Lauren Walker is a single mother living with her four-year-old son in a rented townhome in a small town in eastern Mississippi. Lauren works full time as an administrative assistant for a local construction and engineering firm, and she covers her frugal needs with her annual income. Lauren employs several financial management tactics: keeping expenses low, timing the payment of recurring bills to align with her income, paying for larger expenses gradually, and getting financial assistance from her mother for childcare and other occasional expenses The Earned Income Tax Credit, which she relies on to pay off her debt to her mother, complements her financial discipline to help her stay on top of her bills and manage ups and downs.