Putting money aside "just in case" or relying on credit cards?

Yeah, bamboo flooring caught me off guard too. Put it in our guest room about three years ago—figured it'd be a low-risk test area. Honestly, it's held up way better than expected, even with furniture moving around and the occasional spill. As for the emergency fund vs credit thing, learned that lesson the hard way when our bathroom reno uncovered some nasty plumbing surprises...cash cushion saved us from drowning in debt payments later.