Denied

Suzie's "Can I Afford It" segment is said to be the most popular part of her show. Today she said that many of us are falling back into bad habits and spending more than we can afford.

I laughed out loud when she denied a 26 year old an $800 kayak purchase because she didn't give Suzie all the information. The girl had received a $30,000 inheritance and forgot to list it on the producer's paperwork. I'd like to see more people throw Suzie for a loop with additional information; only because it makes for good television.

Today's show ended with "Last Call." A mom called in asking if she should bail out her daughter and her new family by paying off their credit cards for them. She did this for her once before, but now that she has a newborn, she has over 12K in consumer debt again.

Suzie gave a pretty ugly growl and told the mom to let her daughter "suffer." Her advice was that the best lesson for people was poverty.

Poverty really is a life lesson.

Having little or no money forms habits that can be life changing. Basic life habits like avoiding movie theaters, restaurants and mlm parties become a part of you. I have four children and families with only one child and two incomes do not always understand why I pass on invitations to dinner after work. (dinner for 6 costs quite a bit.)

The good news is that many people in our wonderful country live at or below the poverty level. If you look closely, these families are often the tightest, happiest families you can find. They spend time as a family doing things that don't cost a lot.

This mom's daughter has a long way to go before she really understands poverty. Having a load of debt is not the same as having no income....but as Suzie explains, without an emergency fund, poverty really can be right around the corner.