TAfricanski, I've heard the same thing about Bulgarians....what a beautiful, selfless thing to do! :) Things are so vastly different here, especially in New York, where "people are rude/don't talk to other people/don't know their neighbors" and all the other commonly heard classifications.

I also think it's great that you can budget yourself so well. It's definitely not the easiest thing to do but I feel like being independent teaches you a lot of self-reliance really quickly. It's incredibly hard to budget here in NY, and in America in general, I think. Kudos to you for having a plan and sticking to it, Carolyn! Total role model ;) (And seriously, Bulgaria doesn't get enough credit or recognition...From what I hear/read about it, I think its absolutely wonderful.)