Oddbean

IIRC, I have 1, 2 is *highly* theoretical for long drawn out real world reasons, 3 is *definitely* not true unless I take a huge hit to my lifestyle, 4 is somewhat true but that's due to a generous match at my previous employer that started when the market was at its lows, 5 was tested a few years ago and definitely not true, 6 is somewhat true but I don't know if I could replace the cars with brand new equivalents. 7 describes my brother's household... 8 and 12 are definitely not true, and given what Catholic school costs, I definitely can't afford high prole children so we can discount 9...

In retrospect, if one looks at my net pay, it's roughly 3.5% that I set aside for savings. I don't count the small amounts that I put into the 401k at work, our pension plan deductions, or the disability insurance deductions.

The disability insurance has no resale value and takes up 6% of my net pay. The retirement is near 7% of my *gross* pay or roughly 10% of net pay. The 30% seems awfully harsh, but it's easier for some people to live simply. :-)