By MATT CHANDLER
mchandler@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1654

Many Western New York families may find themselves adjusting to living with one income, thanks to recent economic events. For Cathi Brese Doebler, however, it's a mantra she has preached for the better part of a decade.

The Grand Island mother of two young boys was working in human resources when she decided to explore the idea of finding a balance between financial security and time with her family.

"I remember speaking with a woman and she was literally in tears because she wanted to be home with her kids, but they needed her salary as a family," Brese Doebler said, recalling the tipping point when she knew she wanted something different for her own life. "It really touched my heart and I didn't even have children at that point, but that was what really started it for me."

A decade later, she wrote her first book based on the notion that there were strategies that could lead a family to not only survive with less but prosper. "Ditch The Joneses, Discover Your Family: How to Thrive on Less Than Two Incomes" was published in March.

Brese Doebler says it's a spin-off of her consulting business, as well as the culmination of a decade of talking to families to find out what they want, what they need and how they succeeded in getting it.

The book also covers a fair share of her own life experience.

"My husband and I started planning before our children were born for us to be able to live on one income," she says. "When it was time for our first child to be born, that's when I started my first business so I could have those part-time hours."

Brese Dobler had the advantage of having an established career - "I picked the pieces of my full-time job that I liked the most and focused my business on those parts," she says - but the principles outlined in the book, as well as those she presents at speaking engagements, can be applied to virtually anyone.

"For me, operating a business and watching my son was very doable. And I felt like it was a matter of people not having the tools and not always being sure of how to do it," she says, referring to her inspiration for "Ditch The Joneses."

The book took about five years from conception to publication, time that she devoted to gathering information and conducting extensive research on the topic of living with less.

After leaving her full-time job, Brese Doebler conducted HR training classes for businesses, something she still does. She soon realized that while the classes were effective locally, there were limitations.

"I went around and taught this class for a couple of years and then I realized, this is silly. The whole point was for me to be at home and here I was out teaching this class," she says. "At the same time, I can't reach beyond Buffalo because I don't want to travel to California, I've got a 2-year-old at home."

Though some of her research for the book dates back eight years, the insights are timeless, she says.

"The economy demands something like this even more now than it did eight years ago, but the ideas are still the same," she says.

While Brese Doebler had the advantage of being able to start her own business, allowing her to be at home with her children, she is cognizant of the fact that it's not an option for everyone. She addresses that in the book.

"I designed the book as a definitive guide on how to survive on less than two incomes," she says. "For example, there is a chapter titled ‘Ways to Save Money' that is a practical guide to help find ways to save money. That's something readers can use right away to make a difference."

The book covers the topic of budgeting and offers practical tips, whether starting a small business is on your radar or not.

"Financial management is the No. 1 thing that couples argue about," she says. "What I hoped to do, and what I think is happening, is couples are using these tools to go through their financial situation together and get on the same page."

Visit www.ditchthe.com.