This applies to vacations too. I can't imagine going on a vacation I can't afford. It would stress me more than just staying home. But I have also built a life I don't want to escape. I go on trips with my wife, but we aren't running from anything and we certainly don't go into debt for it. What a lot of people miss is that they're really just digging themselves deeper into the hole they're trying to temporarily escape by doom spending.