Not to harp on finances but...

The new year always causes me to look back on the last financial year. Around this time last year, I was wondering how we were going to survive with such a substantial pay cut. This year, I am trying to figure out how to make our notable salary increase get us out of all the trouble we got in the year before last. To illustrate how bad things were, even with a significant pay increase, our monthly bills are 91% of our take home pay during odd months, and 98% of our take home pay during even months. This even before our mortgage rates adjust later this year. At least those monthly bills include retirement savings, college savings for Danger Boy and Sprite and very modest emergency savings. We know we should have 6 months' salary saved up in case of emergencies, but we have so little left to save after taking care of the necessities, it would take us 3 - 4 years, even taking the vow of austerity we have taken for this year. YIKES! Can I go 4 years without new shoes? Highly doubtful. Anyway, the only way we are going to get out of this mess is if Slim Dynamite (my lil rapping brother) blows up and decides to take care of me, or if we charm the pants off Oprah and she decides to adopt us (I sent a letter to be on an upcoming show, they emailed me back asking for pictures of us, sounds promising, no?) or one of our many side hustles takes flight. I have a couple of children's books I need to submit for publishing...Do I sound worried? A Queen Bee has no worries. Everything will come out fine...hopefully...