If you own a car, you have to get it fixed. It will either drain your savings, or force you to put it on the card. Got sick? Need to go to a hospital? What do you use to pay the thousands of dollars on the bills that they give you. Dip into savings, or just put it on the card or make monthly payments (most hospitals around here want a paid in full, usually by credit card if cash or check is not available). Got a traffic ticket for going too fast (like everyone else, who honked at you for going too slow, and when you sped up, the cop clocked you at 3 miles over the limit) by an overzealous cop? Dip into savings again. Got a spouse and kids? You are going to pay more for them when they get sick, etc.

I have no big-screen TV, I don't have a DVD player (heck I wanted a Playstation 2, remember?), I have a 1987 economy car, I have an old house, and the only thing that I really spent money on was a faster computer with more parts to build another computer for use as a server. Am I "Living Large"? Not according to other people who have that nice new car (1987 car about worth $120-$300), the biggest screen TV they could not afford(Mine is a 1985 model 27 inches, resale value of about $50 now), a killer stereo system (I have a $15 Walkman clone from Wallgreens), expensive clothes (mine are mostly Hanes or Fruit of the Loom T-Shirts with a pocket. Some Polo-shirt clones for business causal days. Etc. All bought on sale.).

Well you get the idea. I had medical bills, car repairs, etc. Then I get accused of "living large" and spending too much money on junk?