Name at least three items you will never cut from your family budget. I'm trying to do that, but my guilt reflex makes me ask, "How can I name what not to cut from a family budget when there are people who have less than I do who must slash items such as treatment for a special needs child?" Many Americans no longer have choices about what to cut and what to keep.

Last week I was in Tampa, Florida basking in my chance to attend the NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four. I was out of my mind with glee and had a great time. I haven't been to a large sporting or concert event in some time. It never ceases to amaze me how much money someone could piddle away at such an event. Emotions run high, the swag for sale (t-shirts, hats, booklets, etc.) is highly desirable and even higher priced, and you're held captive in an arena that forbids any food to be brought in so you can spend a fancy lunch sized bill on a soft pretzel and bottle of water.

Last Friday was one of my worst personal finance days in quite some time. One of those days when I had to laugh and then have a Bloody Mary and Fried Ravioli, to keep from crying. Obviously alcohol and carbohydrates keep the feeling of complete stupidity at bay. It was a case of minor miscalculation and yet the feelings of irresponsibility and knowing that everyone in my office is aware of my mismanagement and poor credit were slow to dissipate.

I am perpetually afraid to look at my bank account online. This is rather inconvenient when I need to write a check and instead of just casually writing it and being done, there is a lot of teeth grinding and eye twitching involved, which means that I spend a lot of my time looking pained and in stress.