Collapse or no collapse, it does seem likely that our generation will be the first one in a long time to have a generally lower standard of living than our parents'. [This is in the overdeveloped world, leaving aside debates about Hans Rosling's presentations]

The 5-year rolling window of preparedness also seems to be part of this here consensus. But the conventional wisdom still operates on much longer time frames - the 40-year mortgage, the single lifetime career (and its associated scourge, ageism)... The only thing that isn't cultural and which doesn't fit in the 5-year frame is the 20 years it takes for one's children to reach adulthood.

En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma