Jesse reads an excerpt from the book The End of Average by Todd Rose. In the late 1940's the Air Force had a dangerous problem on its hands -- aircraft of all kinds were malfunctioning and crashing at alarming rates. The Air Force brought in scientist Lt Gilbert S Daniels to diagnose the problem. Daniels discovered that the Air Force had designed cockpits based on thousands of physical measurements taken from its ranks of pilots, then averaged. Daniels ascertained that despite the rigor and breadth of the measurements, not a single active pilot in the Air Force actually matched up with all the averages. In short, the Air Force had designed their planes around an average pilot that didn't actually exist, causing pilots to have trouble controlling their planes.
We can take a lesson from Lt. Daniels discovery when it comes to our budgets. It's tempting to come up with an average for each line item, and compare your budget to someone else's or perhaps even a regional or national "average." Designing your budget around averages may not actually fit your life, and, going back to Episode 420, may leave your budget rigid and inflexible.
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A Different Take on Credit Cards
Paying Off Debt the Sustainable Way
Rule Four Reviewed
Rule Three Reviewed
Rule Two Reviewed
Rule One Reviewed
A Mother's Method for Living Well (Contest Announcement!)
What's In Your Financial Shovel of Dirt?
Giving Future You A Bit More Negotiation Ammo
Paid In Full, But Always in Debt
Jesse Chats with a Guy Who Has Never Used a Credit Card
Ask Jesse: Talk Slower, Pay Down Debt Faster
Rule One and the Pursuit of Nothing
Expensive Is a Lazy Word
Ask Jesse: Travel Hacking, Credit Cards, and YNAB'er Experiences
Rule One and DIY FTW
Debit vs Credit Card Smackdown (and a Rant)
Ask Jesse: Save for Cars or Pay Down Mortgage, Debt Consolidation, and How Do You Know When to Spend?
One Thing That Tells You You're Doing Money Right
A Major Downside to Not Having Money Stress
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