<prompt> Human: Hi rpersonal finance,I know the answer probably but I am kind of at a loss on what to do. I had to move out, my parents downsized and it was just time. But with my take home pay and expenses, I am really unable to save money. Here is my breakdown:I work for a state government agency as a scientist. I am hoping that I will get a raise soon when contracts are negotiated. I have been here for almost two years.My take home monthly : 2200Retirement-350 a month automatically deducted so not included in the 2200 I listedRent-925 a monthGas-200 a monthGroceries-300 a monthCar payment- 200 a monthStudent loan-250 a monthCar insurance due biyearly-200 a month Totaled at 2075 a month in bills and expensesThat leaves me with hardly anything. But I have about 10,000 in my retirement already after 20 months at my job and I dont plan on touching that obviously. So is it okay to be saving in just a retirement fund for now? Its better than nothing right? I am trying to find part time work to bring in money on the side but for now this has become a big stressor in my life. I cant even find funds to pay for medical stuff when it comes up. Any advice?  <response>: Im going to bring up a handful of points, so lets go:1 As a state employee its very possible you are not paying into social security, MAKE SURE YOUR 401K is prepared for this. Youll need to save even more. 2 Not saving money isnt a huge problem, but its important to remember how this job is providing value to you. Currently its giving you a paycheck for a roof, could another job do this at a better rate, for better hours, or better opportunity?3 Remember youre still paying off your student loans... Thats 3 grand a year or 5 of your pre tax salary youre putting towards loans. 4 Usually state positions have regular raises like one every 6 months at like 1.5-1.75 that add up over time... If youre not banking away much now, youll slowly start to make more over time. Just let it be known that this money frequently disappears with lifestyle inflation. 