I have a young cousin who was just laid off from the Census Bureau. So I asked his mother how he and his young family are faring during this shutdown. She told me that when her son took this job, his father, who is retired from government service, advised him early on to put some money aside for the proverbial rainy day. The father had gone through a couple of furloughs and missed paychecks himself. Apparently, the son heeded his father's advice because his mother says he and his family are ok financially at least for now. I'm sure if they do need help, his parents or his wife's parents are ready to help.
I read sometime ago that the younger generation isn't saving money like those from the Greatest Generation and their offspring have done. My parents went through the Great Depression. They learned to make do with what they had in tough times and in good times, put money aside for emergencies. They passed their money habits onto my brother and me. I think the young ones are being taught, probably in public schools, that the government will always provide for them. They are going to be up the proverbial creek without the proverbial paddle one day -- if not now, sometime in the future -- like when they want to retire and SS is gone.
