Tighter budgets can bring families closer together

NEW YORK — After almost 16 years of marriage, Unita Walburn and her husband had drifted apart. The stress of raising two special-needs children had taken its toll, and the couple were saddled with medical debt.

But rising food, fuel and medical costs forced them to be more frugal. They cut out cable TV, grew their own produce and spent more nights at home. As a result, the Walburns are slowly finding each other again.

"You’re not sitting in a room, staring at a screen with 150 channels to watch,” said Walburn, 40, a stay-at-home mother of three in Spotsylvania, Va. Instead, the family plays Scrabble and bakes. "When you simplify, it gives you an opportunity to do more things together.”

There’s no question that tough economic times are stressful: layoffs, foreclosures, declining portfolios. Even having to give up luxuries such as gym memberships or dining out can be upsetting, and financial stress can put a strain on any relationship.

Stephanie Smith, a psychologist in Erie, Colo., said many of her patients who cut their entertainment budgets have been pleasantly surprised by the joys of staying at home. Simple things such as meal planning, grocery shopping, cooking and dining together bring families closer, she said.

"If you go to a movie with your family, that’s family time, and that can be very fun, but you’re not interacting with each other,” she said. "If you are at home playing Monopoly or checkers, you are face to face, talking, interacting.”

Audra Krell, 39, a mother of three in Scottsdale, Ariz., said her family is spending more quality time together because they’re driving around less and not going their separate ways as often to save on fuel.

The family used to eat out three to six times a week.

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