Are you too comfortable with debt? Do you owe heaps of money on your mortgage, credit cards, etc? So did I – it all gets a bit ho-hum. We are all spending more cash lately to keep up with Mr and Mrs McMansion next door, and sinking deeper and deeper into debt. When our parents were young, debt was a bad thing. People spent their whole lives saving up for stuff, so that they wouldn’t embarrass themselves by borrowing money. Fast forward 25 years or so and you don’t think twice about putting your groceries on a credit card if you are a bit short this week. All of which means that most of us have some form of debt hanging over us, most of the time. No wonder we have gotten used to the idea.
In these days of easy credit and relatively low-interest rates it’s not that hard to slip into the habit of living beyond your means. You make the minimum repayments and life goes on – after all, everyone you know is in debt too. It’s just part of life. Except it doesn’t have to be. I remembered the values my parents had. I made a great effort and wiped out my credit card. That lasted for about two minutes – there I was back in debt again...