<prompt> Human: So I dont really post too much more of a lurker, but I am feeling really up against a wall and I am hoping Reddit has some advice for me. Here is my story. Sorry if it is a little long.This past September I took a job in Colorado. I was really excited because I was looking for a new job for several years and wasnt getting anywhere. I am a lawyer and the market is extremely saturated. My old job was for a nonprofit in Minnesota and paid 55,000 a year, not a lot considering my significant student loan debt 80,000.00. I also had a ton of debt, mostly credit card debt from a failed business I tried to get going a few years ago. I had only about 1,000.00 in savings and 32,000.00 in a 403b. The new job started at 65,000 and I was told I would be making 6 figures in one year. Plus, it was in Colorado and I love it there. So no brainer right?! I took the job.When I left I decided to cash out my 403b to pay off my debt, move out there, pay the fee to transfer my license, and put the leftover 4,000 in savings to build on. I went around and around on it for a couple weeks. At the time, I thought it was the right move. It wasnt. The job turned out to be a total bust. It went bad almost immediately. Too many things went wrong to list them all. In short, the guy misrepresented the job, tried to change the terms of our employment agreement, and there were serious I mean very serious ethical problems there. At first, I thought I could just ride it out and find something else, but it got to the point that I could be personally sanctioned for the firms conduct and when I brought my concerns to my new boss, he responded by saying we should part ways. He gave me a months severance and asked that I leave that day. I ended up reporting him and I am going to sue him, but thatll will take months or even years to resolve itself.My old boss and I are friends so I called her for advice and she offered me my job back in Minnesota. So now a tough decision... My girlfriend and I went round and round over it for a week. Neither of us wanted to move back home, but there really wasnt much of a choice. We were both unemployed and like everyone else we had bills to pay. Plus, my license will not be approved in Colorado until March 2015 so it is not like I was a desirable candidate for other attorney jobs there. Another major factor is that we are locked into a lease in Colorado until May of 2015. My girlfriends mother said we could live with her until we figured out the lease situation in Colorado. Weighing everything we decided to move back and our now hoping beyond hope that our landlord finds a new tenant and we can get out of the Colorado lease. Then life decided to give us yet another challenge. While we were driving home literally on the road in the moving truck my girlfriends mother called and told us she sold her home and that we will be unable to stay there. So we were homeless for about three days staying with friends, but then my mother helped out with the security deposit and we got into an apartment.So here is our financial situation now. We have been back in Minnesota for two weeks. I already started work. My girlfriend is still unemployed. We are currently paying two rents 1,200 a month in Colorado and 900 in Minnesota. I have about 5,000 left on my car and pay 350 a month, her car is paid off, I have 500 a month student loan payment, my girlfriend has 300 a month student loan payment she is now a month behind on, we pay 130 a month for auto and renters insurance, we have to pay utilities on the Colorado place which I am guessing is about 100 a month since we are not there, utilities in Minnesota are included the rent. I put almost all of the moving expenses back on my credit card. So I still have about 4,000.00 in savings, but now have about 2,000 in credit card debt again. My girlfriend is 35 and has no retirement as she lost her restaurant business three years ago. She has not credit card debt. I am turning 38 in one week and have no retirement now. We have a six year old. On the Brightside, I am expecting a very large tax return as I moved twice in 2014 for jobs and I have a very high credit score. My girlfriends credit is poor because of her failed restaurant and now that she is a month late on her student loan.There it is Reddit. I do not know what to do. I am knocking on the door of 40, have one failed business, a fiasco of a job venture, 4,000 to my name, a mountain of financial responsibilities, and nothing in retirement. And to top it all off, I am back at a dead end low paying job that I cant seem to move on from, especially now. I am not one to get emotional and am usually very positive, but right now I am really in a dark place. I dont know what to do. I am trying to be strong for my family, but I feel like a failure. Any advice is very much appreciated. Thank you so much in advance.  <response>: my girlfriend has 300 a month student loan payment she is now a month behind onIf these are federal loans, there are so many protections in place if you fall on hard times! Call up your servicer and ask for a hardship deferment for a couple of months. She will have to get caught up, but then they will work with her. And it sounds like she doesnt have a job yet since she has been bouncing between your jobs, so she could be eligible for 0 payments with income based repayments plans. a mountain of financial responsibilitiesWe can help you make a plan for this, but we will need some more information. Provide us a budget and lets start to unbury you!A budget has:- Monthly take home pay- List of all expenditures categories this is everything you spend money on, from rent, groceries, eating out, car stuff, household items, etc- List of all debts with their total amounts owed, minimum payments, and interest ratesDoes your current employer count as a non-profit for Public Service Loan Forgiveness Purposes? 