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I'm the first to say that if you work for your money, you should spend it however you see fit. I have no problem with wealth, or people who live very high lifestyles if they earn it. What I have a problem with it what people claim to need. Ultimately we need food, water, and shelter for survival, and most after that is to make our lives easier.
I grew up in the 60's and 70's in a middle class neighborhood. Very Catholic centered (though we were not) large families. People were successfully raising between 7 and 12 kids with one bathroom, and maybe a second or half bath for a couple of the families. Kids shared rooms, the houses were older with large bedrooms, and sometimes 4 kids shared one room, but at least two to a room. I was the only girl in my neighborhood to have my own room. There were no man caves, no elaborate back yards, never more than a two car garage, because not many people owned more than two cars, and early on even that was rare. There were very few family rooms, and they were just fixed over basements, no open concept kitchen areas, but the food was just as good. All those kids grew up, many of us went to college, got jobs and lived just fine then as well as now.
It seems today, people (and not all of them that young) think they "need" so much. "We need a four bedroom house", "we need at least three bathrooms", "we need at least a three car garage" and on and on.
Then when you get to the creature comforts, like TV in every room, central air, a kitchen that costs more than I paid for my first house with all the latest appliances, first floor laundry rooms that are the size of a small efficiency apartment, it drives me nuts. They act like they won't survive if they don't get it. Many think they are entitled to it. There seems to be no more "starter" home mentality.
I've come to the age where I believe that the more you have, the more work (and time and money and stress) it takes to have it and keep it up. I like nice things and homes as well as the next person, but when it comes right down to it, Americans are just spoiled in the way we live, what we expect, and what we think is "necessary".
OP, you're obviously VERY worked up about this ..... and sorry, but I don't think that having 7 to 12 kids and one bathroom is what anyone should consider "the good old days". We also lived in a society back then when kids could go outside and play all day long and BE SAFE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. How often did you see child predators and abducted children being an every day concern? Almost never. Personal safety .... That kind of innocence ended a long time ago, so homes are now more inclusive, and the home construction industry responded accordingly.
Even with "home theaters" which you're looking down your nose at .... if I had a bunch of small kids, I'd rather have them watching movies under MY roof than constantly going to the movies with them. Why not put that money into the mortgage than the mall movie theater? What's odd about that?
We've long ago left the economy where most couples can get by on one income .... and if both people are going to be working 40 hours a week -- or thereabouts -- they certainly should be able to enjoy their downtime at home. New construction doesn't hurt the economy, for that matter, either.
Sorry you mistook my post for being worked up. I'm not worked up at all. I'm just stating the facts that as a society we are spoiled. We lie to ourselves about the things we want that are on some level excessive relative to the rest of the world or the past, and call them needs.
Many couples get by on one income. We have for 15 years now, and it is significantly below the six figure level. There are many people who live below their means and have enjoyable and happy lives doing it. There are many people who enjoy extravagance to some level or another and neither lifestyle is wrong. What is wrong is pretending that something as trivial as a "home theater" is a need, and trying to justify it because the world isn't safe enough for kids to go out and play anymore. Call it what it is, a "want" to make life easier, or make someone feel more important than their neighbor or whatever other reason someone would "want" such a thing.
No one "needs" luxuries. You desire them. As to the OP's question, this is why Americans are so deeply mired in personal debt, filing bankruptcy, low credit ratings on multiple credit cards, taking out reverse mortgages, etc.. They're not spending their own $$ on material goods. They're spending the bank's $$. Ours is a consumer driven society urged on by advertising - more so than even other Western nations. There's no happiness in it because they just make shinier brighter stuff that they convince you that you "need" to be cool and current and happy. Any new technology you buy is "outdated" in a year or so for this reason.
There is a "minimalist" movement afoot that I personally love as I get older. The goal is to live comfortably but simply in an environmentally and financially responsible manner.
Our plan is to downsize sooner rather than later and I've already donated, sold or tossed lots of "stuff" that I once felt I just "had to have". It's so freeing and we have absolutely no debt.
Great post! And I have to agree with you on all points.
I'm the first to say that if you work for your money, you should spend it however you see fit. I have no problem with wealth, or people who live very high lifestyles if they earn it. What I have a problem with it what people claim to need. Ultimately we need food, water, and shelter for survival, and most after that is to make our lives easier.
I grew up in the 60's and 70's in a middle class neighborhood. Very Catholic centered (though we were not) large families. People were successfully raising between 7 and 12 kids with one bathroom, and maybe a second or half bath for a couple of the families. Kids shared rooms, the houses were older with large bedrooms, and sometimes 4 kids shared one room, but at least two to a room. I was the only girl in my neighborhood to have my own room. There were no man caves, no elaborate back yards, never more than a two car garage, because not many people owned more than two cars, and early on even that was rare. There were very few family rooms, and they were just fixed over basements, no open concept kitchen areas, but the food was just as good. All those kids grew up, many of us went to college, got jobs and lived just fine then as well as now.
It seems today, people (and not all of them that young) think they "need" so much. "We need a four bedroom house", "we need at least three bathrooms", "we need at least a three car garage" and on and on.
Then when you get to the creature comforts, like TV in every room, central air, a kitchen that costs more than I paid for my first house with all the latest appliances, first floor laundry rooms that are the size of a small efficiency apartment, it drives me nuts. They act like they won't survive if they don't get it. Many think they are entitled to it. There seems to be no more "starter" home mentality.
I've come to the age where I believe that the more you have, the more work (and time and money and stress) it takes to have it and keep it up. I like nice things and homes as well as the next person, but when it comes right down to it, Americans are just spoiled in the way we live, what we expect, and what we think is "necessary".
OP, you're obviously VERY worked up about this ..... and sorry, but I don't think that having 7 to 12 kids and one bathroom is what anyone should consider "the good old days". We also lived in a society back then when kids could go outside and play all day long and BE SAFE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. How often did you see child predators and abducted children being an every day concern? Almost never. Personal safety .... That kind of innocence ended a long time ago, so homes are now more inclusive, and the home construction industry responded accordingly.
Even with "home theaters" which you're looking down your nose at .... if I had a bunch of small kids, I'd rather have them watching movies under MY roof than constantly going to the movies with them. Why not put that money into the mortgage than the mall movie theater? What's odd about that?
We've long ago left the economy where most couples can get by on one income .... and if both people are going to be working 40 hours a week -- or thereabouts -- they certainly should be able to enjoy their downtime at home. New construction doesn't hurt the economy, for that matter, either.
Sorry you mistook my post for being worked up. I'm not worked up at all. I'm just stating the facts that as a society we are spoiled. We lie to ourselves about the things we want that are on some level excessive relative to the rest of the world or the past, and call them needs.
Many couples get by on one income. We have for 15 years now, and it is significantly below the six figure level. There are many people who live below their means and have enjoyable and happy lives doing it. There are many people who enjoy extravagance to some level or another and neither lifestyle is wrong. What is wrong is pretending that something as trivial as a "home theater" is a need, and trying to justify it because the world isn't safe enough for kids to go out and play anymore. Call it what it is, a "want" to make life easier, or make someone feel more important than their neighbor or whatever other reason someone would "want" such a thing.
Okay .... then I mistook your post for being worked up because of a comment you made above, and I highlighted it ..... quoting you, "it drives me nuts" .... 
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