I'm a mom of 4 and can't keep up with rising costs. We are using our retirement savings to cover expenses.

• My family of six is struggling to keep up with rising costs and inflation.
• We've borrowed from our 401(k) and retirement savings to pay bills.
• Saving money has become nearly impossible despite multiple income streams.

In Maine, where I am raising my family, electricity costs have risen exponentially. The average Mainer spends $175 a month on this bill alone — just to keep the lights on.

My average electric bill is $300 a month. Oil prices have increased, as have gas and groceries. Middle-class families across the country face similar financial challenges. Prices continue to outpace salaries.

For my family of six, this has led to a few changes, and none of them are positive. Not only is it harder to pay bills, but the rising cost of living makes saving and holding onto savings impossible.

We took a loan from our 401(k)

While our savings have ebbed and flowed, we have always had something. With four children, it was necessary to set aside money. I was able to put away a specific amount and deposit it into my savings account each month.

However, since prices have soared, our savings have gone in the opposite direction. If I do manage to eke out a bit of money to stash away, within weeks, our account is drained. Whether it's a pricy trip to the grocery store, rising gas and oil prices, an unexpected expense, or an emergency, savings don't last as long as they used to.

Financially, we struggle year-round, often relying on retirement savings to pay regular expenses. Last year, we took a loan from my husband's 401(k) to cover Christmas for our four children. Expenses have also been covered with retirement money. Despite our jobs as a teacher and an electrical shift worker — and with added overtime, freelance writing, and a summer teaching job — we still can't fully meet our expenses.

We have no safety net

So now, not only are we worried about living paycheck to paycheck and operating without a safety net, but my husband has to repay the 401(k) loan we borrowed against through paycheck deductions. The scariest part is that it may not be the last time we use this strategy, nor was it the first.

I also withdrew funds from my retirement annuity to pay for my daughter's car. We have limited access to public transportation where we live. It was also necessary to have another driver in the family. So, I took $3,500 for the car and added it to the $1,000 she had saved. I also took an additional $2,000 to cover expenses we were falling behind on.

Pulling this money out had a significant impact on our taxes. Unlike with my husband's 401(k) we weren't taking out a loan. We were pulling money that would be considered taxable income — and it hurt — which led us to a decision. Moving forward, it would be a smarter move to borrow against my husband's 401(k) if there are any smart moves to make in this precarious financial time. That's what we did.

As a teacher, I don't have a 401(k); I have a pension that is insufficient to cover expenses. It's like having a ghost account that exists--sort of. I can't borrow against it, and its true value doesn't really materialize until retirement. If I withdraw money early, I incur penalties and face negative tax implications. While it will serve me well in the future, it does little to help with the current economic pinch; we, like many American families, struggle daily.

This stands in stark contrast to the lesson I was taught growing up, and one that the grandparents who raised me stuck by. They had three to six months' worth of savings stashed away for living expenses. My grandmother even saved money for Christmas throughout the year in her Christmas club account. She was able to save and budget, so she didn't have to borrow against retirement.

Unlike my grandparents, many today don't have a safety net as costs rise faster than incomes. We certainly don't. Staying financially sound is harder than ever. Borrowing against retirement seems a desperate yet necessary measure in an uncertain, harsh economic wasteland. It is not a choice; it's a necessity for families like mine. I can only hope these sacrifices won't undermine our future retirement, or that prices will go down, and we can start saving again.