Yeah, it sucks. Over the next year or so I'm going to be doing a lot of thinking/evaluating about my job situation. I absolutely *love* my job--it was one of the few stable things that got me through one of the most difficult periods of my life. And not to sound arrogant, but what I do really does help other people in tangible ways. But I don't see how I can do this long-term AND put away money for an emergency fund AND eventually buy my own home AND save for retirement AND do things like treat myself to a vacation or some nice clothes every once in a while. I don't want to spend the next 4 decades living like this, and this job's pay won't get me there. I chew my T's ear off about this stuff, to be honest. I'm sorry you're struggling, too!