Efforts to become upscale can slam family finances, according to
The Overspent American by Julliet B. Schor (Harper Perennial) "Through the 1990s, households have been taking debt at record levels. Debt service as a percentage of disposable income now stands at 18 percent. Work time has risen about 10 percent in the last 25 years. It is not surprising that personal bankruptcies are at historic levels."