29 yrs old & $41,000 in debt

Hi and welcome! I just wanted to pop in and give you a cyber hug! I am 26 (soon to be 27 :) ) and I am in debt as well. The good news is that you are young, and its better to learn this lesson now rather then later.

Does your husband know the extent of the debt? Did he when you were married? I understand how you want to keep him out of this and take care of your responsibilities (which by the way I am in TOTAL agreement with) but having you worry yourself sick over it helps no one. This becomes especially important if you want to start a family! Children can sense anxiety and it impacts their little lives.

My $0.02. Have him co-sign the loan. If you are already making higher payments now, then you should have no problem making lower payments in the future. This won't impact him unless you stop making payments.

Are you living on a budget or a spending plan? I found that this was in fact the most annoying yet liberating thing I ever did. And don't kid yourself, it takes MONTHS to get the plan working for you, and sometimes even then we slip up. They key is baby steps. Once you have figured out where your money is going, you can make an honest effort to save a little here and there to send towards debt.

Is there anything you can sell to pay off these debts? Tis the season for garage sales. This will have two benefits. First, you will clean out your home and purge clutter (which often has a calming effect). Second you can throw all money made toward the debt and lower payments.

Regardless of what you decide, I wish you the best of luck!

Bex