<p>Part of the reason our economic situation is the way it is today is because people have been completely unrealistic about debt ratios. Your mortgage or rent should be 25% of our gross monthly income and, as swimcatsmom posts, 10% should be figured for repaying student loans.
Increasing the ratios increases your chances that you will not be able to keep up with payments and will end up in financial trouble.
When you are, please don’t ask me to bail you out. Been there done that.</p>