<prompt> Human: Beginning of the story: Last year I got laid off from my job where I was making 48,000. After a few months unemployment I got a new job where Im making 16 an hour. Theres some overtime involved, so Im making a little more than just 32,000, but I like the work and there are good people here. The problem is money. My coworkers inform me that raises are stingy and even though my bosss boss just retired, theyre not replacing him and not planning to share their savings with us.I have taken measures to help my budget. Ive moved to a cheaper apartment closer to work. I got a new, more fuel-efficient car with the money Ive been saving, and the payments are less than what I was socking away. And the bottom line is that from January 1 to July 1, I will probably break even, or eat into my emergency fund currently at 3,000 a few hundred.The problem is that as I was, I was in a 401k and had an IRA that I was putting in 5,000 to annually. At age 35 my 401k balance is 46,000 and the IRA has 16,000. Come July 1 I will be eligible for the new jobs 401k, which I will put in 6 and they will match 3. Thats going to put more of a strain on me to not lose money.I feel that over time I can earn more, and again I love the position working 11-7, great hours!, but I worry about keeping up with the retirement funds, and I also want some money to spend on vacations and hobbies--not much, but I had a 1000year slush fund that Id like to restore.So what Id like an outsiders perspective on is, where am I exactly and how do I make it better? If I were 25 instead of 35, Id feel great. I have no credit card debt, and enough working capital over and above my emergency fund to make sure all my bills are paid no matter when they come. So thats good. But Im having to be a tightwad and its starting to stress me out. My ideal is if there were an easy way to make another 5000-10000 a year, maybe by like a seasonal job or something that I could do in spare time, but I have no idea how to go about that. Obviously looking to level up the job is an option, but I like to be in routine; life changes are difficult for me, I overeat and have no motivation during them. The path of least resistance is to slowly eat into my savings until the cost-of-living adjustments get me to a slightly better situation, but if, lets say in 5 years Im making 37,000 in the same position, can I afford to retire if Im only contributing again in earnest when Im 40? The clock is ticking.Any advice would be welcome, thank you for reading.  <response>: Your budget is fine. You sound intelligent. Find a higher paying job. 