[unluky]

[QUOTE=AlpineWhite_SJ;25352673]Totally agree. Dad wasn’t of quite such circumstances but came from modest means and tried to install the value of money at an early age. Can’t say I followed it 100% (have to touch the iron for myself to know it’s hot), but I screwed up at the right time - college. Graduated with a student loan, credit card debt and bad credit. Spent my 20s living on cash and crawling back out and learned a good lesson on the value of patience, savings and delayed gratification.

That’s why I don’t by the sob stories nowadays on student loans - most have basically a car loan’s worth of debt. It’s easily paid off if you stick to a budget and aren’t spending a ton of money going out to eat/drink, using the latest gadget, or otherwise spending beyond your means. Those who have 100k+ either went to medical/law/business school and will recoup it over the long haul or made a bad decision to borrow 6 figures for a major that won’t get you a job capable of paying it back easily.

I agree with everything you said here. I was not always great with money either, but I was always more on the conservative side. If I practice what I do now in my 20's - I'd be retired on a beach already.

People are quick to point at others about their $ problems when 99% of them are self inflected. I am often that guy that will interrupt one of these tantrums to ask hard questions about the person throwing them. "see that Starbucks in your hand, how many do you have per week? That coach bag on your shoulder real? Looks like you drove here in a new car?" so when they start telling me how I as a tax payer should pay off their debt - I will quickly point out how they are living higher on the hog than I am - and I am debt free.

Like you said - prioritize your debt and knock it out like we all did.

That just makes you a crusty old guy though - so they don't wanna hear it.