<prompt> Human: 30 years old and really want my own property. I know Im probably a few years away from being where I want to be but I dont feel like I have enough time. My mother passed away back in 2009, father has been disabled since then with Guillen-Barre and a few strokes. Hes married and lives in an apartment with his wife and 2 of her kids. I stay with my aunt who has a house but is pushing 80; I help her by paying utilities and buying my own food and trying to stay out of her way. My goal is to buy some type of property so I wont have to crash over friendsrelatives houses and have my own peace of mind. I recently sold my car because it made more sense to part with it than to repair it all and still not have something adequate for my needs. I carpool with my coworker who lives in the same neighborhood as me to a vanpool location where we meet up with other coworkers and vanpool to work from there. Right now im carless and it doesnt seem like a good idea to depend on my coworker. Im considering a leasefinance because itll help with my transportation but I know itll cost me 400-500 monthly and that thought alone hurts. I would like to LyftUber on the side to make extra cash but not sure if its worth it or if ill make enough to cover my car note and then some to pay off bills and save. I live an hour away from my job. My dads spot is 25 mins away from my job. Im going to have weekends off beginning February so I can spend the week at my dads his wife isnt around during the week and spend the weekends at my aunts. Pops has a car I can use to commute to work he doesnt use it much because hes disabled and I cover gas.I currently make 36kyr. After deductions including 10 pre-tax retirement my bi-weekly take home alternates between 900 and 840. With the right certifications, I can make 74kyr but I need downtime to read and study for exams to get my certs and then wait for the position to open up to apply. Here are my specifics:3k in emergency fundMonthly Bills35 - Internet45 - Cell Phone125 - Electricity Bill200 - WaterGasGarbage300 - Food100 - Transportation600 - CCsCC1 - 1175 - 0-interest expires 62016 100monthCC2 - 1420 - 1200 0-interest expires 52016, 220 0-interest expires 72016 100monthCC1 - 1665 - 0-interest expires 92016 100monthCare Credit - 8600 - 14.9 interest 300monthStudent loans - 14k - 7.12 interest not paying anything right nowI would like to have 10k in my emergency fund and 500-1000 available in my checking account for anytime I need cash for bills, food, emergencies or the unexpected. Thank you all for reading this as I appreciate you going out of your way. Any commentsuggestion would be greatly appreciated and considered.By the way, I work in Los Angeles.UPDATE:So im overwhelmed by the amount of responses as I was on the fence about disclosing personal stuff but it seems I did the right thing. After reading most of your responses I will share a bit more of important factors I failed to mention:My aunts house is in Rialto, dads apt is in Bell Gardens and work is in El Monte.I work for MTA of LA, so I get free public transit anywhere the LACMTA operates LA County. I also get tuition reimbursement and a pension. Because LACMTA contributes to my pension, they do not contribute to any 401k457Roth plan. Im deducted 40check for healthdentalvision all in one. Im doing 10 pretax because I think itll help in the long and the tax break I get. I also get a 1 raise every 6 months and promoting is encouraged here. Im not sure if id like to be forever but I know its not a bad place to be considering the benefits they provide.The reason Id like a homecondoany type of property is because I cant see myself paying upwards 1k for leasing something I dont own. I know it may seem oxymoronic considering my debt and current situation but im trying to do better. I think the most important thing money can buy is the place where you live.I DJ on the side so this is the reason why I need reliable transportation. Ive realized the last thing I need would be a car note but im between a rock and a hard place. Im going to do my best to hold off on any car purchaselease until July of this year. I know by then my credit cards will be gone and ill only have care credit and student loans to tackle. Maybe ill have enough money to rent by then so my housing situation will be more convenient. Again, I dont want to rent but the responses Ive read have valid points. The convenience of not being tied down, repairs, closer to work are things that can play into my favor.The CC companies are: CC1: GUITAR CENTER, CC2: PAYPAL CREDIT, CC3: DISCOVER. Care credit is a subsidiary of Synchrony Bank, which is damn near a monopoly since it finances almost anything everyone buys. I honestly want no part of them. My student loans are Navient.I went ahead and knocked out CC1 1175 already. I plan on knocking out CC2 in February, and CC3 in March if I attack them aggresively. Then id like to dump 1k to care credit every month. Im considering applying for Chase Slate for the 0 balance transferinterest they offer and dumping the care credit amount there to save on the interest. Also, what I meant by downtime is when im not driving the vanpool to workdoing overtimesleeping. I know nothing comes easy and I gotta sacrifice and pay my dues. I appreciate the tough love and know that it can always be worse. I know some of you guys have a family, mortgage, repairs, car notes and extended family to take care of or in a predicament worse than mine. I applaud you for keeping it together and thank you for sharing your experiences with me.  <response>: 1. you dont make nearly enough money to buy a house. Even at 74k, in LA, that is pretty iffy.2. credit card debt is killing you. Good to have when really needed, but easy to get in over your head.3. leasing a new vehicle is the most expensive way to get around. I suggest you save for a cheap, reliable vehicle like a used Hobda Civic or Toyota Corolla that costs well under 5,000. AFTER you get out from under your credit card debt. 