Makes sense right? I think habit has a lot to do with attaining goals and positive results...We built a habit of spending/saving over the last six months and it won't seem so hard to continue with it, at least initially until things may change again. It will give us additional flexibility in the future if things go pear-shaped again.
You clearly know what I mean because you did it. Living more simply and without as much stress has to be a good thing...My thoughts anyway.
From my perspective, once you actually bite the bullet and trim the fat, all it takes is willpower to continue, the hardest part was to shake the spending habits in the first place, carrying it on when cash flow is plenty-full is actually easy as long as you keep certain goals in mind. The peace of mind it will give you when things get rough unexpectedly is all worth it. Don't forget to treat & reward yourselves for a job well done from time to time so you don't crack and go on a spending spree. Spending becomes hard when you begin to think of investing. Also using cash instead of plastic and physically seeing it flow out is a huge help. With 6 months behind your belt, you should have figured out the ropes and likely to be able to continue the saving habits easily.