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When I first came to States seven years ago, I had a very vague impression as to what debt consolidation was. I am originally from Eastern Europe, and there, the notion of debt is rather something that people generally do not accept, although, now, it is starting to be more and more popular to use credit (loans) on things like cars, condos, houses, electronics, etc. However, there, people do not live on credit cards. If they have the money, they will spend it, if not, then not. However, here, I notice bill consolidation on credit cards and other line of credit is very common. Apparently, the notion of consumption is very widespread. I understand it, as, personally, I sometimes feel drawn in by the attractive and vivid images of publicity, ads, and so forth. Sometimes it just feels that it is impossible to resist the temptation of consuming, more, and more, and more, and more. However, since, apparently, there is never enough money, consuming more and more and more and more leads to more and more and more and more debt – as sometimes there are not enough hours in a day to get everything done, so here there is just sometimes not enough money to cover all the desired expenses. What’s worse, for me, at least, is that once I start spending more, I start to see that there is much more to spend on – just like the vicious circle. For example, once I realized that sometimes I can afford to spend a bit of money on this and that home essential (like, buying nicer towels, decorating the apartment a bit more, etc), I soon realized that once our apartment looks a bit better, we, ourselves, deserve to rest a bit more, go out a bit more – the list goes on and on and on. These “bits” accumulate – so do the debts. Sometimes I start wondering if there is a certain job that will take care of all these expenses…and sometimes I find that there just is not one. It’s difficult, though, since once you start spending, you need more and more debt help, and the circle continues…