I want to thank everyone who is posting in this thread. I don’t really have anything to add, but I’ve read it carefully. I always read Broomstick’s posts with fear and with interest, because it is absolutely possible that that could happen to us.
Me and my SO combined make quite a liveable salary - around $55K household salary, which is more than enough in the town we live in. Both of us have savings accounts and 401Ks. Both of us put money away diligently. We have insurance through his workplace, since NY has excellent domestic partner benefits. We are not 100% clear of debt, but the only debt we have is about 2 grand on a credit card. If we needed to pay that off tomorrow we could easily do it. We’d rather take our time with it, though, since that card keeps raising our limit and we are building our credit for when we eventually want to buy a house.
My car is a 2001, his is a 2003. I am probably looking for a new car in the next 3 years or so. I’ve never owned a new car, and will look for one under $15K and probably even less than that. I have about $9K in my credit union account right now, and will wait until I have the majority of the money to pay for the car, so my car payments will be super low. After that in a few years we’ll replace his car. We plan to drive both of those new cars for 10+ years. We’re sensible with money and plan carefully. We spend money more on items than experiences - the items will be here when the experiences are gone - and don’t make major purchases unless we can either pay for them now or pay them off in a couple of months.
And yet. If either one of us gets sick we will be well and truly fucked, and that’s probably my biggest fear. If either one of us can’t work, we’ll be done for. I can’t really imagine trying to support a major illness or disability. I prepare as best as I can, but there is no preparation for the cost of health care in this country. I remember going to the hospital as a teen because I passed out from mono, and I remember the bill. :eek:
Hell, I am going to the allergist and that’s a luxury by itself - the copay for a specialist is $45 every time. I highly doubt, for example, that Broomstick or someone like her would consider that a valid cost. She’d just have to not go, even if the allergies were making her miserable. Here’s hoping health care reform helps at least somewhat.
If there is any one thing I’m grateful for from our families it’s that both of us are healthy and don’t have chronic illnesses. I think it’s incredibly naive to think that because you’re OK right now, you’ll be OK forever.
Thanks again, Broomstick, for all of your informative posts. Oh, and emacknight? I do indeed put plastic over some of my windows in the winter. 
Of course, i am lucky in that I live in a fairly well insulated house, so it’s not as critical.