US Consumer Debt growing

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Michael hit a home run with this.

Modern Friendship Has Become a LUXURY WE CAN'T AFFORD​

Aug 23, 2025
Life is becoming so expensive that a lot of young people are choosing to not hang out with their friends because it costs too much money! Some say that the friendships are more important than the money and are willing to overextend themselves financially to keep their friends. Which way is the right way?

19:48

00:00 The High Cost of Friendship: Financial Strain and Social Life
05:19 Reevaluating Friendships Based on Spending Habits
06:05 US Spending Habits: A Closer Look at Retail Numbers
07:59 The Illusion of Prosperity: Inflation vs. Spending
09:31 The Rising Cost of Everyday Items: A Personal Example
10:56 Analyzing Consumer Spending Data: Income and Economic Impact
13:38 Declining Mobility: Americans Stuck Due to Economic Constraints
16:00 Paradise Beach Park view
16:54 Interconnected Problems: Job Market, Housing, and Economic Instability

Articles Mentioned in the Video

- https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/you...
- https://apple.news/AJWj2V5bsSgKeELMxf...
- https://news.dealershipguy.com/p/auto...
 

Post in thread 'US Debt is unsustainable'

How Debt Became the Most Profitable Product in History​

Sep 4, 2025 The Financial History Files
What if I told you the most profitable product in history isn’t oil, gold, or technology, it’s debt?
From clay tablets in Mesopotamia to the Dutch bond markets, from the Bank of England to Wall Street, debt has been carefully engineered into the foundation of our financial system. It funds wars, props up governments, drives consumer culture, and quietly transfers wealth from the many to the few.
This video traces the hidden history of debt: how it became the backbone of empires, how...
 

Low-income Americans slash spending, a worrying sign for the economy​

Although investors cheered the Federal Reserve’s recent rate cut and the stock market has kept powering along, the economy is facing growing headwinds on one crucial front — consumer spending.

Americans’ long-running spending boom is showing signs of faltering as consumers of all income levels scale back and hold out for discounts, leaving the economy on shaky ground. This shift is most pronounced among lower-income consumers, who are disproportionately vulnerable to rising prices and other economic pressures eroding their purchasing power, industry analysts say.

“U.S. consumer spending is not just softening overall, it’s doing so in a fragmented way … and that’s a real problem,” said Claire Li, a Moody’s vice president of credit strategy. “If the benefits and the pressures are not shared broadly, then we’re not looking at a balanced or a healthy state of the U.S. consumer base.”

More:

 

MAJOR BANK Issues NEW Recession WARNING For 2025​

Oct 3, 2025
UBS Bank just came out this week and said the US has a 93% chance of entering a recession in 2025. This claim is further backed up by recent employment data from Challenger gray and Christmas that shows the job market is the worst we have had since 2009 during the GFC.

20:31

00:00 UBS Recession Warning: A 93% Chance in 2025
03:48 Recession Survival Guide: Liquidity, Budgeting, and Debt Reduction06:00 Backup Plans and Side Hustles for Economic Hard Times
07:08 GDP Impact: How New York and California Drive the Economy
08:41 State-by-State Economic Growth and the Government Shutdown
10:17 Wall Street Layoffs and Preparing for a Downturn
12:35 Essential Preparations: Gold, Silver, and Multiple Income Streams
16:08 Job Market Crash: Recession Signs in Hiring and Firing Rates
 
The only oil in Gaza is gonna be suntan oil on the tourists at the beachfront hotels the Hebrews will be building.
 
Bottom Feeder said:
The only oil in Gaza is gonna be suntan oil on the tourists at the beachfront hotels the Hebrews will be building.
Click to expand...
So the 500 billion dollars of Palestinian oil has already been stolen...Cui Bono, who benefits from the murder of 500,000 Palestinians.
Bet America gets the bill for rebuilding all this.
 

SHOCKING Money Stats of the Average Person​

Oct 11, 2025
A lot of people are curious to know how they stacked up against others financially, and you will be surprised that you might be doing better than most or that you have some room for improvements, depending on your stats.

