a representative Mexican city, this paper describes the effects of the economic crisis of the late-1990s on such families and their corresponding survival strategies. Most families experienced significant reductions in income and were compelled to do one or more of the following: (1) reduce consumption, (2) seek monetary or in-kind assistance from relatives, (3) find new sources of income, and (4) draw on accumulated capital. Central to the responses of younger families was a costly commitment to private education for their school-age children. The paper compares the strategies of the middle-class families studied to those of popular class families as portrayed in the literature, emphasizing class differences in the ways the domestic cycle shapes household responses.