The Mom With $135,000 In Credit Card Debt Who Spends $400 A Month On Starbucks
"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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Comments:
I actually saw this the other day. This idiot sat there smiling the whole time like it was nothing. I thought her husband was going to have a heart attack.
She actually said she could not get a job because she needed to be home for her kids (who are all in school).
Holy dogsh*t. This is insane. I don't know how else to response except to say that I probably won't spend $400 at Starbucks over the course of my life and am happy for it.
@Jaysyn: Screw that. He's henpecked and whipped. Even if she does hide some of the debt, he has to know how much they're paying or the mortgage and cars...on 60K a year? Idiots.
This story just reminds me of how much this new generation is spending themselves into debt because of a compulsion to buy crap. We need to have people educated on credit in High School so they understand that it is not free money to be tossed away. This is not Monopoly.
this is what we call failing at life
David Ramsey would love to get a hold of this woman!
this story makes me feel better.
~flush~
I'll be 99% debt free starting thursday... I think im gonna treat myself to a victory mortgage
Hearwarming stories like this make me feel better about my abysmal financial situation.
This could easily be solved if the husband learned to beat his wife on a daily basis, preferably with a closed fist.
Plus, she doesn't want to sacrifice. At all. "oh, I know it's wrong, but I just can't give it up." Screw people like this. You can't have everything you want just because you want it. That attitude is ultimately what's going to bring this country to its knees.
Yeah I have student loans..NOT a lot..and I can't even get approved for a credit card for over a $200 limit (I'm also only 24 with no credit history because I'm scared to shit to spend what I don't have). How the hell do people like this get to spend this much money on material things? Cash advance on what? She doesn't work. Credit will always make little sense to me.
I just watched a movie about a woman who made tons of money without ever leaving the house. From her picture, this gal appears to be more than qualified. You end up needing to replace the sheets more often, but it'll make $60k look like change found between the couch cushions.
this is as disgusting as it is sad. she is absolutely disgusting, and i am sad for her kids with no health insurance and (to a lesser degree) her husband who is committed to this materialistic wench.
oh no suze orman makes an appearance
its amazing how vanity and stupidity can lead to such incredible debt.
I'm predicting this woman's children are never going to speak to her again once they grow up move out of the house. No health insurance for them while spending that much on herself, plus selling their toys because she decided she doesn't like them?
Wow. Can you say that this guy should cut his losses? How could you live with someone who is such a financial train wreck. Even seperating accounts and giving her an allowance doesnt seem like it would fix anything. She'd probably apply for credit without him knowing, run up bills, and blow the money she gets in allowance on stupid. stuff. I wouldnt trust her with money enough to give her cash to buy clothes if I didnt goto the store with her to make sure she really bought clothes with it.
When I do shop, I do kind of get a rush. It makes me feel good... but afterwards, though, I get depressed.
Good grief, could it be any clearer that she's suffering from some kind of compulsive disorder?
@Nero Diavolo: wouldn't that make her buy even MORE things? outfits that go with big bruises, designer bandages, etc?
also, careful! someone was banned in another thread for some violence against women comment.
@RandomHookup: But paying for the smooth jazz, candles, and oils for said job would be pretty expensive. Also, what happens if she falls in love?
wonder how many Louis Vuitton purses she owns...
usually the sign of a person with more money than taste.
The sad thing is that 400 bucks a month is only like 13 bucks a day. That's easily a couple of mochas and some snacks. Not trying to justify for her, just saying that Starbucks is fricking absurd and absurdly overpriced.
Also - I want to punch this woman in the face.
The woman needs professional help. I don't mean that as an insult either: I honestly think she needs counseling if she spends money for the rush and can't bring herself to walk out of a store without making a purchase. She's like a crack addict. Selling her kid's toys to make room for her own clothing? No health insurance even though one of her kids has a neurological disease? WTF?
I have no sympathy for the husband either. Even if he's totally ignorant of the bills he HAS to know they have no medical insurance. Why didn't he do something about that?
This is so beyond insane it gives you a headache to think about it.
her husband needs to stop being such a p*ssy, and take control of the finances.
what the hell would they do if the kids got sick? and how are they going to pay for college for 6 kids?
This makes me sick. Do you know how many of these people there are running around? She needs to grow up and start acting like an adult. This isn't lala land or Barbie games with unlimited credit cards-it's real life, lady.
