Maybe a little debt doesn't feel too bad, but sooner or later people ask themselves, "Is it too much?".
That's when they start comparing themselves to peers. Friend A goes on a cruise twice a year. Debt doesn't seem to be an issue. Friend B doesn't make a lot of money, but is still a credit card clothes horse.
According to financial blogger Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, comparing yourself to others is false security. It makes you think debt is normal. It also makes you think you can afford to have it.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.