“I love new clothes. However, I like getting rid of the clothes just as quickly to go buy new ones.”
This lady who appeared on Oprah lives the life of a big house in the burbs, new cars, six beautiful kids, and spending way beyond her husband’s $5,000/month salary. Felice drops $400 a month on Starbucks, $240 on tans and manicures, and her children have no health insurance.
“I have six kids and I sell their toys sometimes just because I don’t like them.”
When money runs dry, as it often does, she takes out cash advances. She handles the family finances and hides receipts from her husband underneath a baby blanket in a drawer.
When I do shop, I do kind of get a rush. It makes me feel good… but afterwards, though, I get depressed. I’ll buy something even if I really don’t like it because I have to come out with something.
On page 5 you learn they’re on the brink of being totally financially destroyed with $135,000 in credit card debt, $1,700 a month for three cars, two mortgages at $685,000, and are two weeks behind on their mortgage payment. Before you make Felice out to be the totally baddie, the husband is just as culpable for not asking more questions and making sure the numbers add up. He even says that he would get credit card bills and not know where $10,000 of it came from.
Suze Orman’s solution for them? Sell the houses and cars, move to Seattle, and for Mom to get her ass a job. Perhaps at Starbucks, since she likes it so much and they offer health insurance to part-time workers.
Keeping Up with the Joneses [Oprah]
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I do like that Suze Orman. And this piece makes me feel better about my relatively small debt that will be paid off by January 1st!
I would kick this stupid bitch to the curb. If I got any shit about it I’ve have her comitted.
@angryyoungwoman: “I think it’s fairly obvious that this woman is suffering from some kind of mental illness.”…
Yeah, the “spoiled rotten and no take no responsibility (moral or otherwise) sydrome.”
@rmz: Did she mean the toys…or the kids? This woman makes me sick. I would throw her in a river, any river.
@vanilla-fro: to be clear, I didn’t mean her dead body. I just mean to let her wash up somewhere and let somebody else have her.
I wouldn’t kill or hurt her, just ship her away.
@NoWin: This goes beyond being spoiled. Even spoiled people don’t buy things they don’t want or like. She can’t walk out of a store without buying something so she’ll buy things she doesn’t want if she can’t find anything. She admits to buying things to make her feel good emotionally and getting depressed afterwards.
Spoiled people make get emotionally attached to the objects they buy but she’s emotionally attached to the act of buying stuff. She has a problem. If they’re going to get out of debt it needs to be addressed.
@Jesse in Japan: Isn’t Munchausen Syndrome when the parent believes/pretends that a child is sick so that they get attention? Doesn’t apply here.
Can’t wait until their kids grow up just to be like Lindsay Lohan and Brittany Spears. Ya know, without the money.
good thing lady O is getting her on the right track the same way she helps millions everyday. we’ll see her on dr. phil next
Money quote (no pun intended):
“Felice drops $400 a month on Starbucks, $240 on tans and manicures, and her children have no health insurance.”
I’d bet a tall soy latte that she is counting on the S-CHIP legislation to let the taxpayers take care of her kids because she chooses to be irresponsible.
Brew your own coffee at home and use that $400 to take care of your kids, dangnabbit!
Instead of spending $240 to give yourself skin cancer and get that fungus that causes your nails to fall off, use that money to take care of your kids, dangnabbit!
You can’t fix stuipd.
@meeroom:
I feel for you. I was getting a haircut with my mom one afternoon, and a lady came in and asked if they could do an eyelash extension. I thought that had to be mythical, but they just pointed her across the street. She had to be mid-fifties, and she was creammed into a ridiculous outfit from the juinior’s dept, too. What a pita ppl like this must be.
What confuses me is the whole “how will I afford college” stuff. Does nobody look at financial aid options? Fill out a FAFSA and apply! I managed to make it through 2 years at a private school and 3 more at a public with $0 savings to start and $0 assistance from family/other stuff. Financial aid exists and is available for just about every school around.
