I was here about 4 years ago. I thought the financial dependence was most important. Especially since I had a child with the man. I thought I would be even worse off without financial support. But one day I put my child first and realized all the toys in the world would not make her happy if she grew up in that home. Not only that but his physical violence threatened her life as well as mine.

So I packed up one day and left. OK well I slowly packed for a month, taking all my important things and sticking them in bags in the back of the storage closet one small thing at a time so he wouldn't notice. Then I wake up one morning go to the bank and take some money out before he could cancel my card. I went to a friends and called his sgt to pick him up so I could load everything in the car and leave.

I drove across the country with no where to go. I ended up at my grandmas. There was literally no room for me but there was room for my daughter so I slept in the car in the driveway, during the coldest winter this town has had since 1989. Slept in my car in the snow, for 6 months I lived in my car. But those 6 months were the best 6 months of my life. Finding myself again, realizing what being happy meant, having freedom, not being in fear... It was incredible. I was completely and utterly broke yet I was the happiest I'd ever been.

It's true, money does not buy happiness. It's much more worth it to just start over, even if you are broke in the beginning.