The systems which are in place today seem to be set up to make us debtors. We hold personal accountability for the things we do financially (and otherwise), but between student loans and credit card debt, a person coming out of college can very well have a difficult "fresh start".  Remember, student loans are one of the only loan not forgiven in a bankruptcy. 

I don't know about you, but when I was in college, hand me down/goodwill furniture and I ate hamburger helper.  Trying to keep up the standard of living of your parents and/or friends will never allow you to live within your financial truth.

The following quote was an excerpt from Peter Walsh's book It's All Too Much

"It may not seem obvious, but there is a connection between debt and clutter. I'm not talking about home, school, or car loans. Those loans tend to have resonable interest rates, but credit card debt is a real devil, and it is always the result of inappropriate acquisition of goods. The average American family owes $9,200 in credit card debt. Some of us get sucked into credit card debt when we're youn, unemployed, and/or vulnerable. Who can blame us when companies are aggressively marketing credit cards to college students and bankruptcy filers? With credit cards at their disposal in college, kids try to duplicate the standard of living they had with their families. They develop a sense that they can acquire whatever they want. Kids come out of school and instead of starting from scratch, they are starting out with debt, and the worst kind: credit card debt. And once you've got a little debt, it's a hard habit to break.

When it comes to managing your credit cards, you need to establish routines and set limits. Sound familiar? It's the same thing I told you to teach you children. Limited space equals limited toys. Limited funds equals limited spending. Trust me, no matter how much you want that stereo or that new car, excess spending will bring you more grief in the long run."