When I find myself in a serious struggle with my finances, I think about what it truly takes to survive. You must have a roof over your head, for one. Food on the table is second in line, and a great heating and air conditioning system to get you through the extreme weather is third. I didn’t need any of the luxuries in life, from Satellite TV to fancy gadgets in my home. I didn’t even need to have a expensive heating system – I just needed one that worked. I rarely had to use the services of a chimney sweep, as I would burn the creosote sweeping logs every so often to keep the chimney safe and clean for the next use. I also had a gas furnace which I would keep at minimal settings, just so my utility bills weren’t overly expensive. I had a car, though I wouldn’t call a paperweight with wheels a car. I didn’t care how bad my car looked though, as it got myself to where I needed to go! I mainly would just drive to and from work, so for the most part, it seemed I was regularly on survival mode. For TV, I just have local channel access to watch shows and the news when I can. Plus, watching the weather reports is really the only reason I have the TV anyway, as I do a lot more reading than anything else. As long as I have my roof, my food and my excellent heating and air conditioning system, I’m set for life!