I thought the motivation was OP asking about it. But let me give you my personal experience as well. Started doing this about 10 years ago. During this time I switched 3 jobs at my leisure. I once stayed unemployed for 8 months and just traveled until I ran out of money. The savings account went up and down with my life-style, big purchases like cars and such, at the moment I have 2 years of comfortable living set aside. The best thing about it is my mental state re money. I do not live in fear of setbacks, and even though I save more and more I feel I can splurge whenever I feel like it without feeling guilty.