Surviving

Some good news, our homeowners insurance may pay for the wiring. We had someone come and look over our home and they will send the estimate to our insurance company and on Monday the insurance adjuster will be by to talk to us. A tiny sigh of relief.

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An interesting article I read....

Surviving (and thriving) on $12,000 a year

By Donna Freedman

I'll be living on just over $1,000 a month this year. That doesn't sound like much -- and it isn't -- yet I plan not just to live on it, but to build a savings account.

My 2007 "income," the money I can actually count on, will be $12,084. I know this because it consists of alimony and a portion of a school grant. (I went back to college last year; the grant covers tuition and books with a little left over.) I already know my big-ticket annual costs, too: rent of $6,300 and $1,200 for car insurance. Subtract these from my income and I'm left with $382 a month for food, utilities, clothes, medical deductibles and co-pays, gasoline, renter's and life insurance and any help I give my daughter, who lives on even less than I do....More