[rob62521]

I don't have the hard data either, but look at the top of this screen and see the revolving personal credit card debt. I'm 45 and grew up having to be frugal. I spend money, but not just to get bunches of stuff. We plan our purchases. I do spend more on groceries because I buy lots of fresh fruit and vegetables because I figure it will help healthwise.

Very few of the young teachers I work with understand the concept of being frugal. In Illinois you have very little job security as a teacher until you get tenure that takes a minimum of five years, if you are lucky. Yet, I see these young people spending wildly without knowing if they have a job next year. One gal said she wanted to trade her SUV in because all her friends were getting new ones and she didn't want to be left out. It wasn't an issue of wanting to trade in for a smaller car, just she wanted a newer SUV.

We also have the benefit of a sick day bank. We can donate days and if people need days, they can request them. Two of our younger teachers planned to get pregnant, but then when they were pregnant, realized they didn't have enough sick days for their leave to get paid so they were asking for days and talking about how they didn't know how they could afford to have the baby without the pay. I know some folks who have unexpected children, but what about those who want the baby for the sake of the attention. They feel like they are entitled to anyone's extra sick pay because they chose to have a baby. Yet, they don't want to pay the days back when they come back to work. I think so many of the younger people don't plan ahead for anything and have "a false sense of entitlement." So many are, like kris10leigh wrote they expect to live the same lifestyle their parents have although it took them 35 years to reach it.