Been there with a paycheck like that also. It's really really hard to stay committed through a year of Ramen noodles and Taco Bell for those days when you want to treat you and your wife to something "special" once a month.

At any rate, I'm sure it was a good learning experience all around. There is something particularly unique about game development in the software field that isn't necessarily shared anywhere else. I've heard many of these sentiments echoed.