Reply #53: well that sounds good but

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we had been self employed and uninsured for years

my appliances were all bought used (from a trustyworthy used appliance place-- generally paid 50% of new)

we are sitting pretty today though (I will admit) due to the insane housing bubble in Phoenix. our little $80k house sold for 3 times that

but we didn't pour it back into another one, we moved to a rural area, bought an acre with a mobile home on it and paid cash from the proceeds

i'm not saying we didn't downsize or tighten out belts cuz we did. a LOT

but I can still be grateful. and I am ;)

we both are working jobs at less than 1/3 of what we made at the height of the Clinton administration and I am grateful every day we don't have children. that would have changed the equation quite a bit I'm sure.