<prompt> Human: Hi rPersonalFinance, I come to you seeking help in managing my wife and Is budget. For the first time in about two-and-a-half years we are a two-income family, and while we are grateful to be in situation far more fortunate than many others, our time as a one-income family took a huge toll on our financial health and we are unsure of how to begin our recovery. Some brief context to the situation, my wife is very successful and makes 55,000 annually in a management role in her field. I have been unemployed for the last few years due to extenuating circumstances, well say, but for about a month now have finally been back to working full time at a job where I am earning 40,000 annually. It is worth noting that we live in Canada, so those figures and all others youll see in our budget are in Canadian Dollars. It is also worth noting that we have a two year old daughter who is, of course, our priority. A lot of the complication stems from that while we were a one-income family my wife was put in a situation where, to support our family and buy necessities such as groceries and diapers for our daughter, she really racked up her credit card debt which now looms heavily over our heads as an obstacle to our long-term goals saving for a home, starting to contribute to an RSP, saving for our daughters future. I am now going to provide you with a basic outline of our income and expenses. Ill note afterwards where I am aware we can improve but am not exactly sure how. Any and all input is appreciated - harsh or not. Monthly IncomeWife take home pay: 3000My take home pay: 2200Total Monthly Income: 5200Monthly ExpensesRent: 950Car Payment: 285Student Loans: 513 213 in my wifes name, 300 in mineInsurance: 101 76 auto, 25 contentsCell Phones: 127Internet: 110Parking Garage: 110 wifes parking spot at workMonthly Bus Pass: 78 my transport to workDay Care: 360Diapers: 60Gas: 160Groceries: 700Take-Out: 200Credit Card wife: 750 Min. payment of around 500 currentlyCredit Card me: 150 only about a 300 balanceTotal Monthly Expenses: 4654Total Left-Over at End of Month: 550 While 550 may be more than a lot of other people are left with at the end of the month, that 550 doesnt include an entertainment budget at all which my wife and I are fine with, honestly, wed rather save for our goals at this point than go out and do something lavish and also gets eaten out of whenever anything incidental comes up at all, no matter how big or small.We know that we could spend less on food for sure, its just difficult for us. We try to buy very healthy, organic food so that no matter what else is going on we can rest assured that our daughter is healthy and benefiting from a nutritious and balanced diet, so we struggle with how to improve our grocery budget without compromising her health. The 200 on take-out is another obvious expense we could cut out, but it really only breaks down to 50week, and in that take-out budget we include all food we are eating that arent groceries, even a cup of coffee from Tim Hortons on the way to work. The car is another obvious expense that takes up a lot of our budget, but my wife works outside of the downtown core of the city we live in and doesnt have a public transit option like I do. Its worth noting that in our opinion our apartment seems like the best thing for out budget because its only 950month, its modest but totally livable, and includes heat, hot water, and electricity - which really is a bargain in our area. Were really struggling to keep our morale up, because we finally have more money than weve truly ever had and we want to set ourselves and our daughter up for a prosperous future, but even with 40,000 a year injected into our lives, it seems we just cant catch our breath and get ahead. Again, any and all feedback is encouraged! We are very motivated to get our finances straight and set our foundation for the future, we are just really struggling with where to start. TL:DR - My wife and I are finally a two-income family after years of struggling, and are making a combined income of 95,000 CAD annually. However, we are struggling with setting an appropriate budget to allow ourselves to get ahead.  <response>: Whats the balance on your wifes credit card? 500 minimum a month sounds like its around 20,000, assuming a 2.5 balance minimum payment. Keep in mind youre borrowing that 200mo in take out at 22 or whatever the rate on the credit card is. Do you have a coffee maker? Set a timer and take a travel cup with you.For your grocery budget...Im not Canadian. I know your food prices are higher, but cant quantify that. Still, 900 a month on food seems like a whole lot for two adults and a toddler. I believe in eating healthy. Definitely consider going organic for the dirty dozen and reducing your meat and dairy consumption. Make sure you cook and eat everything you buy and arent letting produce rot in the fridge or leftovers go bad. Take them for lunch, chuck them in the freezer for easy meals in the future...check out rmealprepsunday! Will also help with eating out. I mean...yall lived on 40,000 less for the last two years. Unless youre 80,000 in debt...live like you were living. Daycare and the bus pass are new, necessary expenses, but every other dollar is New, free money. Attack your credit card debt, check out the Canada PF subreddit, and commit to your daughter never remembering the anxiety you have over bills right now. 