And the insurance or savings to cover those things if they're removed from your life. Just having a decent job or place to live isn't enough. Illness, accidents, and other things happen People should not reproduce unless they know they can provide if the worst happens. Income protection insurance or illness cover isn't expensive and costs less than people think. I have cover fo if I'm out of work for an extended period of time and savings to cover any temporary shortfall.  It doesn't take a lot of work to get these reserves together. I built mine up over the course of 15 months or so and I'm not in the best paying job in the world