[updog]

Man, you are clearly speaking from a position of privilege on that one. How the hell do you hold back 6-12 months salary when you can barely afford the rent, utility bills and the costs of raising some kids to begin with?

Haha, just hold back 6 months salary! You make it sound so easy!

It's not that they didn't prepare, it's that many of them have no means to prepare, and barely have the means to continue as is.

Many also believe that it is worth risking living on the edge to support a better school for their kids (ideally breaking the cycle), than moving to project housing and dangerous gang-controlled areas in order to enjoy their "margin of safety". I can't fault them for that.

And, if you're in such a position, and aren't fortunate enough to have your area of expertise and interest involving computers, good luck getting a job without a degree. So what do they do to pay for the outrageous tuition costs these days? Take a giant loan from Sallie Mae.

Now you have two problems.

[Qz]

If you're willing to move, and live with roommates, it's fairly easy to live comfortably (assuming no children) on 12k/year total. Assuming you're making minimum wage-ish, that's 8k to put in the bank every year.

[Helianthus16]

yeah, what? that's a lot of assumptions. people don't live with assumptions, they live with the realities of having a kid or a spouse or a family or even a girl they just can't get over.

[Qz]

I was responding to a post about 'holding back 6 months salary' as a safety measure, with a simple example of how to do so. Obviously, this is something to do before you go and start a family. My point was not that it's possible for everyone, but rather that it's not as unthinkably hard to do as one might think, even on minimum wage.