Can't make their house payments..

How sad and crazy is that? But it's true. It seems many people leave it up to the real estate agent loan officer to squeeze out a loan for them. So financial institutions come up with all kinds of creative financing which seem to mainly benefit the title and finance institutions but turn out to be impossible to maintain for too long.

So, people need to learn how to do the figures. Learn the math! Your house payment shouldn't be more than what you make a week. I learned that when I was just out of high school. Also I learned to save up on your own.. your down payment.

I am wondering why people's ego's are so fragile that they have to one-up their friends which only ends up getting you financial trouble.

My friends are not afraid to say. "Hey, I can't afford that!" or "I'm not paying that much for that!"

I have a friends who just got out of school and is very deeply in debt with tuition that she makes a payment on a thirty year loan - like another house payment. And she is first getting started with her career.. which takes a while to get going so she is not afraid at all to say. "I can't afford it!" when it comes to going out to dinner or visiting the, expensive anymore, bar scenes.

So, watch "The Secret" and learn to live cheaply and smart and more important be proud of it. Recently I watch Nat on Oprah redecorate to get the most out of tiny spaces in small apartments. More of the people in New York live in apartments under 900 square feet. One woman's was under 300 square feet. Nat's is under 900 square feet but he loved the location and the woody, romantic, friendly street it was located on.

So change your thinking. Recently looking back at pictures I had of furnishings of my former apartments I felt the same warm sensation and comforting feelings I felt back then when I lived in them. It doesn't take much money to rearrange what you already have or just buying something inexpensive to personalize your little cozy home.

I think the bottom line is to be yourself and love yourself and then you will lover your space. I know most of the time I am perfectly happy with what I have, my life and how I love. And that it is only when I get around certain more self-centered opinionated, critical women that I feel insecure. I guess I allow myself to feel that way. Maybe I learned conditional love at home when I was growing up. I felt I had to be a certain way for my mother and friends to even like me. So I find that feeling creeping back around certain people.

So, ditch those people who make you feel that you have to "measure up" in order to be liked by them. You will never feel that you ever measure up anyway....so don't even try.

And if he or she really loves you.. they will respect and love your thriftiness and the fact that you have common sense, are money wise, and are frugal. Besides haven't you heard the message .. money can't buy you love.