[Moose4]

I think one big reason a lot of people don't have some pin money set aside is that they are already paying out every penny they make on existing debt to begin with.

Been there, done that, living it. You're pushing that boulder up the hill, slowly making progress, and then the car breaks down or there's a hospital trip or some other unforeseen expense, and the rock rolls back over you and you start pushing it up all over again. It's definitely a marathon, getting out of debt.

}:-)4

[Angry_White_Man_Syndrome]

We are in a pretty bad position right now. We have quit using cc but with energy bills increasing and several unplanned for expenses we are stretched to the limit. Just a week before Christmas, we had my commuter car drop a rod, the garage door opener broke, the service engine light came on on the good car, and the microwave broke. This was all in the span of less than a week. So now we are spending more on gas ( the commuter car got 45mpg the good one gets 21 mpg). We have cut back every where. Food and utilities have been cut to the bone. As soon as the cell phone contract expires they are gone, trying to find cheaper insurance, etc. The bad thing is starting next month our medical insurance goes up $40 a month, and then with the cc payments increasing it will be more going out than coming in. We are still trying to figure out how we are going to pay for everything.

We have been looking into credit counseling, but it is hard to do when you have negative cash flow. Most we have contacted want their fees up front.