Yes you can blame the government…they also bought over their heads and passed the bill on to the taxpayer. Rising costs, shrinking salaries, rising food costs and shrinking product volumn. Paying more for less. Credit card companies who went to the college campuses to sign up young people for credit cards. ( Use your imagination as to the pitfalls of that campaign).
It is no stretch for me to live frugally. My daughter is 25 and she wore my friend’s daughter’s hand-me-downs for many years and when she outgrew the clothing, I passed it on to a grandmother who was raising her granddaughter.
I shopped the thrift shops for clothing. We did not go out to eat, we attended free events, loved the parades for the fairs but never went to the fair. We walked to market and took the bus home, went on picnics, free movies at Buchannan Park in the summer, and I am convinced the best things in life really are free.
There were times early on when I had $2 in my checking account but I always was able to pay the bills and we never felt the need to ask anyone for help. I spent my money on a private school education, plays, and the symphony. We did not have nintendo and very few TV channels.
I’ve asked my now grown daughter if she ever knew how little money we used to live and she was very surprised as she never felt that she went without. Nor did anyone else see us as doing without.
The best things in life are free. They truly are. You have the freedom to spend your money the best way for you and not to impress your friends. Those days are over and good riddance.
