The stress of my Dad losing the inheritance cost my parent’s their marriage. My Dad tried to get rich quick even though he was already doing rather well because of the inheritance. It stuck with me and now I am a bit obsessive about saving for a rainy day. I have been downsized a couple of times which also makes me gunshy about being a big spender. My wife isn’t quite there yet but I am working on her (going on 20 years). Her parents offered to loan us money to buy our house and I refused. We have a great house and it is because we dilegently saved for it. I love your no fuss, no muss approach to whipping those spendaholics into shape. Keep it up. If I could be in love with a financial guru it would be you.

My wife and I love playing the “if we won the lottery” game, it’s cheaper than a night out at the movies and there’s always some new avenue to explore, but it’s just that, a game.

We are certain we won’t win, we’d love it if we did, but those odds are not stacked in out favour, and as our credit card companies won’t accept pipe dreams as payment, we’re going to have to keep working on the old fashioned stuff.

I like your kick-in-the-pants posts.

(My maxed-out sibling’s husband was in a motorcycle accident this weekend…. the bottom fell out of me when I got the call. The good news is it was a rather minor skirmish with a small deer and he only sprained his shoulder and mangled his bike — he can still go to work and earn the money to pay their debts. I HOPE this proves to them that they need to prepare for inevitablities of life, and potential loss of income.)

But maybe I’ll send Oprah an e-mail first…LOL.

I owe it to you, Gail, and this forum of so many positive, supportive readers and doers. I may be a late bloomer, but bloom I will. I’m determined now and I really am “getting it”.