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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here.  Do you live in DC 15:11?  I am also amazed at the amount of money we earn and burn through, but it is what it is.  We can "survive" on $8100, but can't get ahead.  A very rough budget for us:

$3200 - house/utilities/life insurance
$2000 - childcare
[b]$1800 - student loans, credit card debt, car payment/insurance/gas/parking (minimum payments on all)[/b]
$800 - food/household goods like TP, paper towel, laundry detergent, etc
$900 - tithe

[b]That leaves a grand total of $300 for all extras[/b] - clothing, diapers, toiletries, haircuts, etc.  Survivable?  Sure.  Manageable?  Yes.  But very difficult to save extra.  The first three big ticket items are fixed costs - we cannot reduce them by cutting corners, etc.

We are obviously house-poor.  I know that is the problem, but moving is not an option right now.

Anyway - not the point of my post, but just wanted to show that it's possible for $9,000 (or $8,100) to not stretch all that far.

Thanks to everyone for your input and feedback - we'll be examining our budget again this week.  :)[/quote]

OP, my biggest concern is that you're only making minimum payments - especially on the credit card debt.  If I were you and your DH, I'd run the numbers on three scenarios: 1) $900 goes to the tithe, 2) $900 goes to the credit card debt, and 3) $900 goes to some combination of the two.  For each of the scenarios, you should figure out roughly what month and year you'll be debt-free.  I'm not a financial expert, but won't you be able to give more to the church over the long term, if you put a stop to your (currently increasing) credit card interest charges?

I'm sure you've read the anti-usury verses like Exodus 22:25 and Deuteronomy 23:19-20.  Obviously they apply to the lender rather than the borrower.  Even more obviously, the modern day financial context is totally different from the OT.  But anyway, wouldn't you think it's wise to consider being aggressive about eliminating your interest charges?[/quote]

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