>I find it ironic that you call for empathy when the not-so-subtle suggestion in your comment is that folks like the Abbotts are ignorant. You make a good poin

>I find it ironic that you call for empathy when the not-so-subtle suggestion in your comment is that folks like the Abbotts are ignorant. You make a good point and I should have been more clear in my post. I don't mean that they didn't understand the dollar amounts in question, but it's also clear that the long term effect of paying for the furniture is worse than they expected. There's no way for them to "get ahead" - just many chances to fall behind.