re: The average car is now 12.5 years old and the interest

quote:

---

but what do we do to change it? Seriously I need help as much as the next

---

Honestly learning more self-sustaining skills.

Learn how to do basic maintenance on a vehicle. DIY your house projects and don’t pursue designs that are more for social status than functionality. Separate the idea of entertainment from food and drinks. Discover new hobbies, vacations, and activities that don’t require significant payments.

These are generic ideas to start with, but the way we fix it is by avoiding debt. I think one of the biggest drivers of inflation is the perpetual use of credit. People are buying $75k vehicles on 84 month loans, and the quality of those vehicles seems to be dwindling. People opt for a $4000 refrigerator that can play YouTube on its door and then find that the mediocre warranty timeframe didn’t help at all in guaranteeing longevity of the appliance.

Remove yourself from the debt culture and you’ll find the problem seems to “fix” itself.