[moonrambler]

I see the pattern that has unfolded in my life since I was a teenager. My parents were very focused on money, but for some reason they really never taught me anything about managing money. I guess they thought it comes naturally, that it's common sense. In my high school, math was divided up amongst two tracks -- consumer math for those not interested in college, and algebra & geometry for those planning on continuing their education. So I didn't learn anything about managing money.

The first lesson I learned about spending more than I had was when I bounced a couple checks my first year of college. The (hometown) bank called my dad, who called me, and he was all p.o.'d, and what he should have done was tell me I had to go earn the money and replace it, but after reading me the riot act, he put more money in the checking account. I don't think I bounced any more checks, but that was the start of a life-long habit of spending more than I had and borrowing to make up for it. Combining this with an anti-money attitude, has been very damaging.