I 100% feel you. Though we are comfortable now, we had some unexpected, rocky times and it seemed once we recovered stability post recession, my husband’s industry (commercial print) took a downturn and he went through several periods of un or under employment and my younger son’s ASD Diagnosis and subsequent therapy/appointments. Anything we had saved disappeared and our debt was manageable, but hurting our ability to save.
That being said, as soon as we were able, we consolidated all debt and put the amount we were previously paying above that one monthly payment to savings. It’s not much, at all, but it’s a little bit of help. We agreed to take out the loans for her and pay while she is in school plus two years at which point, if there is anything left, she will take it over… just in time for her siblings to start the process. We will have paid off the consolidation by then and be able to put more towards the loan than we can currently, so hopefully it won’t be too much.
With a few years ahead of you, you really can save more than you think!