Along with sticking to your new pay schedule and proposed CC payments, you seriously need to stop debting. Build up some cash reserves in an emergency fund.
Unless you are engaged to said boyfriend I wouldn't divulge the gory details of my financial life. I would however, when the subject comes up, tell him the basic outline. "I've got some serious debt and I've got a plan and am working out a quick repayment plan that I'm serious about sticking with." That ought to be enough unless as I said you guys are more serious. If so, confess your problems, tell him what your plan is, and ask for some help. If he's got his financial life in order, likely he can help you with yours.
Regardless of what someone stated above, I do think you have a huge risk here. I don't think it's a 'little thing'. What happens if you can't keep earning what you're bringing in now? The real estate investments that you've made, unless they were done in a legal way to hold you personally harmless, could force you into bankruptcy and into possible homelessness.
Stop debting.
No more real estate for a good long while.
Establish a BIG emergency fund while paying down that debt. In your situation I'd probably go half to EF and half to debt reduction till I had at least a $50 thousand EF.
What can you sell to raise cash to boost both EF & paydown?
Can you work extra to make more for same purposes? Do you have any passive streams of income?
As ktmarvels suggested, posting a household budget might allow us to point out some other areas you could cut back on.
I, too, wish you good luck! Stay here on SA dot com. There's a good knowledge bank here of helpful folks.
edited to add: You might try finding a good tracking software for your new spending plans. I like & use You Need A Budget dot com.
Last edited by LuxLiving : 11-03-2009 at 12:36 PM.
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