For about 6 months now, we've been struggling to make ends meet. We decided to buy property to build a house and we planned to sell our house in the meantime. It's not happening, and now we're having difficulty with paying some bills on time. Any suggestions??

From: Kim

Hi Kim, here's an out-of-the-box idea. Have you looked at the growing number of real estate swap sites? Homeowners who don't want to get caught in that uncomfortable in-between are looking to slip into something more comfortable, or at least more affordable. You might start with goswap.com. If you found someone who wants your home and you want theirs, you could lower your monthly nut, find a new home that already works, AND keep your property.

Chasing my tail! I'm a single parent with 1 income. I feel as though I pay and pay and pay. With interests rates on cards, I can't get ahead of the game. I wrote down on paper some of my big obstacles and I need $5,000 - $6,000 to get back on track. Or at least not behind. Any ideas how I can do this??

From: Misty

We love your expression "chasing your tail." So many of us are right there with you. How to get through? De-stress as much as you can. Things WILL get better. Meanwhile, pay yourself first. If you've got the essentials covered, like rent, groceries, gas, and so on, everybody else can settle for a little less, at least right now. These days we're not cutting up our credit cards. Instead, we're using them for smaller things and paying right away. Hope this helps. Take care!

I am a single mom of twins. I travel for work. I find time is my enemy. I cannot seem to get everything done and keep track of my money and paperwork. I am feeling overwhelmed because I AM !!!! Now that finances are getting tight due to extra expenses I have to get a grip. I have no idea how I got this disorganized. Am I alone? Judy

From: Judy Davis

Wow! We got exhausted just reading your question! In all seriousness, you are NOT alone. One of our founders, Julia, is the mother of twins. We have several suggestions:

1. Breathe. You can make more money but you can't make more time.

2. You're doing your best, and that counts! There's no Accountant in the Sky keeping a ledger on whether you're good or bad.

3. Let your goals, not your to-do list, run your life. Decide what you WANT to do, then take baby steps toward your goals: Set small easily reachable tasks towards organizing your life and finances. Aim for progress, not perfection. In a little time, organization will sneak up on you.

And drop into the MoneyPants Lounge (http://moneypants.infopop.cc/eve?cdra=Y&s=1020085852) to meet fellow members who are making their way through life and finances. It'll help you feel less alone and you might pick up a few tips.

My parents have no money to send me to college. I can borrow the amount to go to a top university. How do I figure out the pros and cons? - Jenny

From: Jenny Clark

That's a big question, especially now. But even in this challenging financial time, there are good student loan investments and bad ones, and nobody is better qualified to decide your course than you.

Here are a couple of things to consider.

Are you the kind of person who's really driven to experience new ideas and new places? Not everybody is, you know. If you're happy where you grew up, doing a job that doesn't demand an expensive education, that may mean that you're the smartest one of all -- because you really know yourself.

On the other hand:

Have you always felt driven to know and do more, even when your parents aren't watching? When somebody gives you a puzzle or problem, do you stubbornly persist until you solve it? These are the kinds of traits that might make a big university investment worthwhile for you.

There's much more to it. Bottom line: Don't let anybody tell you what to do about how much to borrow for college. They're not the ones paying it back.

How long should I hold on to statements from car insurance, banks, telephone bills etc.? Thanks!

Sincerely,
Wendy

From: Wendy

We've talked it over and we'll give you two answers. We think it's best to save records for three years. Want to do it even better? Save all that paper as PDFs. Scan it, save it, back it up, and throw all that paper away.