Do you think most people are like this? (saving money or not)

[luvthatmouse]

I am an INFJ and I love to save and to spend. I always have to have savings and retirement funded or I feel panic. I do like to spend on travel, experiences (nice dinners, plays, concerts, etc.) more than things. I also like to buy gifts for other people.

[Lacerta]

I save/invest about 50% of my take home (net). I don't do the "pay myself first" thing, I just save whatever is left, and there is usually about 50% left. I just don't spend that much money. I look at it more like I pay my bills (mortgage, utilities, insurance, groceries, and the like) and save everything else. Anything I spend by choice rather than necessity is coming out of my savings. At 35, despite not having any money in the bank at age 30 and a negative net worth, and only making 60k a year gross, between hubby and I, we have a 6 figure net worth now, and a year's living expenses in the bank. We only spend about $22k a year, so that is pretty easy to save up.

I plan to pay off the house by the time I am 45, and retire, at least most of the way, by the time I'm 55.



Having said all of that, to answer your original question, I work in a real estate/ property management office, so I see a lot of people buying houses and a lot of people renting houses. I would say, from that perspective, the vast majority of people are within 2-3 paychecks of being evicted. Even those who are buying have mostly just barely managed to scrape up enough for the down payment, and have no cushion left over. Most tenants cannot pay rent until payday, and if they got laid off, they would have to move out immediately.