Family budget

Bill and Penny Parsons sit at their kitchen table after Penny arrived home from work at the Arnold Center in Midland to discuss the progress of their van that Bill has been working on. About two months ago, the van had engine problems and stopped working. Through the West Midland Family Center, the Parsons acquired a replacement engine and Bill has been working to install it since. The Parsons currently have three children living at home and a daughter who recently moved out following her marriage. On a single income, the Parsons have turned to West Midland Family Center for help creating a family budget. "Every month we make a choice," Bill said. This month they are choosing to pay the electrical bill instead of the mortgage. Bill once worked at the Arnold Center along with his wife but left to get back into truck driving, a career change that ended when he decided to go back on anti-depressants, he said.