Hi, I can relate. My ex left me and I got nothing from him for nearly a year. I too had to borrow both from my parents and my Roth IRA. It was a very, very tough year. I also had a lot of credit card debit and a mortgage. I also have two little ones...year out from being in school.

The first thing that I did after realizing it was getting hard about 3 months into the separation, was create a budget. I tracked everything. Mint.com was great for me. Then I started couponing and tracking my spending for groceries. I started keeping a stockpile of things that I was getting for free or cheap. Go after child support! I could not recommend this more. It was worth it. I ended up going through the state and I pay $25 a year for them to ensure I get child support.

I cut down on my expenses at the same time...dropped the movie channels, etc and paid for Netflix streaming. Shut my home phone off and only used my cell. My cell service was brought down to the cheapest plan. Canceled all my monthly magazines/craft subscriptions. Put my kids into a cheaper daycare. Ate out way less...once a week for just pizza on Friday. Use consignment sales/craigslist to get rid of just stuff in my house...extra cash.

Lastly, I made goals. The first was to get myself out of debt. I got credit cards that rewarded me...Costco Amex and Discover More are great! I cash in the rewards to pay my card balance back. These I always paid off. I had a Mastercard that I owed more than $24K. This was the card that covered my expenses when I didn't have enough income to cover the essentials. Once I started receiving child support, I put all extra money towards this card.

Just less than 2 years later, I am finally out of credit card debt, minus a 0% Sears AC unit financed with Citibank. I have until July 2013 to pay this without interest. I also am now able to max out my Roth again. And this month was the first time that I have had more than $4 in my savings account. My goal by the end of this year is to have $15K in my savings account for emergencies. Of course, my ex recently told me he might lose his job in July...so that might change.

Keep your head up. It may seem hard right now, but there is light at the end of the tunnel! Start small...every little bit helps.