my family and I can't afford for me to go to college. It's to expensive which is why a lot of people end up not going

Suze, take the day off...I gotcha covered....

If something you want to purchase costs $10 and you only have $3....you can't afford it.

Back to the basics.

Enough said.

and might I add that I'm tired of President Obama complaining that he found this financial crisis "wrapped in a big red bow" when he arrived at the White House.

Well, doctors don't cause heart attacks, but it's still their job to fix them.

It is entirely possible to attend college on scholarships and grants alone (all colleges offer them to students who get excellent grades) a wedding is doable if kept simple, and a divorce....probably the most expensive and not just financially, either.

I was thinking a lot about how a college education is more important now than ever. Not only should young adults be able to go to college, but so should adults that need to be retrained from old job that are becoming extinct. As a democrat I believe in government giving people a helping hand yet I also tend to be fiscally conservative in that I want to save the government as much money as possible. Since the government needs a certain amount of people to run the government why shouldn't those career types of jobs become temp jobs filled by those going to college? The government now has jobs that pay its workers a lot and they even get a pension. A big cost to tax payers, so why shouldn't government jobs be used by college students to pay for their education and be given just enough for a living wage while going to school. Pensions would be eliminated because these jobs would not be careers. Anyone needing to go to school can get an education can do so by either serving in the military, postal service, drivers license office, county clerks, fire departments, and also teaching jobs. Perhaps the private sector could be involved as well by providing temp jobs to those wishing to further their education in exchange for the bailout money they get from the government. I think people should be able to pay back the money to the government in ways that helps both government and those who seek help.

Each of us can afford to do whatever we make up our minds to do. I am an example of that.

When we make the thing we want the priority, we become aware of ways to have what we want. for instance college. Start out at a community college, take public transportation or walk to school. Get a job with an employer who offers educational reimbursement. work and take online classes during your off hours.

My grandfather lived in Arizona and wanted to take summer classes at USC in So. California. so her packed up the family and pitched a tent in the rolling hills of Culver City and rode a bike to class each day.

My grandmother wanted a teaching credential so every summer she and her children lived in a tent city in Flagstaff, AZ while she attended classes.

As a single mom and sole support for my three teenagers, I took a job as a security guard working swing & graveyard shifts so I could attend our community college during the day. Later got a job where their were people who would teach me what I needed to learn in order to get promoted.

I know I sound old fashioned but this upbringing and sense of self reliance has been bred into our family for generations.

I wish we could have gotten some advice form Suze two years ago when we were choosing a college? We have a family member that is going to a private college, we are struggling financially as half of his father's gross income (the only income earner) goes to pay for some of the tuition and room and board. I don't know if it was the right thing to do or not but we looked at it that maybe the college name will get him a better position when he gets out of school. The school claimed so many of their students are employed with larger companies and no one in our family has attended college so we thought this would be the best way for him to obtain a decent job. I think his debt will be $70,000-$80,000 when he gets out, I hope his engineering degree will support his school debtt. Looking back now if we had it to do over again I think we would have enouraged the choice of a state college and his and our debt would probably would be about half that amount or less and the rest of the family wouldn't have had to have sacrifice like we are now.

LOL! peepsman23! Too funny! And so true! What is it about today's society that the clearly obvious has to be written down for them in a book they have to purchase before they get the simple principles of how to live??? Has society really lost that much common sense in the past few decades? I think it has.

What slays me are these weddings that cost the moon and then the couple gets divorced before their tenth anniversary because he farted and she burped!

There are student loans, which most people especially in the graduate school level take--don't do it, Sallie Mae will own your soul. They treat you like crap because they know the federal government won't help you. Then they have the audacity to send you notices that their company offers credit cards!! don't do it, most of us professionals are losing our jobs too. The reality is that most college degrees don't count, think of a creative niche and start your own business if you can. College, graduate schools (except for doctors and engineering programs) are created to make money off of enrollment and keep their rankings up to attract more prospective students just to keep the business up-economic slavery. Oprah please pay off my student loans-I've even applied for a job with you!

Regarding the kitchen and bath remodel. What in the world would cost move that $50,000 for the two rooms especially when the husband is a cabinet maker. What are they using some kind of exotic wood. How much are the spending on appliances. This just sound so crazy. You can have a nice kitchen and bath without sending that much money. Especially when you look at the rest of the house. They are overspending for the type of house they have.

I agree with you. They could have a nice wedding if they didn't look at the fancy venues and hiring wedding planners. I believe that they could have a wedding for a lot less than $20,000. I can't believe that Suze actually said that it would cost $20,000 she need to think about what she is saying. Some time I think Suze needs to get her head out of the clouds.

Sorry Suze, but I think you are way off on the divorce. It is not finances that need to be the center of the discussion here. A family with a special needs child needs specialized counseling to hold this family together. Both Mom and Dad report they haven't had time to put one another first. It wasn't money and divorce will not change the amount of time they need to invest in themselves and their children. With counseling and the use of respite care, this is a family that could be saved! They obviously feel regret and still have strong emotions regarding their marriage, why encourage them to split thereby magnifying their burdens rather than encourage counseling which could improve their marriage and allow them to share their burdens?

College: Where does it say that it is a parent's responsibility to pay for college? Who came up with this? I truly believe that many of these parent swho think they must pay for their child's college is trying to make up for the relationship they are not building with their child. It's no different than watching these parents at a America Girl Place try to "buy love." It sickens me.

My parents did not give me a cent for college. Was it hard to hold a job and go to college full-time? Yes, but it was worth every all-nighter. I went to community college for a year to save up, then went to a private college and topped if off with a Masters from a state universiy. I am very successful and learned "life skills" through the process.

When I have children, I will gladly support them with paying for books, or possibly matching dollar-to-dollar what they earn WORKING, but that's about it. A college education is not a God-given right.

Parents- don't forget this is the time to see what you have created for the first 18 years of your child's life, not a time to pay-off for all the missed opportunities to show your love.

Wedding:

I"m surprised neither Suze nor Oprah picked up on Anastasia's use of "FANTASY." Girls, stop with the "fantasy" of the Cinderalla wedding. Honestly, what do you remember about the last wedding you've been to that had anything to do with the materials the bride/groom purchased? If you don' have the money, you don't have it -no matter how much you fantasize that you do. No body cares! It's about YOU and YOUR husband and your FUTURES, not about 1 night that honestly, no one remembers and a simple digital camera can not capture the "real life" moments of the day with.

A Girl in Reality