I was trying to install a mod for minecraft and accidentally

mctmpcd is the temporary directory I needed to create to install. I meant to delete only mctmpcd.

typed rm -rf mctmpcd ~

instead of

rm -rf mctmpcd

So basically it deleted all of my documents and the application shortcut from my home folder. What should I do. I know -rf is perma-delete so am I screwed?

Just restore your files from the backups that you take on a regular basis. Your Time Machine backups should contain all or most all of your files that you accidentally erased.

I didn't have the money to buy a time machine so I never bought one. My documents were'nt that important though.

Another option is to use software like Data Rescue 3, but since you're on a limited budget, it may not be cost-feasible for you. It's $100 -- but in situations like this concerning really important files, it's priceless.

I highly recommend getting an external hard drive and using the Time Machine automatic backup system with Mac OS X. You can get an external hard drive that is more than sufficient for less than $100. Let us know if you'd like some recommendations.

WD makes good external HDs. Here is kind of a price reference, off the top of my head, a 1TB USB ext HD from WD is around $100-120.

Even less: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136469&cm_re=western_digital_elements-_-22-136-469-_-Product

I have 5 of those bad boys hooked up through a USB hub to my Mac mini. One is partitioned into 2 x 500GB partitions, one for scratch, the other for Time Machine backups... two more drives hold music, movies, photos, and media files, and the remaining two are simply mirrors of the previous two in case of catastrophic failure (I use the wonderful ChronoSync software to maintain those mirrors on a nightly schedule).

They're relatively quiet and capacious. They're slower than a FireWire hard drive, but more than adequate for storing the types of files I need to store: I don't do intense video or audio editing, so capacity takes precedence over speed for my use.