Keeping down with the Joneses

The Joneses are those people we compare ourselves to, our neighborers and others we see whom seem to have it all: nice cars, big houses and the latest clothes. But like a duck gliding serenely across a pond you don't see the hard paddling going on beneath the water. You don't see the long hours they work or the stress they feel as they struggle deep in debt to keep up appearances.

When you break it down, how much time do you spend thinking about your neighbor's, friend's or relatives' material quality of life? A few minutes a day? Maybe even less. Yet for many of us these transient thoughts guide a big part of our lives - what car we will look successful in, what labels to wear and how many rooms our house has. So we drown in debt also, spending like the Joneses.