Many Americans are feeling squeezed financially, according to surveys. So that bodes the question: Do we have an income problem or a spending problem? Do we create our own hazard with finance or do we not have enough opportunity to earn a viable paycheck? Money magazine recently ran a story about how debt has risen so much over just one generation. The story adjusted figures for inflation and found that the average household debt one generation ago was $600. Today it's up to $7,300 -- a 1,200 percent increase. Mortgage debt has risen 50 percent, while the average size of a home has risen 50 percent! Think about that for a moment. Our expectations have grown so much that we're taking on 50 percent higher debt for a 50 percent larger house -- even though the average family size has shrunk. Clark's executive producer, Christa, is among those who have decided to take on more debt to have a larger home with her husband and two children. It used to be that multiple kids would share a bedroom, but today each child gets their own. So we are choosing to take on more debt that people did a generation ago. And it increases the amount of pressure that people feel when they face a job loss or illness. The question Clark wants people to decide for themselves is what is your additional debt worth to you? Is it better to live in a smaller home and have less debt? Only you can answer that.