15:46

00:00 Unveiling the Scary Truth About Average Finances
02:55 Where Does Your Money Go? Analyzing Average Household Spending
05:04 American Net Worth: Are You Above or Below Average?
08:31 Amazon Prime Day: A Sign of Economic Slowdown?
11:37 Home Renovation Plans on Hold: Another Economic Indicator
13:12 Why a Spending Slowdown Could Be a Good Thing
 

Top 10 Financial Hardships Americans Face Today​

Oct 16, 2025

7:49
 

Post in thread 'Jobs, side hustles & life styling for $$$'

25 Payday Habits from the 1930s No One Keeps Anymore​

Oct 13, 2025 #1930s #GreatDepression #Frugality
What if everything you owned—your roof, your heat, your next meal—depended entirely on the crumpled cash in your hand?
Step back into 1933, where Friday evening was less a celebration and more a tense, focused ritual. The factory whistle blew, the meager wages arrived home, and the fate of the family was decided in the next hour over a worn kitchen table. Mothers and fathers became disciplined financiers, dividing thin dollars into envelopes: coal before clothing...
 

I Did Everything Right and I'm Still GOING BROKE...​

7:23
 

Americans share what it’s really like to struggle right now​

Oct 23, 2025 #news #business #money
From small business owners to single parents, “CBS Evening News” reports on Americans feeling the squeeze as prices rise.

13:23

00:00 Unemployed woman says search for work has been "impossibly difficult"
2:57 Restaurant owner says he's "barely breaking even"
5:54 Cancer survivor says insurance will cost more than mortgage if subsidies expire
8:21 Army veteran shares struggle to find work and support her kids: "I feel invisible"
10:30 L.A. cookie shop owner sees profits crumble under tariff burden
 
Remember the Bible? Seven years of bounty; followed by seven years of famine.

No question times are tough. This is my second trip to the well - I lived through the 1970s, our own Lost Decade.

I have not made the mistakes my parents made - I owe nothing; my pantry is the biggest subset of my property.

Next week I probably won't get my pension stipend. If that happens...I'll be eating a lot of canned chili and soup and vegetables.

What I won't be doing, is going hungry.

Even in the heat of Stimmy Madness, with the filthy Face Diapers lowering blood-oxygen saturation to where everyone was fuzzy-headed...I knew it wouldn't last forever. Or even any serious amount of time. I bought gold, with my Stimmy. Take THAT, Brandon!
 
Bottom Feeder said:
Red beans and rice — one of my faves.
Click to expand...
I could eat it all day

...when younger. The carb count on those, is just beyond belief.

A neighbor had made a big batch of it, homemade, no sugar...for a group she hosted. She had leftovers and invited me to have them. A big pot. No sugar added - I thought I'd be okay.

Must have put my blood-glucose readings deep into the red - I was groggy for six hours after having a big plate of them.

That's another caution...those of us who have the High-Fructose Corn-Syrup Disease, formerly called Type 2. All that canned and preserved stuff, and even the freeze-dried emergency rats, are really high in the carbs. Best you figure you're going to have to limit to HALF a serving, no matter how small, if TSHTF and you're eating those.
 
A lot of foods can put me to sleep quickly nowadays, Type 2 sucks...
 
Fatrat said:
A lot of foods can put me to sleep quickly nowadays, Type 2 sucks...
Click to expand...
If you're able to, go out and walk for an hour after eating.

That works two ways. First, the effort burns off some of the sugar in the blood. Second, it's punishment for eating too much; and often eating at all, is too much. Makes you think twice about it.
 

Household Debts, Debt-to-Income Ratio, Delinquencies, Collections, Foreclosures, and Bankruptcies of our (not so) Drunken Sailors in Q3 2025​

Total household debt outstanding in Q3 rose by 1.1%, or by $197 billion, from Q2, to $18.6 trillion, according to the Household Debt and Credit Report from the New York Fed today. Year-over-year, household debt rose by 3.6%, or by $642 billion.

Household debt includes mortgages, HELOCs, auto loans, student loans, credit cards, and “other” revolving credit such as personal loans and BNPL loans. I will discuss these categories in separate articles over the next few days. Today, we’ll look at the overall debt, its burden, delinquencies, collections, foreclosures, and bankruptcies.

