Dear Mary: I have been working on your principles of debt-proof living for several years, and things have been getting better. My contingency fund, while not fully funded yet, is growing. Currently, I have about $2,000 saved. Yesterday I had a car accident. I must come up with the $1,000 deductible to get my car fixed. I don't want to put it on my credit card, even though the interest is only 7.99 percent. I have enough in my contingency fund, but it will kill me to use about half of what I have ...

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