[dougmwne]

You're right, and yet...

We live in a consumer society. The messages pulling us to buy things are pervasive and highly effective. Our self-worth has been successful tied to those cars and iPhones by the companies who sell them. It's a real phenomenon that when a low income person gets a windfall they might buy a TV. But there are a number of totally legitimate reasons for that. Besides the marketing, money has a totally different meaning when you are low income. It's not some safety blanket you can store up for later. It's more like evaporating pools of water on a hot day. It's going to go somewhere, and soon. It's pretty rational to have it go towards something you know you or your family will enjoy instead of the next bill collector. The bill collectors will never be satisfied anyway.