Something has got to give.

[LiberalEsto]

2. Is there any way to lower a few bills?

I'm thinking maybe a less-expensive internet service, wireless phone or tv provider, if possible. You can always call your company up and ask if they have budget options.

A few years ago I worked with Verizon to limit the number of minutes per month on the cell phones, because we weren't using most of them.

Can you turn down the heat or raise the a/c even one degree? Having a programmable thermostat can save a lot. I actually managed to install one myself, and I'm not exactly Ms. Handy Person. Can you buy some things in bulk at a Costco? Get your prescriptions filled there -you don't need to be a member to use their pharmacy.

Maybe there are a few things you can do to reduce your cost of living.

I mention these because I've been out of work for 4 years and am doing everything possible to reduce expenses, since at 60 it doesn't look like I'm going to find a job. I'm unable to stand for long because of arthritis, so that rules out being a grocery cashier or working retail.

I shop yard sales for clothes and household items, and we share one car because we can't afford a second one. I drive my husband to the Metro every morning and pick him up at night, which saves on parking and bus fares. We became vegetarians, partly because meat is so expensive, and for health reasons. We buy books at used book stores, rent movies instead of going to cinemas, etc.

I cut my own long hair and give my husband trims between haircuts. I use henna to color my hair. It costs $1.75 plus tax an the Indian grocery store, enough for three treatments, which is all I need per year. Obviously that's not something everyone would want to do, but it works for me.