“My other piece of advice, Copperfield,” said Mr. Micawber, “you know. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery. The blossom is blighted, the leaf is withered, the god of day goes down upon the dreary scene, and — and in short you are for ever floored. As I am!” — David Copperfield

My Take – Sounds pretty simple to me.  Do not spend more than you make, and life will be much happier.  I am amazed by the amount of debt our nation, not just the government, has racked up in the past few decades.  Credit cards, car loans, huge mortgages, student debt, and you name it, we owe it.  It’s to the point where those who save for years to be able to pay cash for the day-to-day things are considered an aberration.  I’m not perfect at this, but I’m getting better.  I hope the government can get better at this too.