I cannot afford to send my kids to preschool. Granted, they are barely 22 months old and do not need the schooling just yet. Regardless, I wanted to provide them with a mini-introduction to the preschool scene this coming year by way of two mornings a week at the local JCC.

And although I make a fairly decent salary as a non-profit executive, I cannot afford the tuition. I hold a college degree, a master’s degree from Harvard, and I have been working for the last 15 years. I am also the sole breadwinner as a single parent and pay for full-time childcare for two children.

I rent a modest home in a working class neighborhood and drive an 11-year-old car that I own. All that being said, I live paycheck to paycheck.

I am “the working poor.”

That is the phrase I have heard now and again in the media, and I just realized this week that I am in that cohort of hard working Americans who earn too much for any assistance, but are not making enough to feel any financial security. It is a horrible place to be.

Let me also state that I am frugal and careful with my money. I do not frequent Starbucks (although I indulge in a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee about once a week) and I pack my lunch almost everyday. We never eat out at restaurants as a family. I use a local grocery card to earn points that shave cents off my gas and I turn my air conditioning down when I am out of the house. I am constantly thinking everyday of what else I can be doing to cut expenses from our household.

It’s a good thing we are vegetarians!

I realize that I am far more fortunate than so many others struggling to make a living and support their families. And I count my blessings for that everyday. I know the poverty that exists within the borders of this country and throughout the world. At the same time, I cannot help but think that there is something wrong with my situation. I work hard, pay taxes, vote and recycle.

I guess the reality is that there are many things wrong with this world. Perhaps I need to reframe my situation: I am the working poor, but the rich in spirit.