To bring this back around to the topic of the thread... a co-worker mentioned today in passing that they had a water heater go out this weekend. They replaced it, but now are $300 short until next pay day in two weeks for their monthly budget and they have to decide which bills to pay and which to see if they can get an extension.
Oomph... I know we hear this stuff and we see the headlines that most "Americans are $400 away from disaster" (Or whatever the exact amount is), but it's hard to imagine the stress of living like that all the time.
I've always wondered how they phrase the question on the survey.....depending on how they asked the question, I might answer yes.....there are times when there is less than $100 in my checking account (I don't count the $2,000 that keeps in above the minimum because I'm not paying fees for all the features the account has).....and since we're FI, just not RE (next year), it's not like I don't have the money 'somewhere', just not in my chequing account. I am a cynic, and I often read survey questions and know what answer they're trying to elicit. And I'm also damn good at manipulating statistics to produce the chart that 'proves' whatever point I want to make.
But I also know I don't live in the 'real' world, and DH and I joke about living 'pay cheque to pay cheque', but that's only because I moved the money out of the chequing account on pay day to a higher purpose. 99% of all our spending goes on a credit card, for an unexpected expense doesn't really show up for a month.....and given that time and our cash flow, it would no longer be an unexpected expense, it would be in my spreadsheet (I love spreadsheets)......I also know it's a gift of genetics and environment that allows me to do a job that pays me well, and a brain that thinks the way it does (the way this community does)