Well folks, this is what it is all about.

We spend all of our time working towards an event that may never happen, or a disaster that may just as easily pass us by.  However, one of the things we should be preparing for is the inevitable.  After 9 years of employment with the same company, I've finally joined the ranks of the downsized.  For a lot of people, this would be catastrophic.  Thankfully, my wife and I have made an active effort to reduce our debt (all that's left is the mortgage) and try our best to live on less.  It will not be easy, but until I'm back to work, we're living on 40% of our previous income.  We're grateful that it happened in the spring, and our garden is in.  We're also thankful for the time that we spent learning new skills and becoming less reliant on the normal ebb and flow of money.  This is our test, and we're not sure how long it will last, but we're finally forced to live the way we always tried to.  I'm going to track our journey, and post what lessons we learn together to try and help others who find themselves in this situation.