uphill battle

Congratulations on your good work. It is very important to know that everyone lives on a budget. Not everyones works because they dont stick to it. It is also important to know that having a good budget will solve all your problems over time. It is hard to see when you are struggling but it is important to perservere. It is also important to take care of things like savings and your future goals in your early budgeting. When you clear a debt be careful what you replace it with. First and most important save up enough for emergency fund which most people define as three months bills savings. Second you need to have a budget line for long term savings. Third have an entertainment line. This is for eating out, movies, rentals, weekend trips, etc... I include short term goals in this line like saving for a new mower or other household item upgrade. This is not a maintenance line for your existing household items. Your car line needs to include money set aside for maintenance. Just as your home line includes your mortgage it should include a line for maintenance. I dont mean to bore you. There are lots of good tips for a budget but credit cost should be a small item in it.