Running across your article is no suprise to me.  My mother Lives on a 12,000.00 salary for almost all her life.  She does not have all the perks you speak of, but she has survived.  My siblings always complain about not making it on two salaries and she gives them advice and they can't understand how she does it even so.

She is now 65 and is ready to retire with money in the bank and a home with an acrea of land.    She does not buy new clothes,furnature etc...but always seems to be happy.

MGO

Donna;

Keep up the inspiration. Just because you earn extra money does not mean anything other than you now can better help others and save for yourself something, as one never knows when a sickness or unemployment can strike. The challenge is when you do earn good money will you be a good steward of it?  You can use money to help others even in being a consumer, by choosing to buy local, green and fair trade are some things to consider with your purchasing power. www.plantationreview.com

In 1993, I split with my ex-husband.  He wiped out the bank account on his way out of town, and has never been current on the child support.  He now owes me in excess of $80k in back child support, and I have a 20 year old, an 18 year old, and a 16 year old.  When he left, I made $340/week.  For 90 days, I got a small amount in food stamps.  I received WIC for my children until they reached age 5.  Other than that, the only assistance I received was that I paid my daycare on a "sliding scale."

I didn't go to college.  It was never an option for me.  It made getting better jobs harder, but I still progressed steadily until I not only made a liveable wage, I was able to purchase a townhouse in one of the most expensive areas of the country, the Washington, DC suburbs.

I can agree with the concept of living mindfully, but I don't see Donna as some kind of hero.  I see her as someone whose low income and high expenses are, for her, a choice at this point. She could choose not to spend money and time on college and work instead.  I'm not sure I'd sleep well at night if I was spending money on college and taking handouts---especially knowing that there really isn't enough to go around.  My sister has chronic lung disease, will never get better, and is having difficulty getting assistance.  She lives with my mother, pays some of the expenses, and paid her own health insurance until her COBRA ran out this month---out of savings and a small disability income.  It seems to me that this completely disabled 53 year old woman, who is on oxygen 24/7 and has been in the hospital 8 times in 2 years is doing more to support herself than Donna is.

Dear Karen,

I'm sorry you've had so much trouble in your life. It sounds as though your hard work  and sacrifice have paid off: you have raised your children and now have a nice place to live.

I'd like to note that I write these articles not to set myself up as some kind of hero, but simply to explain what works for me and might work for others.

Incidentally, I no longer accept assistance from the food bank, but I am not ashamed of having done so. The situation was too complex to explain in a relatively short feature article, but there were valid reasons for me to go there. Now I am in a position to donate to this and other social service agencies.

I am sorry to hear that your sister is so ill. I can empathize because a close family member is also on disability and will never get better, either -- and this person became disabled at a young age so the disability check is pretty small. In fact, this is one of the people I am helping and have in fact been helping all along.

And of COURSE my decision to live this way is a choice. To me, that's the whole point: If you want something and can figure out a way to achieve it, then go ahead and do it.

I've really enjoyed your written pieces, Donna, and your moderating as well. I found your story not only inspiring but sufficiently detailed to help me with my own goals. I have to say, though, that I'm surprised at the ire expressed by some people about this post. I think you were not undertaking some kind of "ordeal" like the people who try to live without shopping for a year, or having no impact for a year. I think yours was real life in that you knew what your stipend would be, and you didn't count on extra income, though it sounds as though you had some pleasant surprises this year.

I have a lingering question about donating cash to a church or charity when you live on so little: is there a point at which you would NOT donate cash or tithe and instead contribute with services such as offering expertise or cleaning, etc.?  Thanks.

Dear RNA,

Thank you for your kind words. One of the reasons I choose to donate cash is that I simply don't have time to donate service consistently. I know a lot of people say that. But I really don't. What with commuting to school (35 to 55 minutes each way), attending classes, doing homework, studying, writing papers, doing apartment-management chores, helping a chronically ill relative as needed, writing three blog essays a week, moderating the Smart Spending message board, and tending to my own cooking, shopping, cleaning and laundry -- well, there's not even enough time for sleep, let alone to start thinking about the thesis I will have to write next year.

The other reason is that cash is really needed. For example, my church offers utility assistance and rent assistance to anyone in need, hot meals to homeless youth, and a drop-in preschool for stressed parents who need a few hours off. Those things cost money.

And I look at it this way: If I am frugal about some things, I can send the money I saved in another direction. So that's what I do.

Thanks for reading Smart Spending, and for taking the time to write.

Donna, has sido mi inspiración aun cuando no estoy en una situación económica díficil, me has hecho pensar en cuanto se desperdicia cuando no se tiene realmente necesidad. Sigo leyendo tus artículos y me alegra que tu situación económica haya mejorado. Saludos desde México.

Makahui

Querido Makahui,

Muchas gracias para sus palabras amables. Me gusta que mis artículos se has hecho pensar en una manera nueva. Ha sido un año muy desafiante, pero en general ¡qué bendecida soy! Me gustaría si sigas leyendo el blog. Feliz Navidad y prospero año nuevo. (¡Ojalá que lo que he escrito sea correcto! Hace treinta años que estudié el español; volví a estudiarlo en 2006.)

I'm doing something similar (the budget is similar to yours the income source is different)- living on about a $1000/mo (net). I work 40 hrs at $7.15/hrI co-own a house w/my mom I pay half the mortgage, property tax and utilities, my own auto insurance which leaves me w/ ~$250 for gas and anything else I need. It's not easy - I keep looking for ways to improve my situation: applying for higher paying full-time and part-time jobs ($10/hr would help), part-time jobs offer me the flexibility to finish my BA degree (36 credits to go). No matter how much you make -it is what you save that makes the difference (like Ben said). Good luck to you and me and everyone in a similar predicament (by choice or not).

The idea of  "living mindfully" and determining what are needs and what are wants is the key to this it seems to me.  I have done what you are currently doing, only I did it with 2 children, a dog, and $18,000 a year for everything.  We did just fine but did not live by the standards that are imposed by others.  Now, both children are grown, I am a professor making more money than I ever thought possible, and I still try to live in the same manner.  Life is much simpler once priorities are determined.  

Good luck.