My background and budget..input?

[JJLinDoorCo]

Hey everyone. I'm a long-time lurker and finally decided to create a thread and gain some insight and advice on future steps. I live in an area of Northeast Wisconsin that has a low/moderate cost of living. I'm 29, a college graduate (though employed in a profession different than my major/minor - go figure), and own a small home as well as a 2007 Jeep Compass. I have two jobs..my full time job is as Member Services Director at a YMCA, and my part-time jobs are as an Auditorium Director and PA announcing for sporting events.

My budget:

Income (monthly)

• $3200 gross; $2500 net (all jobs).
• I will be receiving a raise effective mid-November at my full-time job, so my net should increase to $2650-$2700 month.
• Full-time job includes health insurance with dental and vision.

Expenses (monthly)
Mortgage - $486 (includes escrowed property taxes and insurance)
Cell - $88 (no land line)
Internet - $50
Netflix - $8
Student Loans - $175
Electricity/natural gas - $113
Sewer - $51
Auto Insurance - $42
Auto Loan - $171
Gas - $275
Groceries/Restaurants - $175

Loan Breakdown
Student Loans - (Federal) $26000 @ 4.1% ($103/month); (Private) $16000 @ 4.5% ($72/month).
Auto - $3400 left @ 2.75% ($171/month). I've been paying $325/month to expedite the payoff. I drive 80 miles round trip to work and want to pay off this quicker to start saving up for a new vehicle. Jeep has 116,000 miles currently.
Home - $77,000 @ 3.75% ($486/month) includes property taxes.

Savings
EF - $10,000
Maintenance - $200
401K - $5,000. I contribute 3% to get the full match and my employer contributes 9%.

I know I need to get serious about a Roth and the magic of compounding interest over 30-35 years, but I find myself wanting to continue to grow my EF, create a separate savings ($1-5K for auto maintenance/new vehicle down payment) and paying off my auto loan at an accelerated rate and other debt. This is where I'm looking for constructive advice and rationale on my next steps.
Thanks.

[bjl584]

You created this same thread in the Personal Finance sub forum under a different title the other day.

http://www.savingadvice.com/forums/personal-finance/69092-its-another-budget-life-check.html

Has anything changed between the two posts? Or is it a duplicate?

[shiftins]

you should definitely consider using some of your savings to pay off your higher interest debts like your student loans. think of it this way if your money just sits in a savings account and gains lets say 1-2% interest you are building a 4% interest debt on you loans you are actually losing money by keeping your money still (not even including inflation). I understand needing a rainy day fund but I would definitely prioritize the debt first to be financially better off.