Working on being debt-free by retirement

[jIM_Ohio]

Er, were you ever correct! I have finally received some full paychecks and if I remain a GS 5 I will not get out of debt this year. I somehow expected that my expenses would remain what they were when I was unemployed - did not happen. It is time for me to make a budget and track every single dime - I can't figure out where it all goes, Sigh.

Why did all the people who called Ramsey seem to make over $100,000?

If you think you have $X for debt repayment and $Y for investing each check, the best way to get ahead is to pay yourself first- set the money aside before you even budget anything.

[GrimJack]

Yes, I pay me first and I have submitted an ERC on what they are going to do with my prior experience - depending on how the rules are read, I could get a bump of 4k to 9k per year. It would help but working with what I earn now means a strict budget (especially since I am putting $250 per pay period into retirement).