May 12, 2010 -- 3:24PM, findingmyselfgod wrote:

How much is "enough?" Or is any amount enough? 

I joke that I acquired a taste for wine out of poverty.  My wife and I were in grad school living on my loan covering tuition, books and living expenses for the family.  Her expenses were covered by a stipend for tuition and books.  The only recreation we could afford was enough gas to get the old VW bug up to Sonoma and back. Camping out and eating a baguette with salami and cheese.  In those days wine tasting, just a tiny swallow per each, was free, so up and back we stopped at all the wineries for a taste.  The scenery was wonderful and the earnest discussions of the various wines was a great weekend's entertainment.  Oh yeah, we learned to cook good things out of all the cheap meats, pasta  and veggies.  Do you know that an asparagus spear dipped in a home made mustard sauce is better than an artichoke in a commercial sauce?

Would I want to do it for a lifetime, no, but knowing I could makes living within one's means a lot easier to do.