Another guy at my job was complaining on payday last week. He is 30 years old. He is paying for two brand-new cars, paying for a house, has a live-in girlfriend that contributes 500 bucks a month and has $10,000 in credit card debt. He makes over $100,000 a year and he is complaining that he's always broke because he's trying to pay off credit cards. That's the only reason he's broke, you see. He has that credit card debt. No other reason.
I can kinda sort-of understand why he is fooled into thinking that the CC is the only reason he is in debt. The other things you list he believes are necessary. He can also derive daily utility from them: they look nice and he puts his body in them. Whereas the CC debt is probably from things that no longer provide utility like past meals at restaurants, gas, gifts for other people, etc....
(If you noticed the sexual innuendo, thanks. If you didn't, please try to find it. I put lots of effort into it.)
I didn't notice it until you shamelessly plugged yourself...then I had to read it twice.
It's worse than I stated, though. She got an, ahem, 'augmentation' done which in his mind improves her appearance even more. He paid for half, so now he gets to say that she can't leave him, half of those belong to him.
She gets to go out with her friends often because he's working all the time. On the off chance he has a night off, he gets into serious trouble should he choose to go out with his buds to do what guys do on a night out.
Her twin sister has received a huge block of ice as an engagement ring. He is now expected to beat that and just can't believe how it just keeps coming. When will he EVER be free of this indebted life?
In his mind, he will be free when he gets a raise. Well, he already GOT a raise...by far...when he got this job. He immediately bought two vehicles and a house, plus a few other lower ticket toys. Why he thinks he will be free with another raise is beyond me. In this frame of non-mustachian mind, a raise just gives you the breathing room you need to afford the jet ski and the trailer. And you could probably swing the 80" 4k flatscreen, too, then.
But I can only mock so much. That was ME for too long.