<prompt> Human: Hello all, let me start off by saying that I have been a long time lurker on reddit and this is my first post ever. I created an account just for this reason and I appreciate any advice given. I am a 30 years old, disabled veteran with a wife and 3 children. I currently hold a position with the federal government where I have a real possibility of losing my security clearance and my job over delinquent debt. I incurred a lot of debt after I was injured and discharged from the military. I struggled to survive and take care of my family for a number of years. I have only been employed here for the last 9 months. I work full time and am a full-time student using my GI bill. My credit score is 550 while my wife carries about 600. We are currently living above our means and I am finding it hard to find a way out. I will now list my budgets and debts. IncomeYearly Salary - 49,7512500mo After taxes, health life insurance, and 6 into TSP 214 matching 51680m VA Disability1660m BAH from GI BIll5840.00m Total bring homeBudget:Rent - 1800Electric - 127 130 past dueGas - 150Water 125Car Loan - 400 - Owe 11,000 on itEDITVehicle is totaledCar Loan 2 - 350 - Owe 5,500 vehicle was totaled gap insurance did not cover full amount bc I had put deferment on payments for 12 months after I was injuredAuto Insurance - 150Renters - 17.50Internet - 75Cellphones - 90CC1 - 100 - Balance - 1,980 21aprCC2 - 50 - Balance - 300 21CC3 - 50 - Blance - 400 22.99100 DiapersWipes600 FoodGroceries100 Household300 GasolineFuel40 TransportationTollsTixPasses90 Misc. Medical Expenses RxDr.200 DanceGymnasticsChild Activities100 Clothes 100 Entertainment150 Pets TOTAL Expenses - 5580 TOTAL NET Profit- 475.00Current Personal Debt 19,500 approxIRS Debt - 1,654Deliquent Debt Totals 13,564 of unsecured loans from 2013.Student Loan Debt approx. 58,000 deferred92,718 In total debt.I have a total of 4,000 in my TSP L2050 and no other investments or assets. I am currently the sole provider and only income for my household. I dont know what I am looking for, but I am looking for something. I feel lost. I suffer a Traumatic Brain Injury which makes managing all of this that much harder. Also when I finish school I will no longer be getting 1660 for BAH from the VA that will be in approximately 1 year. Please help. Budget Adjustment 1: OK Made some changes to the budget. Cancelled Amazon subscriptions and the Busch Gardens Passes... they let me out of them. Found out that I can cut my toll down to 2 dollars a day with an easy pass so it cuts my toll to 40 a month. Cell phones are 90 in straight talk, not 120. I had that number wrong. My electric bill right now is 130 120 Past due for 250 so I adjusted the numbers. I will be making more adjustments as we go along and I get a better picture.Budget Adjustment 2: After looking over our food costs for the previous 2 months 600month is far more accurate. I have also decreased our pet budget from 150 to 100. EDIT 2: I would like to thank everyone for their support so far as well as add a bit more backstory. It is unfortunate I am in the financial spot we are in. I myself have been very bad with my spending habits even prior to my injuries... it got much worse afterward. Depression and poverty can lead to poor financial decisions. Short-term gains for long-term suffering etc. These are my first steps really into thinking about our long-term financial plan. Second, moving again may be the right move financially, however, we do still have 18 months left on our lease we signed a 2-year lease. Not sure if getting out of it would be easy or what the financial penalties would be. I have considered speaking with our property manager about lowering the rent due to our predicament. Additionally, we have moved 9 timesdue to military, injuries, different jobs in the last 8 years, the only thing constant in our lives has been instability. Also, we live in Chesapeake 50 miles from my job because of the schools for my daughter, who is in 3rd grade and has a learning disability. Her dance and gymnastics are really where she is drawing her confidence from. Additionally, we have absolutely 0 outside assistance. No family or friends in the area, and have never had any help financially from family at all. I am currently a full-time student and I work full time. My wife having a part-time job IS an option but with the way our schedule is right now I am not sure it would add much or we would be able to keep up with that for long before becoming burnt out. Unfortunately, my money philosophy stems from growing up in foster care and poverty, and I have brought that into adulthood, for some reason I am in constant survival mode...Is as if my bank account always gravitates around 0 no matter how much money I make. I am only now trying to figure out our long-term plan due to necessity and it is causing somewhat of a crisis in me. I probably would have been one of those folks who hit the lottery and was broke in 5 years. Changing 30 years of habits, my view of money, and organization will be the most difficult here. My biggest fear is ending up in poverty like the majority of our family. My wife is on board with what needs to be done. How does anyone feel about consumer credit counseling? Also, I will get approx 9500 back on my income tax return in February. Additionally, we HAVE paid off over 15,000 in debt over the past 3 years. 12,000 in Military star cards and 3,000 in DFAS overpayment. Again any books to read, apps to use, or advice was given is well taken. Every journey begins with the first step. Thank you all. I dream of becoming debt free and owning assets.MAJOR UPDATE: So... I found out today that there is a 7,500 delinquency debt threshold. Meaning if you carry over 7,500 in delinquent debt you are deemed unfit for federal employment and disqualified. This is major, up until this point I was trying to come up with a plan to pay down my debt over time, now I realize I have to, at a minimum, cut my debt in half essentially right now. To even be deemed qualified to maintain employment. Any suggestions?? Im in full panic mode.Assistant: Does your wife know about the financial predicament youre in? Or have you been trying to shelter her from it? Because if she doesnt know, she needs to - now - so she can get on board with all the changes youre going to need to make.ETA - In my opinion, the kids activities and pet expenses should be the last things to be cut. Cutting out kids activities or getting rid of pets can be emotionally traumatic - and the kids and pets are innocent bystanders here. Ill probably get flak for this, but I would cut as much as I could elsewhere - rent, utilities, groceries this is INSANE, esp if your wife is HOME and can cook from scratch!, amazon, clothing, Busch gardens, etc. - then see how things go as far as the budget. Id try to disrupt the kids lives as little as possible; getting rid of pets, man, thatd be traumatic, and there are plenty of other areas where you can cut costs BIG TIME before you need to consider that. Make these other big changes NOW, and youll be in much better shape once the additional income stops next year, plus your wife can look into a pt job by then.Human: I have tried to shelter her from it previously. Learned from that mistake... She is now aware of the situation, but Im not sure she grasps the severity of it over the long term. Considering all of our needs and some wants are being met.  <response>: So Im just gonna say - as someone whos been married for 23 years to a person whos the financial opposite of me i.e., a spendthrift - you need to really be sure shes on board with changes. I mean, they HAVE to be made, absolutely; she just really needs to understand WHY they need to be made and the BENEFITS that will come along with that as well to avoid strife. For you sake, hers, and the kids. 