Ninaprincess, I think you are smart. I just went through a job scare (they laid me off, but hired me back within a couple of weeks) and the fact that we live in a small-but-paid-off house allowed me to sleep at night during that difficult period. I am nearing 50, and definitely feel that I am no longer as marketable as I once was.

Don’t buy into this culture’s mantra of over-leveraging to buy a bunch of stuff you don’t really need!!