[bholdr]

so:

I manage an apartment building, which is really mostly a part time thing... i'm also a painter by trade and supplement my income with that and poker, I've never been even marginally well-to-do, even compared to my peers, but one thing i've always done is make sure that i have a few months living expenses in various bank accounts, investments, and cash.

on the other hand, every month, at least one of my tenants (35 units in the building) cannot pay their rent. they scramble all month long to avoid eviction, and when they finally do make the payment, they're screwed for the next month's rent. it's usually somethng like an injury, layoff, unexpected expense, etc..

and everytime, i think to my self... how the hell can they live like that?! living paycheck to paycheck is one of the stupidest things that a person can do: one little slip-up, say the company you work for goes under and cannot pay you, or you strain your back and cannot work for a couple weeks, and you're screwed; your credit is shot, your rental history is destroyed, you're out on the street; good luck ever getting another lease without a monster deposit (which, obviously, you don't have). what are you gonna do? call your parents? c'mon!

does anyone here live like this? it's so incredibly stupid, i'll understand if you don't want to share. personally, i can't sleep well at night without knowing that i have easy access to a reasonable sum of money (a few K)...

i guess i'll do a poll: (thoughts?)