<prompt> Human: I am finally coming to terms with that fact that I have been living well beyond my means since college. I am 28 currently making 80k and cannot escape living paycheck to paycheck, constantly feeling the drowning weight of various debts. I have a very active social life and am fully aware that I spend too recklessly on it eating out, bars, weekend trips with friends, etc. I know it will be criticized here but I have rather strong feelings against curbing a lot of that spending, as I have a hard time rationalizing the hours I put in at work if I dont get to enjoy myself during time off. One bright spot of my situation is that Ive consistently taken advantage of company match to build a 401K to over 30K in the past few years. I just switched roles and turned down the tempting option to cash out a portion of that money to provide a safety net and breathing room. The sad part about this, is that I have a degree in finance and work in investment banking. Basically, Im here to get the wake up call that I need. I can take a beating, so dont hold back any punches. Fixed expenses:RentUtil: 1000CC1: 150 minmonth, 6,100 14.24CC2: 246 minmonth, 12,300 0 promo rate thru 2016, 14.24 thereafterCC3: 195 minmonth, 8,600 14.49Car: 305month, 8000 0Student Loans: 273month 15,500 3-6 Insurance: 109monthTotal bills per month: 2,300Net Income per month: 4,220Ideally, first, I would like to consolidate my CC debt to one payment of around 400 opposed to three payments totaling 600, to either allow me to move that 200 into savings each month, or allow it to go towards more principal. Overall, I lack discipline and have a hard time saying no. Every time I make an adjustment to curb spending, another expense comes out of the blue and keeps me waiting on my next paycheck, e.g. three weddings in the next three months, airfar, gifts, etc.FICO is currently at 710. I know its irresponsible but part of me wants to cash in my 401K to get out of CC debt, then I could invest an additional 600 a month back into it on top of the 5 I am already getting matched. I just want this pressure lifted and I really dont know what to do. I shouldnt be in this position as a 28 yr old single person making 80K. I am coming to terms that I need to change, but I feel like I need to hear just exactly how terrible I have been financially over the past five years from unbiased knowledgeable people like yourselves. Any advice at all would be appreciated. Thanks for reading.Assistant: What happened to your money that not only you blew it but you managed to have a negative net wealth? Having a good life doesnt mean you should be reckless to feel your job is worth it. If you dont line your job, youre better off finding a job you enjoy even if it means taking a pay cut and then saving some money because you feel you deserve it because you work so hard. Human: That is quite an accomplishment to build that savings, I am very envious. Congratulations on that. For the most part, my money has went towards an overly active social life, regularly visiting different friends each weekend and partaking in expensive nights out. Basically, I have a hard time saying no, and value keeping up with a large social circle of friends. I also was, for the most part, unemployed my first year out of college and then making considerably less than I do now for the next three years. I just started making 80K two months ago, since then I have managed to stop using CCs. Thanks for your comment though, as it really hammers home how much of a different position I could be in with discipline.  <response>: Just to second the person you just replied to - most people I know making 70k-80k around your age are saving 10k - 20k per year, have paid off their student loans and have no other debts. And are still going out, doing things and having fun partly because theyre not paying 600 per month on a stupidity tax called credit card debt. All of them have a significantly higher rent than you as well. The good news is you can still get out from under this. I had over 10k in credit card debt at 24.99 APR yes, you read that right while owing another 6,000 to the IRS. Mind you, the reason I got into my mess is because I was unemployed for 6 months and then severely underemployed for another 6 months. Not because I got to go and have a ton of fun in my 20s. I managed to pay all that shit off in a couple years and now have a positive net worth while making a lot less than you and having a higher rent than you. Ill echo what someone else said: Grow up. You made this mess. Wake up and fix it before you blow your 30s the same way and post about how youre almost 40 and owe 20k and what happened waah. 