"I'm having my review today and I am not making enough to live on. Every month, after mortgage on the house, modest car payment, and insurance for wife and two

"I'm having my review today and I am not making enough to live on. Every month, after mortgage on the house, modest car payment, and insurance for wife and two kids, I dip into savings to pay the bills." Do you realize what you're saying? YOU ARE PAYING YOUR OWN MONEY TO GO TO WORK. It's not like you are spending all your cash on hookers and cocaine. Get a raise that covers your basic living expenses, or go find another job right now. "I think because I don't want the commitment a big raise would impose on me to stay indefinitely, and I don't want to be comfortable." Your manager will have no problem being comfortable enough to fire you when cash flow is tight.