Of course, there should be a checkbox on the FAFSA disqualifying anyone spending more than $100 a month on lattes and/or recreational shopping.
That lady? FAIL
@Buran: Agreed – there was a recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about the local water restrictions and whether or not homeowners were reporting their neighbors for violating them – there was a comments section where every other post was “snitches wind up in ditches” or something similar. Truly sad to see. Advocating direct violence against another should NOT be free speech.
@hypnotik_jello: Um, you missed the part about their negatively-amortized mortgage about to reset to the tune of about $1000 more a month…
@mconfoy: Not trolling But I was truly unhappy with the inconsistency.
The moderator explained it well enough, she’s pretty much using her best judgment along with community feedback. I still don’t like it but given the same information I could seem myself doing the same.
@Techguy1138: Joking
@sunwukong:
“I wish they had more details on what their debt consisted of, e.g., how much in HELOCs, per credit card, etc.”
Does it really matter? They’re $800K+ in debt. Interest expense alone at 7% (if they’re lucky to have rates that low with what must now assuredly be lousy credit) is at least $56K/year. Gross income is $60K.
What we really need to know is what they can realistically sell their house for in a cold market. If it’s less than $1 million, I’d say “game over.”
To the husband: close all of your joint accounts. Place them all in her name and then run away as fast as you can screaming the entire time.
Suze Orman is a nutter! Yes these people are dumbasses (and make me feel so much better about my youthful financial follies) but to tell them they have to move to a different state is just bizarro! What the hell is she talking about?
It’s one thing to give people a financial plan; it’s another to tell them they must abandon their friends and probably family. They can’t sell one of their homes? Or both and downsize to one home (in California)? That’s just crazy talk.
She can pay it off by doing porn in some milf series.
I hope the husband still has enough money left over for a divorce lawyer.
I am in agreement with the comments that this woman is troubled. I would need to agree that her husband is also and that the kids are on their way.
The role models for our children need to really make better choices, and I am curious to know if this lady had role models that behaved in this manner. The husband is the enabler and really it stuck in a hole.
Holy crapbuckets.
She should not be allowed to be a parent.
This woman is exactly what every man in America fears the most. A lying bimbo who’s more concerned with her selfish desires, than the needs of her kids. I’m willing to bet that she tells her kids that they lost their toys when they can’t find them after she sells them for starbucks money. She’s down right defrauded her husband by putting him in this position. She lied through omission so do not give me this crap that her husband is responsible, she actively hid the finances, and lied. This is the same type of behavior that prostitutes participate in. “Hmm so I look good, so I can get anything I want right? Tehe” I say eliminate her from the gene pool, shes way to stupid to be around.
BY NOYOUARE AT 10/23/07 05:27 PM
What’s with the threats of physical violence against this woman? She is obviously very troubled. Let’s have some compassion…
Your worthless compassion is what these people are made of. She needs to learn the hard way, or would you rather show her some of your progressive compassion and bail her out yourself?
I didn’t think so.
@isadora: they don’t have 2 homes, they have 2 MORTGAGES. And they’re apparently upside-down in the one home they do have, and Suze is advocating getting away from the bleed-you-dry CA income taxes and cost of living (never mind the fact that Seattle is hardly cheap living.)
To those advocating divorce… well, divorce ain’t free. Divorce in CA is worse than most, and some sly divorce lawyer would make her look more like Mother Teresa than Scarlett O’Hara and make sure he was on the hook for supporting her until he can’t work anymore.
3 cars, mortgaged up to their eyeballs… yes she probably has a mental disorder with the shopping and lying about spending, and he at a minimum has a head-in-sand problem, but I don’t feel the least bit sorry for them. Their kids, yes… the parents, no. It just shouldn’t take this kind of exposure and probably loss of their home to get their attention.
Mr. Clueless needs to learn to “Trust, but verify” especially where finances are concerned.
