In 1997, while we were living in Southern California, my husband Ed was out of work for awhile. He had left a long-time job to take another position with a different company, and when that turned out not to be a good fit, we were in limbo for several months, living mostly off savings, and wondering what to do. As time passed, things became more and more stressful.

Ed went on interviews but nothing seemed to be working out. We tightened our belts to the last notch! I became pretty inventive with recipes in order to use up what we had in the pantry, and tried not to go to the grocery store any more than we absolutely needed to. At first Ed went with me to shop, but that didn’t last long. As a single mom, I’d had plenty of experience at living on a tight budget, and when Ed began questioning me on every item, I decided this was really a job I could do easier on my own.

He admitted later that he was even getting on his own nerves, as the job hunt went on.