<prompt> Human: Late 20s, been working in radio for nearly a decade just scraping by. I have two kids which I have about 40 of the time. Currently living in a small two bedroom apartment with no savings.However, I just landed a great job with a much bigger company that pays significantly more than Ive ever made in the past. I have no idea where to start to get on track to have a well balanced budget as well as an emergency savings. Ive never been able to be frugal enough to keep any money in my pocket let alone keep my bills paid on time.Im about 15k in debt for various irresponsible decisions that I need to take care of as well.Any advice would be helpful, Im ready for change!!  <response>: 1 List out all your debts with balances and interest rates. Pay off the highest interest rate debt first. 2 Once all that is done, create an emergency fund in an FDIC insured account with 6-8 months of expenses. Yes this takes time. 3 Try not to let lifestyle creep get to you. Youre making much more now and dont let that entice your into spending much more. You have a ways to go with step 1 2. 4 If your firms offers a 401k match contribute up to the match even while 1 and 2 are going on. 5 New apt? 6 Once all this is done, open a Roth IRA with Vanguard.7 Low cost 529 plan for kids? 