CLARKONOMICS: Is this the best of financial times or the worst of financial times in the United States? Arguments could easily be made on both sides. Clark wants to share his thoughts amid all the campaign rhetoric you'll be hearing about the economy.

The average American family is living so much better than just a few years ago or a generation ago. Now, before you say this is a trite assessment on Clark's part, hear him out. If you go back 2 generations, nobody had air conditioning or dishwashers -- now they're taken as an article of faith in the modern American home. Clark and his wife recently bought a foreclosure that had 2 dishwashers, 2 laundry rooms and 2 ovens. Meanwhile, the average size of the American home in 1 generation is up 40% (even though family size is shrinking). We have all kinds of electronics at our disposal. We make more than we did a generation ago. The average family income, adjusted for inflation, is up over 20% in a generation.

But the "shop 'til you drop" mentality causes us unnecessary harm and anxiety. A decade ago, the average American bought 33 items of clothing during the year. Today, we buy 48 items, a whopping 50% more. Yes, they're less expensive and semi-disposable thanks to places like Target and Wal-Mart. But the disposable nature of buying and wracking up debt is what has us all bent out of shape. One generation ago, Americans saved 11% of what they made. Now it's 0 or a negative number when they overspend.

We are in the midst of a debt disease that has clutched us with a death-grip. So, yes, overall we're wealthier, but we are pulling the rug out from under ourselves by living above our means and taking on debt. Clark likes to say that we're seizing defeat out of the jaws of victory. So what can you do to make a change? You could buy a smaller home; keep your old car that's been paid off; or look in the closet and see that you don't need to buy any more clothes. You can't do all of these at once, so just pick one and try it out. Christa and her family are actively involved in a consumer cleansing. They're taking better care of what they have instead of accumulating more. Read about all about it in her new blog.