Dear Kathy: Without more information, it's difficult for me to respond specifically. I don't know in which state he lives, nor do I know the circumstances of this garnishment.

Generally, if your nephew has a job and the creditor has sued, won in court and received a judgment, the creditor may be able to grab up to 25 percent of your nephew's wages until that judgment is satisfied. The process, permitted in nearly every state, is called a "wage garnishment." There are other conditions for wage garnishment, as well. To garnishee his wages, your nephew's pay must be above the poverty line, no other garnishments must be in effect (unless the garnishment is for child or spousal support) and the debtor must not have filed for bankruptcy.

Dear Mary: I've tried and tried to make a budget. No matter how I put our finances down, it is always more than what we make. I then get discouraged and throw the whole thing away. How can I make a budget when the money going out is more than we bring in, and how do I save when we don't even make enough to pay our bills? -- Jana K., e-mail

Dear Jana: You're going at this all wrong. You've created your lifestyle, and now you are expecting your income to fit around it. That's like trying to fit 2 pounds of lard into a 1-pound container. It's just not going to work! Instead you need to tailor your lifestyle to fit within your income.

I can only imagine that you are going more deeply into debt every month. You cannot continue this way. You've come to the end of the line, and it's time to turn around. You have two choices: increase income (difficult) or reduce spending (more realistic).

As it is now, you need to see this budgeting problem as a life-threatening situation. I hope you will read my book "Debt-Proof Living" as soon as possible. I believe it is exactly what you need because it will give you a road map to follow. If you do what I say, you'll be living within your means in no time.

Do you have a question for Mary? E-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. Mary Hunt is the founder of DebtProofLiving.com and author of 17 books, including "Debt-Proof Living." To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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