This does underscore a tremendous lack of financial planning for most people. I can admit. If I were stressed with a $2K bill tomorrow, I could pay it, but I would be stressed to get back to center financially without digging into my retirement and other less "locked down" savings accounts. We took a hit when the economy turned south. The good of it is, we learned those financial lessons that many missed and are set to grow as opposed to subject to failing. We are just on the turn as we sit now.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>Many need to learn the hard lessons without experiencing them. That is HARD to teach. Most won't listen to one person's experience because they can not see the wisdom. They only learn through their own failures. Money is that one "commodity" that people can't seem to self-regulate. They see the here and now as opposed to the there and then.&nbsp;</div>

MAJ Chang, good info, and definitely underscores the need to keep finances among those frequently discussed topics; it seems an unfortunate byproduct of our modern culture in the U.S., we certainly can't talk enough about spending habits, savings, investing, and financial planning. Good looking out, thanks for caring, and thanks for sharing!

Yes. I have been saving $700 per month since 2/2012. We have no bills except for our mortgage and keep that for tax purposes. No credit card debt and all vehicles are paid for.