@rekoil: Yeah, I bet they’ll be really happen after all the reservoirs (before the end of December where I live) are drained dry. Look, the creek’s become a giant ditch! (Did you see that episode of The Boondocks?)
@oosnoopy: False dilemma. It isn’t either you want her beaten up or you want to bail her out.
Holy shit. I live on what she drops for coffee in a month! YIKES!
This woman is disgusting and needs serious help. Neglecting her children because she craves unneeded material comforts? I’m surprised child services haven’t stepped in, seeing how gung-ho they’ve become lately. And she goes on about how guilty she is about it…but apparently not shamed or guilty enough to change. Her husband is just as guilty as she is (seriously, does anyone communicate with their significant others anymore?)
@mconfoy:
I’m glad and feeling a little bit sorry I didn’t get it
I don’t understand the “move to Seattle” suggestion from Orman. These people should move to some dirt cheap Midwestern suburb where the cost of living is extremely low but the “computer contractor” husband is still employable. Seattle ain’t cheap.
I’m not for violence in this case per say someone needs to knock some sence into these people. Not sure how you can without using said violence as I don’t know how you would change someones ways. Maybe a court ordered accountant to run the finances? I can only hope the kids learn from the parents mistakes as they sit on the street homeless.
@LAGirl: why do people assume parents should pay for their kids college? My parents didn’t and I think im better off now that i had to learn to save for school and budget while in it.
this lady is insane. Poor husband, even if he divorces her he still owes half the debt. that sucks. Sell the house and the cars. get a job and move on.
@Consumerist Moderator – ACAMBRAS: Just out of curiosity and for my own edification: Are bannings doled out only for calling for violence against someone, or also for expressing one’s wish to perform said violence on said someone? I mean, is it only something like “Someone please slap this bitch!” that will get me banned, or does “I’d love to give this bitch a slappin’!” count too? What about “This bitch deserves a beating!”, or even more obvious hyperbole like “OMG, I could kill this woman!”? Thanks!
“I have six kids and I sell their toys sometimes just because I don’t like them.”
Does she mean she doesn’t like the toys or she doesn’t like her kids?…
@TyChan: “Also, what happens if she falls in love?” … I’d help her pack, and wish her a nice life. Just hope the next guy makes more than 60k.
She obviously has no respect for her husband/family to be so absurdly irresponsible with money.
They just need a good tragedy in their life. Not like death or anything, but maybe a small lawsuit or something from one of their neighbors to force them to become responsible adults in our society. Maybe they’ll see there’s more to life than Starbucks and fake nails and clothes. And yes, those poor kids. No insurance? This lady should have her kids taken away from her for negligence. Oh wait, then she would have even more time to do whatever the heck she wants!
That woman should be put in an asylum. Or Debtors prison. Whatever works to save her kids and her husband from her addiction to “credit card crack”.
I could retract Phil and Felice and insert the name of my son and his wife and even add a few dollars to the debt and it would be the same story.
I’m glad I’m not the only person who is flabbergasted at this kind of debt!
In my case my son is as bad as his wife. He buys a $300 cell phone and then she buys a $300 cell phone and on it goes.
They are up to 4 kids and counting. They’ve all been boys and she wants a girl for they keep having kids they can not afford.
They have shopped and vacationed themselves into debt that totals $400k plus and their home is only worth about $180k.
My daughter in law only works 2 days a week and he owns a tiny used car lot that he hired someone to watch over so they can vacation every time the kids are not in school.
I’ve asked him about all this going and spending and he actually told me they pay cash. What he didn’t know is that I’ve seen their cc statements and that was just an out right lie!
At this point we aren’t speaking since I put my foot down and told them I was no longer babysitting for them to take vacations, only for work or illness.
I can’t get my mind around this kind of debt and I have nothing to talk to them about. I don’t want to hear they have bought this or gone there cause I know they can NOT afford it.
I don’t want to hear she’s pregnant again, they don’t care about the 4 children they have nor can they afford them!
