<prompt> Human: I know things happen, I have spent the last 6 years building my credit. Back in 2003-2004 I was deployed to Iraq , while in the Marine Corps, and none of my bills were paid. Ex wife didnt pay anything, and moved back with her parents. Long story short, nightmare divorce s, and I was stuck with the bills. Said F the world and partied for the next 6 years. well it bit me in the rear. in 2011 I checked my score and it was around 480. I had 3 jobs at the time to help pay my bills, didnt have to worry about foods lol as I worked at Dominos for the 2nd job. left over pizza and beer : The Guard pay help pay off bills a lot faster as well.Once I got my bills paid off, I got a secure credit card. And have been paying all my bills on time. In 6 years, I now have a credit score of 722, I still have my student loans. Which is just a monthly payment. I am about to close on a house. I have an hourly job now, and I make 16 hr as IT. I am also 6037; through the VA. I make around 45K a year. I Have a budget that I do every month. I have it now were I can track my expenses in real time, thanks to google docs. And others I have found on rpersonalfinance. and hereWhat I have left after all my bills is around 1100, I only get paid monthly so I am trying to figure out where to put whats left. I am slowly working on my savings and emergency accounts. I am also trying to save for a new car, as the one I own, I had for 9 years. any advice will be vary helpful.thanksEdit: spelling and Links  <response>: Prime Directive will answer your questions: Basic advice is save a 3-6 month emergency fund. After that you should start contributing at least 1537; of your pretax income to retirement savings. Beyond that it depends on your goals. Want to retire early? Increase your retirement contributions. Want to get a new car? Start saving for a down payment. etc. etc. 