We are the deep-in-debt generation

We are the people who hang on to our student ID cards well into our 30s, simply because we still need the discount. We are the people who carry Dad's credit card for emergencies, even a decade into our own careers. We are the people who have dated just for a free meal. We are also the people who use plastic as a substitute for real funds. An October 2004 report from consumer advocacy group Demos found that credit card debt spiked 104 percent from 1992 to 2001. Such debt has risen 55 percent among 25- to 34-year-olds during the same period.

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