Several readers suggested personal finances and homes as a topic. "Yesterday, there was a thread about boomers and their spending everything they earn. I would like to know if there are many other boomers like me (tail end - born in 1962). I finally got a house in a less bubbly area and I have no desire to 'own' all of the toys that go with it."

"I just want to save money, pay off the house, and live simple. My cars are paid for, have several hundred thousand saved, absolutely abhor debt to the max, etc. Are there many others like me still left, or am I abnormal because everyone should own a Hummer, boat, exotic vacations, designer clothes, etc, and have big debt to go with it?"

A reply, "I never got into owning things. Maintaining them is too much trouble. I’ve never had a balance on my credit card, paid cash for all the cars I have ever owned (kept my Volvo 240GL for 20 yrs!), never had any debt other than a mortgage (sold house last year)."

Another said, "I’m a younger boomer and to answer your question, I feel exactly as you do. I also have a lot of friends around our age who do not fit the stereotypical 'boomer' description. Frankly, I think that the boomer generation is simply too large and spans too many years to categorize so easily."

"My husband and I don’t own a home right now because we just moved and current home prices just don’t pencil out for us, but we’re paying for our apartment with earnings from our savings. And yes, I mean savings, not 'housing windfall.' You know, money put away after years of hard work."

And another, "I’m a relatively early boomer (1949), and I don’t spend wildly. I live in a house that I bought for a little over 1x my salary at the time, refinanced a couple of years ago into a 5% 15-year fixed with no other debt of any kind. I drive a 17-year-old car to work every day and have a 'new' 5-year-old car and a 10-year-old truck. We have quite a bit of savings and conservative investments; if I got laid off tomorrow, we could pay our essential expenses for many years without too much difficulty."

One said. "I’m 1961: We penny pinch and are proud of it, (and) there are plenty like us out there. I know a couple 8 years younger than us that are 3 years away from paying off their mortgage. (That means before 35 they own their home!) These people are not heirs but work and save very carefully."

"That being said, I know what the boomer bashers are speaking of….I see that most younger boomers DO genuflect to the $$$$$ and image pressures."

One from Nevada. "Lately, I see many more of those H3’s crusing around town here in Reno. It seems no one wants to make due,or are on any sort of budget. The 'I wants' brag about buying new clothes, furniture, cars, electronics etc…. and quirp 'how much' their houses are going up."

"My husband and I - we like the simple life, we believe quality is more important an quanity, with no desire to have the 'newest' or 'best stuff' on the market. The sheeple are followers, and wont change their mindset until its forced upon them."

The LA Times. "In Los Angeles County, foreclosure activity, homes entering some stage of the process, rose 5% from July to August, to 2,107 properties. It was the third hike in three months, according to RealtyTrac. In Orange County, the rate rose 9%, to 606 properties, in the same period, while Riverside and San Bernardino counties posted a steep 52% increase, to 2,717 properties."

The Orange County Register. "A jump in the cost of Kelly Drexel's Huntington Harbour home forced her back to work, instead of staying at home with her daughter, now 4, she said. The Drexels paid more than $1 million for the three-bedroom house in 2004. The cost jump came from swapping an interest-only loan for a traditional fixed-rate mortgage and from a spike in property tax after remodeling their kitchen and buying a boat dock, she said."

"Her husband, a division manager for a construction company, was set to pay 50 percent of his salary on housing, she said. She doesn't expect a lot of sympathy but still finds the high cost of housing frustrating. 'I know a lot of people who own a lot more home than I do who paid a lot less,' she said."

"Joe Huizar said he and his wife are finding it tough to pay for their two-bedroom condo in Santa Ana, which they bought in 2004 for $280,000. Huizar and his wife owe $330,000 after refinancing to pay for upgrades and other bills. They owe $15,000 on credit cards, he said. 'It's a struggle each month,' he said."

"The Huizars considered sharing the master bedroom with their two daughters and renting out the other bedroom, but nixed the idea for the girls' security, he said. 'I think Orange County is getting worse,' Huizar said. 'There are high-rises going up. They are starting at $700,000. There is nobody in Santa Ana who can afford that.'"

The Union Tribune. "When Sarah Brooks decided to get her financial house in order, that's exactly where she began: her home. The El Cerrito woman has been pondering whether to refinance her mortgage. She's also considering selling the house within a few years. Compounding her worry are the dozen or so homes in her neighborhood that are already for sale, and not selling."

"'Those houses have been for sale for months, so who knows when I'll be able to sell mine and go for a 'step-up' house,' said Brooks, who bought her home in 1990. 'I need to do something.'"

"Some homeowners have been turning equity into cash, by way of refinancings, credit lines and second mortgages. 'We try to encourage people to look at the larger picture, do they need that pool or new kitchen, or some toy they don't have any business buying because they can't really afford it?' financial planner Jon Beyrer said. 'People who don't want to curb consumption or instant gratification need to understand that they don't get a free lunch by doing this.'"

"'A lot of people got in over their heads when they bought a home in the recent past,' financial planner John Rossitto said. 'They took some very aggressive loans with the mindset that they'd be able to change something in their circumstances before interest rates went up.'"

"One example was a hotline caller who had taken out an equity line of credit to assist her child in buying a condo, which in turn was financed with a negative amortization loan. 'If they sell the property they'd lose money, because trying to sell a condo right now in this market is not fun,' Rossitto said. 'And staying with the current loan they lose money. In her particular situation, the best thing was to hang on and refinance.'"