Comments on: Surprising Purchases that Put People In Debt

By: P L

P L — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 23:55:10 +0000

Not a purchase per se but more in line with job loss; medical conditions that affect functioning (e.g. clinical depression). Couples can trade off duties until the victim can function well enough again but singles have no one to take over their finances when they are not functioning well. Also true of debilitating ailments – it’s hard to manage your affairs when you can barely get out of bed – assuming you can.

By: Kristy

Kristy — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:27:02 +0000

Well I’m very glad that you paid for your own wedding. However, most parents – fathers in general – would very much like to pay for their daughter’s wedding, as evidenced by the fact that they’ve gone into debt over it. I was referring to the fact that when a father wants to help his daughter, there’s no real solution – either he saves for it in addition to other responsibilities he has or he puts it on a credit card. Some daughters – like yourself – wouldn’t dream of asking for their parents to pay for the wedding, in which case, this post doesn’t apply. But, not every daughter has the notion to pay for their own wedding and most fathers wouldn’t tell their daughters they just didn’t have the money. They’d find a way. Appalled or not, it’s a tough situation to be in.

By: In debt too

In debt too — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:48:02 +0000

I’m appalled that you say, regarding parents going into debt for a daughter’s wedding, that “there’s no real solution.” Of course there’s a solution — assuming that the daughter is an adult (I hope so!), then she, and her intended, can pay for their own wedding. BTW, my husband and I paid for our own wedding. I would never have considered burdening my parents with that expense. They are retired and have their own expenses to pay. Even if they had been still earning, I wouldn’t have wanted to depend on them, particularly if it meant they’d go into debt.

By: Emily @ Taking Charge

Emily @ Taking Charge — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:23:59 +0000

I’ve had the job loss situation. I graduated just over a year ago and started working at a small company that went under a few months later, and I was jobless. I found a new job just a few weeks later, but didn’t have enough money in the in-between, so I definitely racked up some credit card debt. I had some savings but didn’t want to use all of it up. Fortunately, I was able to do some babysitting and freelance work to help, and I made sure to pay off that debt as soon as humanly possible. Because of that experience, I’m working hard to build my emergency fund to prevent myself from ever being in that frustrating situation again.