I'm not sure I read your list correctly. You have a $24,000. home equity loan unrelated to your mortgages [plural]. I have the impression you are paying car loans added to one another for vehicles you no longer own!
Adding to suggestions already posted, I believe you need to increase your income. Can you rent a room/share your home with a college student? Can you and DH get serious and knowledgeable about finance?
The 1st rule DH and I learned was that you only borrow/go into debt for items that have the potential to increase in value in the future. Your education has that potential as does your home. Cars usually only depreciate for so spending as little as possble for reliable transportation is a better plan. Hyundai isn't sexy but they offer reliable transportation really cheap.
Perhaps designate a figure for each expenditure. For example, $ X for utilities [hydro, phone, heat, water, etc.] $ Y for food which includes take-out-restaurant, $ W for auto expenses inluding gas, maintenance, insurance, parking etc? If you overspend in one category, you compensate by spending less in another category.
Because of the way interest is calculated it's important to work the figures to get out of CC, Auto and Equity debt as fast as possible or you will have an enormous albatross dog you and limit your choices in the future.
Last edited by snafu : 05-16-2008 at 02:56 AM.
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