Living on Half: An introduction to Money Mondays

This time last year life was good. My husband was gainfully employed, we had just made the decision to start growing our little home-based internet business so I had a small, part-time income while still staying at home and I was a year from finishing my much belabored degree in business management. Of course, to everyone with half an eye on the economy it was clear that the good times were not going to last much longer.

Sure enough, five months later life hit. My husband was laid off after almost 20 years with the same company and our income was limited to my little part-time pittance. NOT enough to support a family of four with one kid barely out of college and the menagerie of animals that call our place home. Not to mention the debt! Yeah, that stuff we’ve all been told for a couple decades now that we absolutely positively CANNOT live without, even though every other generation before ours recognized its dangers and would never even have considered living outside their means. Uh huh…that stuff. We had two car payments, two credit cards, student loans and a mortgage. Within a couple months of my husband being full-time with our little company our income had increased a little bit, but we are still making less than half of what we were.

So how do you manage debt and bills that reflect one income when your actual income is suddenly less than half that? I don’t know. But I do know it can be done. I know it because I am determined…and stubborn. Just ask my husband, he'll tell ya. I will teach myself how to cut, scrimp and make do until the things I love and that matter most will fit in this new lifestyle.

And I’d like to take you on this journey with me. Every Monday will be Money Monday and I will share with you some the of things I have already learned, some I have yet to learn and, I hope, some of your great money-saving ideas. We’ll share recipes, web sites, personal triumphs and struggles. I know I'm not alone on this little road of mine and, even if you don't share my situation, you probably want to learn how to do more with what you have too.

Oh, but don't hold me to the EVERY Monday thing. I'm a little on the ADD side and I may get distracted.