Without these families most of us would be in a different  business.Live beneath your means and marry over your head. 

  (1980 building)  I'm fine with doing comparatively easy, low cost stuff like thickening exterior walls to upgrade insulation (just add shim layer on inside to allow 6" insulation gap) but I'm not going to gut the other 4 units to bring everything up to current fire code just to (re)finish about 10% of the gross sf of the building.   

It's not beneath me it's literally a time problem. 

The moisture57 / 60damage and rot beneath the door has caused the sills to separate anddamage the doors.

He had a drip pan beneath the Harley. 

Credit is bad for these two roommates, but the first payment was received early instead of skidding beneath the deadline or asking me for considerations (funny story, had an applicant ask me for considerations before move in - eventually denied tenant).  

I’m a little more aggressive and risk tolerant with my investing because I earn a high salary, have a lot of cash on hand, live beneath my means, and am conservative.

If you're determined to add some sort of shim the key is going to be to make it big enough that you're gluing or screwing into something solid.

I've always been very good at saving money, and living well beneath my means.  

BUT the 2x4 was a shim he had used.