"Another One Bites The Dust"

Although I have zero firsthand experience with the subject, I've always liked the adage, "more money, more problems." It's a saying that seems to make sense, I guess — even though many of us with bank account balances approaching negative digits would love to have such issues, I'm sure.

But, the opposite (less money, less problems) couldn't be further from the truth. It seems the closer we are to hitting bottom, the more things go wrong. For example, this year we really had to tighten our belts in order to survive on one (veeeeery modest) income so we wouldn't have to put Connor in daycare. But, even though our current budget has about as much wiggle room as Brian Dennehey's pants after a trip to a Shoney's breakfast bar, we've repeatedly found ourselves in situations that have put undue strain on our finances.

Less than two months ago, Stacey had a flat tire resulting in a cracked rim, which necessitated a set of all new tires. Today, she got another flat — in the driveway?! Her spare tire has seen more action than a hooker on payday because this is her third flat of the year. Add that to the two hospital stays our family enjoyed this year and the other unexpected bills that came our way, and it's a miracle that we're still afloat.

But, for all of our problems, I am glad that we have electricity, that we don't live in the Middle East and, most importantly, that we're almost out of here.

One week to go...