Winter Up North can be a magical time for kids: sledding adventures, snowball fights, and crossing their fingers for a snow day. But as Kierstin Gunsberg writes in this week's Northern Express, sister publication of The Ticker, for many parents it’s a season of juggling heating bills, replacing outgrown boots and coats, and stocking up on cold medicine for all the sniffles. And for ALICE families, where every dollar is already stretched thin, those extra costs aren’t just a hassle, they’re a real struggle.

ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, which means that these families include working adults who are earning above the federal poverty level (or FPL, which is currently $31,200 for a family of four) but still struggle to make enough to pay for the basics like rent, food, and childcare. Nationally, over 40 percent of households fall into this category, and in northern Michigan, ALICE families make up 38 percent of the population.

Read more about what it's like growing up under the ALICE designation in northern Michigan - and how organizations like United Way of Northwest Michigan are helping - in this week's Northern Express. The Northern Express is available to read online, or pick up a free copy on newsstands at more than 650 locations in 13 counties across northern Michigan.