Wow -- so much good stuff in here! I love this place, and love you guys!
Lowering your financial standards isn't a big deal once you experience the freedom of getting to make your own decisions. I went from a big house in a nice subdivision to a tiny apartment in a marginal neighborhood, and I could not be happier. So we don't eat as well, ride as well, travel as well -- but we have our freedom (the kids and I). It's worth it.
Being a single parent when you're a single person isn't nearly as hard as being a single parent when you're married to an alcoholic. When you don't expect to have any help, somehow, it's easier when you don't get any help. And I can only tell you that my children today are happier, easier to handle, much lovelier to hang out with than when we lived with their alcoholic father.
The unknown can be frightening. But the grass really is greener on this side.