We have not returned to our old habits. It’s not an option with an income of around $4,000 a month. We’re still debt free. It’s true, we have never been truly poor. We don’t qualify for food stamps or other assistance programs other than Medicare and Social Security. But then, the folks who go hungry regularly don’t typically rack up enormous debt because they don’t have the income required to secure the credit.

What I know all about is living beyond my means, buying stuff on credit that I could have easily done without, and knowing the agony of mounting debt and diminishing resources while being unemployed and at the end of unemployment checks. I don’t pretend that everyone who finds themselves with too much month at the end of the money can do what my husband and I did, but many can and should. Our lives are so much better without all that stress.