7 Things the Middle Class Can't Afford Anymore That's quite a headline. It comes from Bob Wenzel's reading of Diana Farrell, former Deputy Director of America's National Economic Council. What are those 7 Things the Middle Class Can't Afford Anymore? 1. Vacations. 2. New Vehicles. 3. Pay off debt. 4. Emergency savings. 5. Retirement savings. 6. Medical care. 7. Dental work. Hard to find disagreement with these. Two of the things that I lament since quitting my driving job in 1986 at $37,000 at UPS is that I could, one, afford a new car every couple of years, and two, go on a couple of nice vacations each year. So at least on those two accounts, she's right, those are things that the middle class can't afford anymore.

7 Things the Middle Class Can't Afford Anymore

That's quite a headline.  It comes from Bob Wenzel's reading of Diana Farrell, former Deputy Director of America's National Economic Council.  What are those 7 Things the Middle Class Can't Afford Anymore?  

1.  Vacations. 
2.  New Vehicles.
3.  Pay off debt.
4.  Emergency savings.
5.  Retirement savings. 
6.  Medical care. 
7.  Dental work. 

Hard to find disagreement with these.  Two of the things that I lament since quitting my driving job in 1986 at $37,000 at UPS is that I could, one, afford a new car every couple of years, and two, go on a couple of nice vacations each year. So at least on those two accounts, she's right, those are things that the middle class can't afford anymore.