More:

 

Debt: The Consumer's Growing Curse​

Summary​

  • Consumer debt levels in the U.S. are rising, posing a significant headwind to the economy as most households struggle with increasingly challenging economic conditions.
  • Retailers like Starbucks (SBUX), Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG), and Trex Company (TREX) are experiencing increasing challenges and disappointing earnings results due to consumer weakness.
  • The top 10% of households continue to prosper, but the majority of consumers are facing increasing financial pressure, which will negatively impact overall GDP growth.
  • Why investors should be concerned about increasing consumer debt delinquency rates and defaults is highlighted in the paragraphs below.
More:

 
Unfortunately, I couldn't read much further without joining. Something I will not do.

That said...perspective is needed, here. This has happened before. The capsule reference is The Grapes of Wrath. A world where nobody could afford anything - not even a decent burial.

The world of McDumbheads, Starcucks, all the other gaudy-consumption retail outlets...is going away for a time. Maybe for all time. They were not always here - there was a time when you got meals at home, unless you'd lost your home. Then you ate at the soup kitchen. Coffee came out of a diner, and it was a treat for the dwindling middle class. Buying groceries with BNPL apps?

One word: Safeway. The Safeway grocery chain started about the time of the Depression - a time when local small grocers would extend credit to established customers; who, one-by-one, started not being able to pay. That led to bad feelings and failed local grocers.

Safeway was founded using the model of the A&P - a chain; but they stressed that their store was not only cheaper to shop at, but it was "the safe way" - you paid as you went. No store credit. No disasters. No merchant having to raise prices because of his large amount of uncollectible debt and unpaid charges.

We cannot AFFORD eating out as a lifestyle - not at Applebee's; not at fancy local restaurants; not at the Fallen Arches. We are gonna be tightening our belts the next ten years. No more new cars for the kids as they finish school. Maybe no more new cars at all. ONE car for the family, and a LOT of bus riding and bicycling.

As for the income and wealth consolidation: That will work its way out. Maybe violently. But when something cannot continue, it will not continue; and when Scrooge McDuck owns All-The-Money, money becomes worthless. It's value is in its circulation and velocity.
 

You Might Be Doing Better Financially Than You Think​

Nov 15, 2025
The average American is over $100,000 in debt but the truth is it's way more than that because it doesn't really take into consideration the high mortgage balances most people are carrying today. And if you have less debt than this then chances are you're doing much better than your neighbor across the street.

26:21

00:00 Why You Might Be Doing Pretty Good ( Or Not )
12:17 Childcare Costs are Pushing American Families To The Brink
18:00 New York and New Jersey Losing Billions of Dollars to Texas and Florida
21:17 Proof The Homeless Industrial Complex is A SCAM

Articles Mentioned in the Video
- https://apple.news/AjQpfxfY6SYCspxQQe...
- https://apple.news/AazSImJT7SlOiSvOY3...
- https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/n...
- https://apple.news/A3I9_PTXZRVm7EXgjG...
 
Mises has it wrong. It's not a shortage; it's artificially-high prices. Prices beyond what reasonable people can borrow, given their income limitations.

The high prices come from first, large developers or investment cartels, unwilling to let bad investments...overpriced construction costs, or properties purchased at high price for other reasons (AirBnB, etc) and now do not want to take a loss. Many of these groups have political power, to promote such atrocities as NINJA loans (2009 crisis) and now, 50-year mortgages.

RESPONSIBLE persons look at the cost, the home-ownership costs of maintenance, and potential tax increases, and self-exclude. Or they don't, but get squeezed into default or short-sales.

The problem is, government is hell-bent on controlling the market. Politically, correcting - or even collapsing - real-estate prices are anathema. That will cost some sinecures in Congress and shake up the Political Class. So, prices must be propped up. Real Estate, like Stonks, can ONLY GO UP.

That means programs to put unqualified buyers into homes. It means tax incentives to REITs and private-equity vultures. AND it means debasing the money, so there is a monetary rise in prices.

Mises Institute should KNOW this. There is not a shortage. Homes are sitting empty and on the market for months, sometimes years.
 
