We were looking around our neighborhood this past month and realized that over half of the homes that had sold in our fairly new subdivision were up for sale again. Many are offering – bad credit – no credit – 100% financing – no problem type sales. After talking with the real estate agent, (who is also a homeowner) it seems that many just simply are in over their heads. They are about to be forclosed, repairs aren’t kept up and in a few months, they will just let the say ‘oh well’ and let them go. Neighborhoods denigarted are not what’s important here – what happens to those families afterwards? Does anyone even track that? Children face insecurities they had not know, marriages fall apart under financial strains, people give up hoping. It is truly a downhill slide that affects the very fabric of our society.

A search online reveals financial analysts who say – debt from credit cards at an all-time high, others saying It’ a fallacy that the American consumer’s debt is so high – company debts are included in those figures. First – Company debts being included is not a brownie point – it’s a big red warning flag, people! Companies don’t operate like governments. Those companies must liquidate when debt gets too high – often shutting doors – sometimes laying off – cutting retirements.

Students, our future, are at an all-time high for educational loan debts. Many won’t see the end of their debts until after their in their 30′s and raising families of their own. Once in debt, you’ll find that you are hounded constantly with deals. Payoff this card with these 0% credit cards or compare credit cards to these. Often, you find after 6 months, the rates go up, or that one to pay off – only approves a small portion to pay off – so now you have two credit cards instead of one. When you do graduate, you’ll discover you are starting at the bottom of your profession, often times alongside five other workers who are here on foreign work visas and had been educated in our universities and colleges for half the cost.

People had better wake up and grow up! Take stock of what is truly important to them and start teaching their children what is important. I can tell you, cars for the high schoolers, the latest technology, the new wardrobes, even college educations, don’t mean a damn thing when the family falls apart because adults refused to ‘grow up’ and behave like adults.

Ask anyone who has faced parental divorces, home forclosures, or bankruptcy if those “things” were worth it? They will all resound “NO” after the fact. Myself included! It is truly amazing how small the real needs are to meet.