This could be on the thread "Worst Justifications for Spending Money." I gurantee people have used this one thinking that if they saved the cash for it then they could afford it. Having the money to physically purchase something and being able to afford it are two entirely different things. To me, being able to "afford" something means that you can purchase an item and are not jeopardizing any of your other financial responsibilities in doing so. In Steve's scenarios, the person could physically pay the cash, but was putting off other financial responsibilites such as paying off the credit card, etc... Then, there is the chance that you can afford it and it is just not practical. That might be the scenario you present with the car. In that scenario, someone might have their finances in a row, and even though they can "afford" the car, it just doesn't make good sense.
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