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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]No, I don’t think a good portion of people who seem to be doing well really aren’t. [b]This is what people who don’t have a decent money like to think. [/b]From what I cans see, it’s just not true. Maybe they have a bad year and don’t go skiing in vail one year, but they still go away for a big summer and spring break trip. [/quote]

I see people mention that a lot (mostly on this board) and use the term house poor but its like a comfort to assume others are in a bigger nicer home because of a bad choice that will not end well. Therefore, you are actually in the smarter position long run. I think it's a common sentiment/salve in neighborhoods with a wild mix of housing (teardowns to modern luxury). I think in established multi million neighborhoods people don't second guess wealth as much.[/quote]

Eh, maybe some people feel that way, but  I think it's that most people just know a few people who really are living beyond their means (usually family members or friends where you know the real situation and see how the house of cards is built) and want to caution others who ask about their finances on a forum.  I'll caution people on this forum who ask about whether they can afford a house that's at their limit  that they don't want to be "house poor" because I've known actual people in that situation and it sucks for them. But I don't go around thinking about other people's finances if they're not asking on a forum.

I do think though there's a certain genre of these popular personal finance gurus like Dave Ramsey whose schtick is to try to create a sense that other people are living beyond their means and by taking his advice you're one of the select few who is not.  I've seen that sometimes gets echoed in advice here not realizing that a lot of his audience are people who are in circles where everyone has a lot of cc debt and not a lot of money.  He --and other gurus of that type--I think do appeal to people who get comfort by thinking that others are somehow deluded and they are not.  [b]They don't realize that they are overgeneralizing when they see people who have a high income, high net worth, can afford their spending and use low interest rate debt strategically.  It doesn't fit into their gurus "rules" so they assume they are one of the deluded types he rails against.[/b]

[/quote]

Wow. PP, thank you for writing this so succinctly. I just realized I've been in that thought trap. Shaking free of it now![/quote]

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