SUNDAY MAGAZINE: Steps toward staying afloat -- Basic but good advice for having the money you need for the life you want

So you get a little cash for the weekend, and suddenly it seems like everybody's got their hooks in it? Your girlfriend, Exxon, your teenager, the Olive Garden, the cinema, The Gap. Your nephew's getting married, your neighbor's son is selling magazines, and you had to go to the emergency room with a broken jaw. That you got from a collection agent.