Working for free with a CSA is a great option, too, but if you can learn AND give back to your community, it’s a win-win situation in my book.

How much they can save by him moving to an efficiency and her & children moving with her parents varies. Still, there seems to be about $500 monthly different between efficiencies and 2-bedroom apartments in my area.

Aaron–do you/your 4-year-old qualify for public head start/early childhood education programs? That could reduce your day care bill significantly.

Live fairly close to the office? Sell that motorcycle and get a bicycle!

All the car payment is is the amount of money you won’t get from selling the car, plus some interest that’s basically going to waste. If he owes nothing on the car, he gets more from selling it. If he owes the entire amount then he gets nothing from selling it but at least he’s not in debt for the car too.

Completely irrelevant information.

And of course it requires the in-laws’ total acceptance. It’s against the law these days to force someone to work for you for free if they don’t want to. I’m saying that trying to secure their acceptance is something that should be approached very delicately, because this is *such* a big favor to ask.

Also, if they’re only going to be trying this arrangement for 3-6 months, it seems to me that the moving expenses (and turning utilities on and off and all of that good stuff) might eat up a good-sized chunk of whatever money they’d save.

Personally I’ve found I prefer to have an electronic copy of all articles I read (even if I print them out to use in class — but I get free printing through my department) for easy reference/search ability later. These are not too easy to digitally annotate, however, because it’s nothing like a pen & paper. I use a Mac laptop (Macbook Pro bc I want the larger screen when I’m looking at an article and typing notes about it at the same time). Apple has a (free, comes with the OS) PDF program that lets you underline, circle, and make notes, but the latter are hard to print. I think you can buy some version of Adobe that will let you do the same thing. I also use Scrivener a lot (it’s only for macs, but there are similar programs) because it lets me organize those notes much more easily — and integrate them into my final papers.

I don’t think anyone has a great system (and most profs have multiple file cabinets in their offices…), but you’ll eventually cobble something together. I wouldn’t buy anything other than a laptop beforehand and if you do decide on the iPad, wait if you can for the second version. Apple has a habit of really upgrading their 2nd models and maybe they will have more usability functionality. (oh, the iPad probably won’t do much of what you’re looking for — it’s what I was looking for & couldn’t find…)

Laura: I’m hoping that you got the insurance on the new Droid, since it sounds like your husband is a little careless with his gadgets…

He says he can get rid of it. That means he doesn’t NEED it. It being a great car means it has value. Not owing much on it is irrelevant information.

Think of it like a forest of a thousand trees that all need water. However, there are only 350 pails of water available. Now decide which trees get the water. There are certain conditions for which people are automatically eligible for disability benefits. Then there are conditions that must be argued. Then there are conditions that are truly disabling, but are notoriously difficult to get approval for.

Of course, there are also people who are trying to get disability who could work, instead. However, we do not have enough information to make this assessment, in this case.

Kim, if you have not exhausted all steps in the disability process (application, appeal, and hearing) and you do have a disabling condition, there are some steps you should take in order to improve your chances of being approved.

First, check in the county or city you live to see if there is a disability benefits specialist. These people are usually funded by local government, and offer their services for free, although sometimes to a defined group of people (such as elders). However, in many places, they are available for anyone. These folks are experts in every aspect of disability law, are often attorneys or healthcare providers, and can inform you of your best options. Working with someone like this is your best opportunity for securing benefits.

Second, if there is a hospital or clinic where you receive care, there is likely to be a patient assistance or benefits person there who may be able to help you work out your medical bill issues and help you to find a benefits specialist locally.

Next, look for a patient advocacy program in your area. These may be associated with healthcare institutions or universities, and help people with all sorts of issues like yours at no charge. This organization: http://www.patientpartnerships.org/ is one such program, and they may be able to help your find help.

Finally, the process of acquiring disability benefits is such that having legal representation is the best way to win the day. If you have gone through the initial application process, and have not appealed or have not had a hearing, then it is essential that you have assistance with the process.

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One more point I am surprised that you did not make, while suggesting that Kim might choose not to pay her credit card bills for awhile, was that she contact the Consumer Credit Counseling Service. This is a free, government-sponsored service that negotiates lower payments with creditors based on what people can afford, and immediately stops all of the phone calls and letters from creditors. It is not as good as paying your full amounts on time, as it means that your credit reports will show a slow pay. However, this is much better than showing a no-pay. Here is a place to start: http://www.cccsstl.org/

Maybe Aaron’s in-laws really are the type who can’t get enough of their grandchildren and would love to do this. Or maybe, after spending however many years working and raising their own children, they feel that they’ve earned some time to themselves.

Back when we had the “askers versus guessers” conversation, I came down firmly on the side of the askers: It’s OK to ask for things, because the other person can always say “no.” But some requests really can be unreasonable, and should be handled with extreme care. This may be one of those.

@Aaron: If you’ve cut out all the obvious fat from your budget, you can pay all your bills, and you’re making progress on the loan, I don’t quite see why you need to make any more big changes. You didn’t say what the interest rate or term of the loan is, so we don’t know what kind of time horizon you’re dealing with – maybe the light at the end of the tunnel seems too far away. But soon, your wife’s car will be paid off, and your older child will start school, so you’ll be able to speed your progress up a bit.

In the meantime, just hang in there. If you really do want to put more money toward the debt now, I agree with the previous poster who suggested that you focus on increasing your income (just not with any more risky business ventures, ok?) rather than cutting your expenses.

And 330 a month, depending on the term, is NOT a particularly expensive or valuable car. And since he said he doesn’t owe that much more on it, it’s probably got several years on it and would sell for what, 8-12k? Of which half or more would be needed to buy a replacement car … I wouldn’t risk a clunker with kids.

If the car’s almost paid off, then the 330 can start going toward the debt soon but in the meantime, just keep pushing through.