Even I was like this once in a while into my 30s where you had to either use a credit line or borrow money from relatives if a real emergency happened you didn't expect. Most people I knew especially in their 20s were like this around college age or just after too. This is a pretty normal occurrence especially around college and after and sometimes people are like this the rest of their lives especially if they never went to college and never studied bookkeeping or accounting for Business to understand just how important savings are for short and long term survival. Borrowing money through financial institutions is one reason why those people never get ahead in life by the way. If you use a credit card too much you can't EVER get ahead. 

My Grandfather used to say, "IF you don't have the cash don't buy a God Damn thing!"

Which is how he survived the Great Depression and World War II running an Electrical Contracting Business and always having money and jobs for his boys while he put his girls through college.

This is a good adage if you want to buy land, build a house and have some security in your lives too.

I have one friend who never borrowed money for anything in his life and because of this has traveled all over the world, owns 2 1/2 acres developed that he has been offered 1 million dollars for by the way. 

However, these days doing this would be much more difficult to do than in 1976 when 2 1/2 acres of land might be bought in a beautiful area for $5000. And building materials are much more expensive than then too relative to how much wages are now too.

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6 in 10 Americans don't have $500 in savings

CNN Money · 12 hours ago

If you were suddenly hit with a $500 unexpected bill, would you be able to cover it? If the answer is no, you're not alone. Nearly six in 10 Americans don't …

Another clear sign most Americans are broke

CBS News · 3 hours ago

About four out of 10 Americans said they had enough in savings to cover a surprise $500 expense. Another 21 percent said they would rely on …

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6 in 10 Americans don't have $500 in savings

by Kathryn Vasel   @KathrynVasel January 12, 2017: 8:21 AM ET

The cost of the American Dream

If you were suddenly hit with a $500 unexpected bill, would you be able to cover it?

If the answer is no, you're not alone.

Nearly six in 10 Americans don't have enough savings to cover a $500 or $1,000 unplanned expense, according to a new report from Bankrate.

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Only 41% of adults reported having enough in their savings account to cover a surprise bill of this magnitude. A little more than 20% said they would put it on a credit card, the report said, while 20% would cut their spending and 11% would turn to friends and family for financial assistance.
"This is a persistent American problem of how you should handle your finances and spending," said Jill Cornfield, retirement analyst for Bankrate.
Related: 6 painless ways to save thousands
But at least the number has improved. Last year, only 37% of Americans reported having enough savings to cover an expense of $500 or more.
Millennials were the most financially prepared to handle monetary headwinds with 47% of those aged 18-29 saying they could dip into savings to cover an unplanned expense, a substantial increase from 33% in 2014.
Personal finance experts tend to stress the importance of having an emergency fund to cover unanticipated expenses to avoid long-term financial damage.
"If you aren't set up to tap cash for something, it can derail you financially if you put it on credit card," said Cornfield. "The original expense can bloom because of interest."
Almost half of the 1,003 adults surveyed reported they or a family member faced a major financial expenditure in the past year.
"If you are human, have a pet, kids, a house or a place to live, something is going to happen that will cost you money," said Cornfield.
Related: The simple thing that helped me save $30,000
Creating a cash cushion can seem like an unrealistic task, especially for those living paycheck to paycheck. But Cornfield said there's usually some wiggle room in a budget to cut back.
"There are ways to track your spending and look where your money is going and find the holes and gaps," she said. "There are places you can cut back: daily coffee, alcohol, vacations, some people take several vacations, maybe cut back on one," said Cornfield.
Have you taken creative or extreme steps to bulk up your savings? Email us your story and information and you could be included in an upcoming story on CNNMoney.