Now I totally have to apologize for yelling at my husband for making the unauthorized purchase of $50 shoes. I could have it so much worse.
Her husband needs to grow a pair. Lacking that, perhaps he could purchase a pair with a bit of the money she doesn't spend when he kicks her selfish butt out of the house. Drive yourself into debt all you want. Bad idea, but whatever.
Allow your kids to go without essentials like health care? That's a paddlin'.
How the hell is this sustainable on $60K/year? It doesn't surprise me that these people have GOTTEN to this point, but what I don't understand is how they are able to sustain this massive level of debt without a slew of liens and repossessions.
*facefaults*
*doubletake*
*sweatdrops*
You have GOT to be kidding me. OK, this country is filled up with some STUPID fools. 135k in Credit Card bills? WTFHAX, mate?! OMFG.
And 680k in mortgages? THREE cars? Please tell me one of her SIX kids (!!!) drives the third car. And you've got to be kidding me with the house crap.
THIS is what's wrong with our culture.
Where's that great Mod who bans violent a-holes like nerodiavolo?
@forever_knight:
also, careful! someone was banned in another thread for some violence against women comment.
That's right. Even if this woman has made terrible choices, there is no need to call for violence against her. Take that crap somewhere else, because it's not welcome here.
"how are they going to pay for college for 6 kids?"
Well, if college is double the rate of inflation, tuition and fees should be about $3 million per year by the time the kids are grown. I don't even know how I'm going to afford MY kids' college.
And yes, I agree. Dad needs to kick mom to the curb. And then Dad needs to file for bankruptcy, get rid of the big house, clean the credit up, and learn a very valuable lesson here: NEVER shack up with anyone whose idea of tame spending spends three of your monthly salaries each month!
@DEMONRADIO: Seconded. Also, JAZZSQUARE: "I want to punch this woman in the face."
What's with the threats of physical violence against this woman? She is obviously very troubled. Let's have some compassion...
Don't you guys get it? He has balls! And she's probably taking care of them quite nicely, if you catch my drift. He wanted a trophy wife, and he got one. If he wanted a "financially responsible" wife, he wouldn't have married a woman who spends $240 on tanning. He wanted someone who was a hot looking wife, and now he's paying the consequences. Literally.
@bambino: You say "Stupid bitch," I say "very troubled." I'm glad for you that you've had such a trouble-free existence that you feel no empathy for your fellow humans and their struggles.
Christ what a moron. I would chock this one up to a poor education in mathematics and borderline personality disorder. Instead of a 400$ month latte habit they could save for all six kids to go to college. If I am going to have a 400$/month habit it ain't going to be for no lattes. I can understand them not having health insurance. If it is not provided by his employer it could easily run the family $1500-$2000 month for just basic coverage. I know it was close to that for my parents with five kids. We really do have a health care disaster in this country. Don't worry about that though, just keep shopping, the problem will take care of itself.
@demonradio:
@joemono:
I'm right here.
LISTEN UP EVERYBODY -- call this woman and/or her husband irresponsible or stupid -- whatever. But anyone who calls for violence against her gets banned.
You can call it censorship or say I'm depriving you of your first amendment rights. I don't care.
This is the silly woman who's going to spend $5000 a piece on Hannah Montana tickets for all 6 kids to make them happy.
Credit is far too easy to get these days. How does a guy making $60,000 a year get enough cards to total $135,000 in credit? Yes, people should be more responsible, but come on, get real. They'll spend to the limit. The companies need to be more responsible in lending to these people.
I wish they had more details on what their debt consisted of, e.g., how much in HELOCs, per credit card, etc.
It's mind boggling that lenders would even allow this to happen!
I didn't see the tv program, but from the brief description it sounds like this woman has an addiction to shopping/spending.
@kscottz:
Every one of those six beautiful children is going to be bad-mouthing their mother their entire adult life. At best, every time they say anything about their mom it will start like "She's my mom and I love her, but..."
@lesbiansayswhat: That's the trick with credit cards. They're most useful when you don't need them. You're right to not use a credit card if you can't afford to pay it off yet. The best thing to do when you are able to start making payments is to use your credit card to pay your bills online then autodebit your credit card payment from your bank account. This goes a long way to building up your credit score because you're a) using your credit card and b) you pay off the balance every month. Not to mention the side benefits of using a card that give you airline miles. A friend who does this hasn't paid for a plane ticket in a long while.
I almost feel bad for her husband. Almost.