Housing is generally the biggest drain on any budget

The Kofkes have satellite television service for that HDTV.Tracy, 39, earns money here and there by painting murals and banners, providing child care and teaching art classes. Half goes to savings and half shores up the budget. But since that income is unpredictable, they budget to live on Danny's salary alone."We know where every single dime goes," Tracy says.Strategy 2: Start with cheaper housing.Housing is generally the biggest drain on any budget. After two years of teaching abroad, the Kofkes bought a home in Florida. A couple of hurricanes later, they moved to Georgia. They bought a three-bedroom place: less house than they qualified for, but big enough for their needs and small enough to be affordable. A 15-year mortgage helps them pay it off faster. (Assume that's always better? Read "The 15-year vs. 30-year mortgage debate.")Amy and Jack left expensive Seattle in 1999 and headed east in search of a duplex with some land, figuring that a tenant and a garden would lower their costs. They found an old triplex set on three-eighths of an acre for a scant $38,000 -- and financed only $18,000 thanks to a generous first-time homebuyer grant.Their original mortgage was $125 a month, far less than the property taxes. That changed recently when the couple took out a home equity line of credit to do major renovations. (See today's home equity rates.) The mortgage is now $900, but Rosetta Stone Latin Spanish two tenants kick in a total of $550.Inexpensive housing is a must for people with irregular income. It also lets the couple divert one-third of their earnings to retirement accounts.Strategy 3: Get creative about meeting needs.The books stay balanced thanks to a mix of old-time and modern frugality:Tracy gets a ton of children's hand-me-downs from friends. She makes some of her girls' clothes and all of their Halloween costumes, and sometimes does a little sewing for pay.She watches sales carefully and estimates she saved $1,600 last year by using coupons. Danny carries his lunch to work every single day. The family will enlarge its garden plot this year.They hang on to their vehicles, a car bought new nine years ago and a used minivan they got when Tracy went back to work briefly in 2005. Both will be driven until the wheels fall off.Jack and Amy buy only used vehicles, including one truck for work-related tools. His arborist business provides all the wood they need to heat their home, a huge advantage in their cold, snowy region. Most clothing comes from thrift or consignment shops. They buy health insurance from a state program that offers coverage for small-business owners.The family has a large garden and supplements it with fruits and vegetables from an Amish produce auction. (Sample price: butternut squash, 50 cents each.) Sometimes Amy stops by a farmers' market at the end of the day to propose a trade: the couple's unsold strawberries or bok choy for some jars of homemade jam or kimchi.Continued: Get even more creative about meeting wants.

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