Anyone who has ever made a budget knows that if you are spending more money than you're making, you have to figure out how to reduce some of those expenditures. This means listing everything you spend money on in any given month and then deciding which expenses are necessary and which are not. At some point, if you're going to disrupt the pattern of over-spending, you will have to start eliminating some unnecessary expenses and reducing others.
For your average family, this usually means eating out less, going on fewer vacations, not buying new clothes as frequently, and maybe even dropping your cable or satellite TV service. Obviously different families and even the various members of those families would probably prioritize the importance of those expenditures differently. But ultimately, the final decision lies upon the the head of that household; the person who earns the money and then turns around and spends it to keep that roof over their heads. That person has to make a difficult decision which no matter what, will piss off at least one member of their household.
When you aren't the person writing the checks or paying the bills online, cringing as you watch that number in your bank account change from black to red, it's difficult to comprehend the importance of these decisions. It's easy to get used to all of the luxuries you have and begin thinking of them as something you are entitled to.
