If the definition of afford was "to manage to bear without serious detriment," then the 40% claim may have some merit if taking out the $400 in liquid assets wa

If the definition of afford was "to manage to bear without serious detriment," then the 40% claim may have some merit if taking out the $400 in liquid assets was considered a serious detriment. In my experience, Fed figures are not good at accounting for the fluctuations in monthly spending of "real world" families. They expect monthly spending to stay static on a monthly basis throughout the entire year. There's also that the other cases rely on being indebted, which means that they cannot afford it with their current means. Sure they can cover expenses, but the example of the debt-adverse Germans wouldn't see it as being able to afford them.