Comments on: So you’ve got debt. Sorry, but you’ll be fine.

By: frugal

frugal — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 21:10:27 +0000

Ricemutt,
I love the part of your article about volunteering. There used to a time when I eat a $5 burger and I will sink into deep thoughts about how this $5 can do wonders to the children in Africa , Latin America, or the poor areas in Asia. I pondered whether I should be guilty of using up this $5 for myself.
Most of the time we consume without thinking. But the fact is the living standards in the US is so much higher compared to the many places of the world that we shouldn’t really be griping about anything.

By: An

An — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 02:39:54 +0000

Hah, I hear exactly what you’re saying. Even I think my blog is horribly self-indulgent. (Certainly my “problems” are nothing compared to others’ issues.) But in general, aren’t blogs (writing and reading) the luxury of the reasonably well-off?

Interesting story about your volunteering experience – I agree that you’ve never seen poverty until you’ve left the US and gone somewhere like India. Really opens your eyes to how lucky you really are…

By: Ricemutt

Ricemutt — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 23:02:44 +0000

Thanks for your comments. I know you’re both relatively new, so I just want to emphasize again that I’m not in any way saying that it’s bad to have new people join in the fun. (Geez, this site’s only 6 months old, so who am I to talk.) If anything, the more ideas and participation, the better.

I guess I just saw a couple of posts out there today that hit a nerve, and I felt compelled to put some perspective out there. It’s always helped me to distance myself a bit when evaluating my own situations, so there it is.

By: The Divine Miss M

The Divine Miss M — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 19:25:04 +0000

I agree with Kira to an extent. I don’t see my own interest in these blogs as something to make me “feel good”… although I’ll admit that it makes me even more grateful for what I have after reading some debt horror stories, but I don’t think that’s the same thing as feeling superior. But there is something very voyeuristic in reading these blogs.

I like reading “get out of debt” blogs because I’m curious to see what other people are doing to remedy their financial situation. Maybe I’ll find something that will be useful to me. Maybe I’ll learn something new that I can refer back to later. Maybe someone else’s determination will spark my motivation to follow through.

Personally, I see “get out of debt” blogging as another forum to exchange ideas about what works and what doesn’t, and to support each other and be held accontable. Kind of like a support group. There is some complaining, but you find that in any subject… overall I don’t think they’re just vehicles for complaint.

I don’t think that by worrying about my own family or future, I’m in any way disrepecting or forgetting about the hardships families face around the world. Trust me, I know how lucky I am – I have health, loved ones and live in a place of opportunities. My debt is nothing, truly nothing, compared to what’s going on in some peoples’ lives… but it’s not nothing to me.

By: Kira

Kira — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 19:01:21 +0000

Well, just historically people like to hear about people who are worse off than them because it makes them feel good about themselves. Look at all the Jerry Springer-like shows – phenomenally successful and most of those people are definitely worse off than any PF blogger.

I don’t really see a lot of difference between the get-out-of-debt bloggers and other people, because everybody should be trying to save as much money as they can. Whether you put it towards debt or something else is your business. The debt bloggers do seem to talk about their own lives a lot more, although the more seasoned ones realize that it isn’t fun to read post after post about how stressful debt is, and they do write more interesting content.