innerspaceboy

Quite right. Early on I made sure to hone my deal-scoring skills as a survival tactic.

I'm in the lowest tax bracket above poverty. And I've had to support both myself and my wife through a year of her unemployment.

Still, to my advantage:

1. I've never in my life owned a credit card. If I couldn't afford it, I didn't buy it.

2. I have near perfect credit for having paid all bills on time for 25 years.

3. I'm paying off my college loans in full this Feb and will be 100% debt free (mortgage aside)

4. I tossed out my car ~10 years ago(?) so I save a fortune on car payments, gas, maintenance, and insurance by working and living within 1 mile of my door.

5. I tossed out my TV in 1999 so I don't have to deal with a cable bill.

6. I budgeted $1,900 this year for music and have kept just under that limit.

7. And was able to buy a beautiful home built in 1924 with all its original hardwood flooring and gumwood trim intact, with a new gas fireplace, new hot water, new roof, new energy windows, new electrical, 24 free LED 12-year bulbs for all sockets, and the city came in and performed blow-in insulation at all levels for free and delivered a brand new fridge as a free upgrade.

8. And I keep a spare 5-7k in the bank at all times for emergencies.

Paycheck to paycheck is a tough gig, but I live quite comfortably in spite of it.

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