Related

Dept of Treasury - "We’re Weeks Away From the BREAKING POINT"​

Nov 20, 2025

18:15

00:00 This Time is Different, it's WORSE Than 2008
08:26 Housing is Unaffordable For an Entire Generation
12:57 More Than Half of All US Homes Losing Value Now
14:39 Americans Are More Upside Down on Car Loans Than Ever

Articles Mentioned in the Video
- https://www.autoblog.com/news/america...
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/...
- https://apple.news/Au3CQnXa0TS2GsjEjG...
- https://apple.news/AncXXJf1-SuyV0JgLA...
- https://apple.news/A4Vm5S1RdTsmv7BilE...
 
Viking said:
It is crazy how much more expensive homes are in many places in Canada, that housing market is a bigger bubble than ours.
Click to expand...
Chinese money; coupled to eco-regulations that limit locations and types of new housing starts.

The CCP Chinese just LUUUV Canaduh.
 
Entertainment time.

College Students Tell Us How Much Debt They’re In (Madison, WI)​

Nov 17, 2025 MADISON
We hit the streets of Madison, Wisconsin — home to thousands of college students — to ask one simple question: How much student debt do you have?, money saved and most successful people in their network! The answers will surprise you. Some have $5,000. Others are already over $100,000 in debt before graduation, some networked with Jeff Bezos son and tens of thousands saved! This video dives into the real cost of higher education — how it shapes young people’s futures, mental health, and career decisions. In This Video: Honest student interviews about college debt, The emotional side of financial pressure, Why student loans feel like a trap for many graduates, How debt changes ambition, relationships, and freedom. A real look at America’s education system through the eyes of Gen Z, Filmed in Madison, WI. Subscribe for more real-world stories about money, mindset, and the systems shaping our generation.

22:41
 
Zorro Fox Gibbon.

They signed the note. Yeah...UNLIKE the similar claim made about NINJA loans back in the GFC, THESE young-skulls-fulla-mush, WERE swindled.

I've been swindled, too, time to time. It's what they call a "Learning Experience." Skeul of Hard Knox.

DEAL WITH IT.

That said...I don't think it's wrong to make accommodation. There should be a discharge method - not just routine bankruptcy (which is not at all a problem for someone young) but some way to get out. Perhaps in a bankruptcy the loan could be adjusted to principal-only. Those who have already paid the principal amount back, so far...THOSE I could see discharging.

Pass the COST of this over to the koledge Endowment Funds. No pay, no loans, no Uncle-Sugar grants. EVAH. Hahvahd, YOU DUNN.
 
Fatrat said:
Immigrate is your solution.....leave.
Click to expand...
I like that.

Debt amnesty. Go...wherever T F. But, surrender your passport.

Debt wiped, ONLY after signing a form renouncing your citizenship.

Then, make it a capital crime...for a judge or other court official to NOT enforce/recognize this.
 

Regular People Are Being PRICED OUT OF LIFE...​

Nov 26, 2025

25:15

00:00 The "REAL" Poverty Line In America Will Shock You
08:45 Individuals Need To Make at Least $100K a Year
10:45 Are YOU Getting a Pay Raise Right Now?
14:24 Surprise Cost of Living Interview
17:36 The Middle Class is Getting Crushed
21:41 Even Rich People Are Living Paycheck to Paycheck

Articles Mentioned in the Video
- https://apple.news/At9CUF6hWRPukHuTeS...
- https://apple.news/Avwywut4DTeGKvLLve...
- https://apple.news/AfM26Ui-6TIOTqjNqP...
 

This Thanksgiving, Ohio workers and families are holding on by the skin of their teeth​

Every Thanksgiving there is a brief (underscored) kumbaya moment in my household before everyone digs into the traditional spread. We join hands to acknowledge the benevolence and beseech the blessings of the Almighty.

In recent years, I started tacking on an addendum to our prayer, a petition for divine intervention to save the country we love.

Sure, my one-more-thing entreaty has irked some in the motley crew gathered, but it has become ever more pertinent as America stares into the abyss.

Even the most apathetic among us know something is deeply wrong in the nation we pledge allegiance to from an early age.

People are noticeably on edge, worried, broke.

More:

 
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