>mortgage or high rent Find a cheaper place to live. >a medical problem This is the one I have the most sympathy for, US healthcare is broken, people shouldn

>mortgage or high rent Find a cheaper place to live. >a medical problem This is the one I have the most sympathy for, US healthcare is broken, people shouldn't have to go bankrupt to pay for life saving care. >kids 1) Wait until you can support them until you have them. 2) Just because you spend a lot of money does not mean you will raise better children. Americans as a whole seem to think otherwise. > parents who need care Again, I am sympathetic but this doesn't apply to everyone, or even the majority of people. > a car You can find a reliable used car for ~10k often times much less than that. Getting a ~20k or worse a ~40k car every 3 years is a waste. > student loans On one hand, people were given really bad advice on college. On the other hand, people took really bad advice. High school need to be better informed about the long term cost of college. > clothing that aren't tatters Goodwill, Ross, discount stores all great places to get non-tattered clothing. > an emergency fund If you are disciplined enough to build an emergency fund, after it is funded, keep being disciplined and start saving for retirement.