my income (retirement is in good shape but my savings account looks like something a high school babysitter might have). I don't carry debt outside of house/car (neither of which bother me at all--nobody can buy a house outright and cars are always a source of money suck regardless of whether paid over time or up front), but my paltry savings are nobody else's fault.

I have a friend up the street I think their household income is probably about $140k and I know they have no savings. The guy even misses payments from time to time so has dubious credit, but it didn't stop them from replacing their camper recently with a newer one just because. Part of this problem is that many of us have never, ever faced real financial hardship so it's out of sight out of mind, we just don't plan for it like we should. My next door neighbor lost her job and is spending money like a drunken sailor.

[Merrytooth 5,748]

Why is it so hard to "live within your means"?

[Rich and Wen 101]

America is a society built on consumption. From day 1 we are bombarded by images of things we "should" have. Deferred gratification is not fashionable, no one practices it any more. The advertising industry has gotten very good at convincing Americans that they "deserve" the latest, best gadget to come out.

Planned obsolescence also plays a part, as in, who can fix any household gadget anymore? Not only are there no Mr. Fixits, the products themselves are not able to be repaired economically. So buy a new one.

And schools do not teach household finances to children growing up. (Gotta keep the masses poor and uneducated)

Such is the free market system.

[OriZ 3,165]

Why is it so hard to "live within your means"?

*shrugs* Alot of people feel they "deserve" things. For instance, you work hard and long but don't get paid nearly enough to afford a vacation,. but you still want to take one because well, it's been several years since the last time and you feel you need to be rewarded for working so hard and take a break. So you will just put it on a credit card because, you feel you DESERVE it regardless of whether or not you can afford it or not. I don't completely disagree with that, everyone needs a vacation or to buy something they want, not just need every once in a while, regardless of their financial situation - the problem is they get addicted to it and do it way too often.

Edited April 22, 2016 by OriZ

[smilesammich 10,727]

I agree in part, but we can be taught better. When I first started working I was terrible with money. I read the millionaire next door and it made a huge impact on me. I've let some of those lessons wane over the years unfortunately but part of this is indeed our own fault. I am an example. My savings are pathetic when I compare them against my income (retirement is in good shape but my savings account looks like something a high school babysitter might have). I don't carry debt outside of house/car (neither of which bother me at all--nobody can buy a house outright and cars are always a source of money suck regardless of whether paid over time or up front), but my paltry savings are nobody else's fault.

I have a friend up the street I think their household income is probably about $140k and I know they have no savings. The guy even misses payments from time to time so has dubious credit, but it didn't stop them from replacing their camper recently with a newer one just because. Part of this problem is that many of us have never, ever faced real financial hardship so it's out of sight out of mind, we just don't plan for it like we should. My next door neighbor lost her job and is spending money like a drunken sailor.

definitely can be taught better, but teaching self sufficiency and living within your means, if such lessons prove effective, they won't fit too well into our current economy. we have to get out of this mass consumption and find ways to improve/expand the economy in areas outside of production. those times are over.

America is a society built on consumption. From day 1 we are bombarded by images of things we "should" have. Deferred gratification is not fashionable, no one practices it any more. The advertising industry has gotten very good at convincing Americans that they "deserve" the latest, best gadget to come out.

Planned obsolescence also plays a part, as in, who can fix any household gadget anymore? Not only are there no Mr. Fixits, the products themselves are not able to be repaired economically. So buy a new one.

And schools do not teach household finances to children growing up. (Gotta keep the masses poor and uneducated)

Such is the free market system.

i don't know about now, but when i was in high school my math classes were 'reality based' meaning we learned to balance a check book, budget household expenses and field trips to trailer parks so we could see the multitude of modular housing available to po' folk. lol. i think this sort of training should be more across the (instead of replacing algebra) especially considering many people grow up in households where finances are never, ever discussed. it's considered rude.