When I was reading news articles on the internet the other day I came across an article written by a woman named Donna Freedman titled “Surviving (and thriving) on $12,000 a year.” For some people this would be unimaginable, but in these current times of economic hardship it is becoming a reality for many Americans. Donna starts by saying “I’ve made my choices, and they include no more husband, a college education and huge changes in the way I spend money.” She goes on to explain that she is living off of alimony and a school grant, about $1,000 a month, while she goes back to school to finish her college education. After her rent and car insurance she has only $382 dollars a month for all other bills and expenses.

In the article, she describes the sometimes extreme lengths she goes to in order to save money/survive. Donna states in her article that her current financial situation is temporary but it made me again wonder how many Americans in today’s world are going to extreme lengths to survive financially. I give her credit for everything she did in order to finish her education. I enjoyed reading her story, which you can find HERE.