Reply #35: Yes, I know quite a few people like that -- "Priority Challenged." [View All]

[IdaBriggs]

Electronic toys (seriously, $400 cell phones and $300 Playstations when you are late with your gas and electric bills?), nice vacations, and a history of refinancing when the credit card debt gets too high.

They put nothing away for retirement, or a rainy day, or the future. They buy boats and "second homes" that they never get to visit, or visit for a few days a year.

Its hard to feel sorry for them when their chickens (bills) start to come home to roost. It irritates me when folks on DU assume that "everyone" with financial problems is that way because of an ARM (which one wise man I know equated to gambling with your family's home in Vegas), or medical bills. *All* of the folks I know with financial problems are that way because of either being a) Priority Challenged as I've mentioned, or b) Career Fools (where they decided to work "seasonal jobs" and then get shocked when they can't meet their financial obligations during the "off" season, or are stuck in jobs that seemed like "good money" when they were young, and didn't plan for their future with either education or on-the-job training).