My disability shapes every money decision my family makes, from where we live to what we eat

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• We've had to be careful to be as frugal as possible because of my disability.
• My ability to work has shifted over time, which has meant losing access to possible income and healthcare. 
• Disability can mean having to make difficult financial decisions both short-term and long-term.

I have chronic paranoid schizophrenia. Having a disability in the form of mental illness has shaped my husband's and my financial life in almost every way. One of the ways it has affected us the most in terms of our finances is my ability to work full-time, but no aspect of our financial life is free from the effects of disability. 

Thinking carefully about what we can afford

Over the 25 years of our relationship, we have lived a frugal lifestyle. We have consistently purchased second-hand cars, furniture, and clothing. We have been fortunate over the years with jobs, health insurance, access to doctors, medications, and the ability to plan for unexpected emergencies like hospitalizations. That scenario is not true for everyone with a chronic illness or disability.

Even what we buy at the grocery store is influenced by choices around my illness. We stick to a pescatarian diet with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables to try to reduce the side effects of antipsychotic medication.

Our decision to invest in life insurance for my husband is a choice we made based on my disability. We wanted to make sure I could pay off our mortgage if something happened to him so that I wouldn't be without a home in the future.

My access to employment has been complicated

There have been times when I had a blossoming career and could work at a job for many years. There have been other times when a psychotic episode has meant having to rebuild my work life from scratch, often taking part-time jobs where I was overqualified and paid minimum wage.

I've had to do this to limit my stress and recover from my illness. I can't begin to calculate the amount I have lost in income due to job loss, symptoms, gaps in employment, and finding suitable work that I could maintain with the number of symptoms I have at any given time.

Access to healthcare has been precarious

Besides my earnings being far less than my potential, we have also had to choose jobs based on medical insurance. Before 2014, an insurance company could deny coverage for preexisting conditions. Before that time, my husband didn't want to change jobs or insurance providers because we feared the loss of a significant amount of our healthcare coverage.

We also have to consider how much we pay for medications and the reality that I need to see doctors more frequently to monitor my medications and their numerous side effects. Our insurance companies have not always covered some parts of my treatment. I haven't always had access to therapy, and when I've had access, it has only been for a set number of sessions.

Disability affects the big picture aspects of my life

We also have to make long-term financial decisions based on my condition. For example, we've put significant thought into calculating how long we will have to wait for retirement because we fear high medical costs as we age.

Where we choose to live is also based on my mental illness. Many places in the country are less expensive than living in a major metro area, but those areas often don't have the same level of care and facilities to handle mental health care and a potential crisis.

Having a disability makes having and keeping your finances in order simultaneously more important and more difficult. The endless choices you must make between one thing or another complicates things even further. It's a rough life that can cause financial stress in purchasing the necessities and receiving adequate care.