@Geekybiker: If he divorces her he’ll probably be stuck with all the debt in his name and be forced to give her half his salary for the rest of his life.
She’s bleeding him dry, he might as well be able to fuck her.
Excuse me, but, how can a family of 8 live on 60K/yr with her wild spending? She must be buying clothes for the kids from the Goodwill or some other resale shop because buying clothes, food, etc. for six kids on one salary should’ve bankrupted them a long, long, long time ago. And three cars? If she isn’t working, what the hell does she need a car for? I didn’t see the Oprah show but apparently he isn’t any better than she is. I pray he never loses his job or they are going to be one completely effed family. The husband is one whipped cream puff. Not only does she have his balls, they’ve been bronzed and are hanging from her rearview mirror.
This is from the article: “Felice says she feels ashamed that she kept her spending habits from her husband, but she feels more ashamed that her children have no medical or dental coverage, which she says would only cost $1,000 a month. “My children have had things happen. We almost lost a daughter a couple years ago to a ruptured appendix and also I’ve had health problems. And I have a daughter who has a neurological disease,” she says. “It’s total selfishness. My kids mean the world to me and I should be putting them first, but I put myself first. … It’s shameful.”
Now knowing all that, how in the hell can you continually be so blind and spend money and your nails, hair, and coffee and not even think of getting a job? You f*cking moron. No sympathy for you whatsoever and even less to husband who didn’t take control after seeing that first 10k worth of charges with no explanation. I feel sorry for those children
Sometimes the only term that will do is “stupid cunt.”
I wonder what Bill Cosby has to say about this woman’s poor grasp of what it takes be a responsible parent or even a contributing member of society.
I bring up Bill Cosby because he has a lot to say about the poor, darker hued Americans and their lousy choices but clearly bad choices aren’t limited to the poor and dark skinned.
Seriously it reads like to me
this is a man who married and breeded (6 times) with a very shallow woman because she’s his little prize.
Everytime he imagines digging the family out of their financial hole, I’m sure she gets pregnant again.
The seventh child will be named Bankruptcy, though.
I wanna be her neighbor. Think about the benefit..
Wait, that’s me – I am that husband!
For the third time in our seven year marriage, my wife has racked up multi-thousand dollar credit card debt behind my back. This third and most recent time amounted to 53K. More than the first two times combined! The rate on some of these cards is 31% and total minimum payments are more than my mortgage.
It is the single most dehumanizing and frustrating experience to a) find out that your spouse has lied to you repeatedly about a spending issue you thought was behind you and b) your back in the hole again for the foreseeable future. Oh yeah, and let me add c) my credit rating is in the tank too. She took out two cards in both of our names that I was not aware of.
I now spend my Saturday’s following up with collections agencies and negotiating payment plans.
I wrote it off the first time this happened as just a mistake, the second time I almost left her but decided to work it out since she swore it wouldn’t happen again, and now a third time. I regret staying because this time around we have a two year old child and this is the last thing we need.
Here I go again, into the debts of Hell.
Little late to the party, but this is so outrageously stupid I have to say something. These parents, but the mother particularly, are being grossly negligent. How can they spend all this money, but not purchase health insurance for their kids. What if one of their kids gets sick and they don’t have health insurance or the money to pay for the life saving but expensive procedure little Billy needs to LIVE? Starbucks, tanning, manicures, clothes, three cars, a life of excess and stupidity has put these kids in danger.
dirk1965, I’ll BET Dave Ramsey would like to get hold of her. By the looks of here, I would, too. I’d SIIHP, if you catch my drift.
Our government (we are the government) is doing the same thing as this woman is so why should we complain. No matter how orderly your own personal financial house is, if you permit our government to spend like a drunken sailor (I can say that because I am a Marine) then you shouldn’t be badmouthing this poor lady. She and her ilk are the ones supporting our economy and they are the ones (hardworking Americans they are called) who will be bailed out by all kinds of government assistance (our tax money) and free healthcare for their uninsured broods (paid for by tax payers),