When I was young, married, and with one small child and my wife expecting another, I didn't really realize that we were as poor as we were. We didn't have savings that would get us through a month most of the time. But I also didn't realize that our families would have saved us from real ruin if we needed it. So, I was oblivious to how close to the edge we were, but also that we had a safety net.

I look back pretty fondly on our early days. If we had an extra $50, we felt rich and would go out to eat together. We knew we were building to something better, so it never felt desperate.

The fondness I recall it with might be distorted by nostaltia, though. It probably wasn't as happy as I remember it.