<prompt> Human: Hi all!I currently have a budget that does not leave much room for error or additional expenses. I really could use some help in formulating a new budget thatll work, as long as I and my wife have the discipline to stick to it.Tracking my monthly income is pretty easy, as I am salary - that helps. I make roughly 1,547 every 2 weeks. My wife is a stay at home mom she works part-time at 11hr about 15-20 hours a week, not much to really rely on after gas... she is working on paying down her credit card.My fixed expenses are:Mortgage: 1,352Internet: 50Electricity: 100Oil: 171WaterSewer: 55 comes out quarterly for a total of roughly 220Car Loans: 458 2 carsAside from that, I have 3 credit cards I pay 60 a month on 30 over the minimum and one I pay 100month on should have this one paid off when taxes come back.Credit Card 1: 3,552 14.74Credit Card 2: 390 18Credit Card 3: 615 0 Promotional rate, planning on having this paid off before the end of its term, which I will based on 60monthI also pay a payment plan on one of my wifes medical bills at 60month.For savings, I save 100month for both my kids 50 each. I save roughly 260 a month for my wife and I to go on vacation mid-2018.So my question for all of you is... Where can I improve and what can be adjusted? I left out my budget for groceries and the kids because they vary month to month. But currently, I generally have about 150 left over at the end of the month.Any suggestions would be appreciated. I have an excel document with my budget laid out if anyone wants to examine it.ThanksAssistant: Where are you? US?What about car insurance? Phone service?You need to include food and other daily expenses in a budget or its not really a budget. You dont need to plan to the penny, but your budget should have a goallimit for that category and you should be aware if you are reaching it.The money you are saving for your kids would be better put towards paying down the credit card debt until it is all gone. Frankly, the money you are saving towards a vacation would be better put towards paying off the debt as well.When you say saving for your kids, in what capacity? A bank account in your name? In their names? In a college savings account? Do you have an emergency fund? Do you have a plan for retirement? Both of those things in addition to the CC debt need to be higher priorities than saving for your kids. Trust me, theyll thank you when you do not need to rely on them for financial support when you are older and they may have their own families and financial goals. So: Make a budget that includes guidelines for how much you will spend on food and daily incidentals. It should also include budgeting for savings. Every dollar should be assigned a job somewhere so you know where it is all going. Build an emergency fund Pay off debt Make a plan for saving for retirement and other large long-term goals. Human: Im in the US.As for my car insurance, its roughly 308 a month ouch - due to our age I am 25 and my wife is 21. I work for an insurance company, so I get a discount and the premiums are deducted from my paycheck pre-tax. I do not pay for phone service.My rough estimate on groceries that I have on my spreadsheet is between 150 and 200. I estimate 350 a month on kids diapers, formula for my infant daughter, and foodpullups for my toddler son.The kids both have a savings account in my name. I have considered not contributing to their accounts until I can tackle my debt, which would save me 100month. The vacation isnt really negotiable - it is a big family vacation to celebrate bringing all of the family together.No emergency fund - which I know I do need, especially with a house.  <response>: You need to stop saving money for your kids right now. You have far more pressing budget issues and saving that money does them no good if you havent got the rest in order.How much money is in the accounts you have contributed to for your kids? Depending on how much is there, I would designate all or part of it as a starter emergency fund and anything over about 1000, put directly towards the CC debt. You say you have about 150 left at the end of each month? I dont see how based on the expenses and income you listed.Make a firm budget and include a category for everything you spend money on. Figure out exactly how much you can put towards the CC debt each month. Pay off that car repair store card, then the one with the bigger balance. You can continue to pay the smallest amount on the 0 as long as the balance will be 0 by the time the promotional rate ends. 