I think there is an order of "debt" that is acceptable: 1. Unless you go out and buy a house way out of your budget, or you buy a house that was in your budget

I think there is an order of "debt" that is acceptable: 1. Unless you go out and buy a house way out of your budget, or you buy a house that was in your budget then lose some/all of the income you previously had, being in debt to a mortgage really shouldn't cripple you under normal circumstances. 1. Having a car payment is pretty socially acceptable. Some people get the latest and greatest every 2-3 years either through leasing or trading in. Hopefully, there are not tons of people in crippling debt because they want the latest and greatest $40k-$60k SUV. I'm sure there are plenty of people in the "I have crippling debt" group who couldn't even afford a car payment. 1. Medical bills. I'd imagine nobody is going to criticize you if you are genuinely in debt because you had to pay to stay alive/keep a sane quality of life that is free from disease/ailment. 1. Student loans. You don't have to go take out $60k-$80k in loans to get a degree to get a job, but a lot of people do. Some people take out loans, then go spend the money on Amazon/vacations/cars. They get to cry they have student loan debt, but did they do the most efficient things possible with the money? 1. Credit card debt. On one hand, you have people who need to protect themselves from financial ruin. With inadequate savings, they turned to their line of credit. That's fine. Emergencies happen. But... what percentage of credit card debt holders (which I'd imagine is one of the most popular/crippling forms of debt in America) are solely in credit card debt because they only used it in an emergency? How many of those people are making day to day sacrifices to try to "get back above water"? How many people are in debt because... they just enjoy being a consumer and spending money.