>>One would set a budget of say $400 a month for groceries based on their income, this is would be fixed for the year. That's sorta hard to do when your paid h

>>One would set a budget of say $400 a month for groceries based on their income, this is would be fixed for the year. That's sorta hard to do when your paid hourly and your schedule is pasted weekly. That was my whole point - the OP sorta assumes a LOT more stability then many people have. I guess the best way to say it for everyone would be: I don't think 'most' people have the luxury to be able to 'budget', and I'd say a fair number run from crisis to crisis just trying to survive.