Stretched to the Limit

This guy I work with was telling me the other day that he's been looking for some motivation to be more productive at work. I was thinking, it seems like he has plenty of motivation with his wife, three kids (one 3-month-old baby) and mortgage, and they're moving next week to an even bigger house. Want to know how he lit the fire? He bought a Lexus.

Seems like that's the way it works in our culture. Set up the life you want, then find a job that will pay for it. Personally, it makes me feel stretched very thin, and it makes me nervous. We're on a budget more for sanity purposes than anything else. It helps both of us know where our money is going, and helps us stay on track for "living within our means."

Credit cards, low interest loans, "no interest till 2025" deals, promotions, etc etc etc...its all yelling at us to buy buy buy. I guess some people thrive off the pressure to get all the bills paid, but that's really not the life I want to live. It stresses me out just thinking about it!