Originally Posted by Altari (Post 3090701)

Think of it this way. If you know that you're going to lose your income in 8 weeks, you'll immediately begin rationing. You might turn off the cable, the cell phone, the DVD rental plan and stop eating out. Then you'll take that extra few hundred dollars and throw it into a savings account. When you do lose the income, you'll take out the bare minimum to survive. If your aunt sends you $100 for your birthday, you'll throw it in savings. Even after you get a new income, you'll be rationing as you pay off the debts you incurred during the time you had none. Once everything is steady again, though, you'll be willing to part with cash to buy something nice.