Credit Card Craze
Article from www.christianitytoday.com
Credit Card Craze
A look at what we're really trying to buy—and how to be more intentional about spending.
by Donna F. Savage
"Things have to change," my friend Sheila declared. "No more fancy restaurants! No more expensive birthday celebrations!" Her determination intensified the longer we talked.
Sheila had spent more at Christmas than usual. Then she charged $250 for their daughter's birthday gift and dinner for eight in mid-January. Two weeks later, Sheila's son-in-law picked the restaurant to mark his birthday and safe return from Iraq. Another $275. Now she and her husband, Mike, faced three more birthday dinners within six weeks. Their bank account couldn't take the hit.
Birthdays aren't the real problem," Sheila admitted to me. She recalled the days when her young daughters squealed with delight over a brightly wrapped box or a frosted cake with candles. As the girls grew older, Sheila felt pressured to make each birthday special. Gifts gradually cost more. Home-cooked meals gave way to expensive restaurants. The reality of her family's expanding expectations now was plastered across January's credit-card statement. Sheila didn't want to disappoint her kids, but she knew birthday dinners had to move back home.
I admire Sheila's decision to tackle the silent advance of spending. Most of us similarly struggle with materialism. According to a CNBC survey, 43 percent of American families spend more than they earn; the average household carries more than $8,000 in consumer debt. Rising incomes and easy credit offer unprecedented affluence, evidenced by our overflowing closets and garages. Yet unrestrained spending, with its bloated credit-card balances, leads many families into financial bondage.
HOW DID WE END UP HERE?......REST OF ARTICLE HERE
Credit Card Craze
A look at what we're really trying to buy—and how to be more intentional about spending.
by Donna F. Savage
"Things have to change," my friend Sheila declared. "No more fancy restaurants! No more expensive birthday celebrations!" Her determination intensified the longer we talked.
Sheila had spent more at Christmas than usual. Then she charged $250 for their daughter's birthday gift and dinner for eight in mid-January. Two weeks later, Sheila's son-in-law picked the restaurant to mark his birthday and safe return from Iraq. Another $275. Now she and her husband, Mike, faced three more birthday dinners within six weeks. Their bank account couldn't take the hit.
Birthdays aren't the real problem," Sheila admitted to me. She recalled the days when her young daughters squealed with delight over a brightly wrapped box or a frosted cake with candles. As the girls grew older, Sheila felt pressured to make each birthday special. Gifts gradually cost more. Home-cooked meals gave way to expensive restaurants. The reality of her family's expanding expectations now was plastered across January's credit-card statement. Sheila didn't want to disappoint her kids, but she knew birthday dinners had to move back home.
I admire Sheila's decision to tackle the silent advance of spending. Most of us similarly struggle with materialism. According to a CNBC survey, 43 percent of American families spend more than they earn; the average household carries more than $8,000 in consumer debt. Rising incomes and easy credit offer unprecedented affluence, evidenced by our overflowing closets and garages. Yet unrestrained spending, with its bloated credit-card balances, leads many families into financial bondage.
HOW DID WE END UP HERE?......REST OF ARTICLE HERE
posted by Royal | 7:46 AM
1 Comments:
wishing you a Merry Christmas full of all those things money can't buy!
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