With blended funds it’s almost like having a babysitter for your money. You’re not the one watching the kids, and to me that’s a big mistake.

This is the deal you signed up for, and she did nothing wrong. Wanting her money back now isn’t greedy or malicious on her part, and it’s definitely not worth putting a family relationship at risk.

I think far too many ladies, in the name of paying for stuff they don’t need, have left the household and the children for the workplace. Many of them didn’t even want to do this; they just felt obligated to do it by people like you.

I really don’t feel this is a job-move issue. I think you guys just need to establish some fair and reasonable emotional distance between yourselves and your family.

There’s no reason to take out loans for something like this. Anyone can make $10,000 a year delivering pizza while in school, and it would be a great life experience.

Whether you’re talking about the world today or 50 years ago, necessities haven’t changed. Necessities are still food, shelter, clothing, transportation and utilities.

I knew a guy in the real estate business years ago who was doing a lot of property deals under his own name. Occasionally, the title company would require his wife’s signature, and he would sign her name on the papers himself.

When it came to making these kinds of decisions at our house, we’d take a look at whether the kid was behaving, getting good grades and stuff like that.

You’ve got to get your lifestyle down to a manageable level until you’re able to work again. And even then, there’s no reason to raise your lifestyle up to your income.

Be creative and make sure you find ways to have “us” time on a regular basis. But you’re right on this one. You can go out and have plenty of fun together without spending a lot of money!

Forgiven is forgiven. That means the deal and any obligation is completely wiped out and gone. But chances are, Chase or MasterCard aren’t going to call you up and forgive the debt.

You would have to oversee it, of course, and you’d have to file a tax return, but starting something like this when she’s 14 would help set her up for some serious money later.

The biggest problem most folks run into with wholesale clubs is overbuying. I mean, who needs nine gallons of mustard?

Car payments and the credit card debt are the same thing. They’re both debt payments, and you’re being charged interest on both of them.

Remember the tale of “The Tortoise and The Hare”? Every time I read that story, the tortoise wins.

If I were in your situation, I would not move in with the in-laws. You’ve got an absurd amount of money wrapped up in those cars. I’d sell the stupid things, start living on a budget and paying down debt, and keep my dignity.

You guys obviously aren’t poor, and any financial advisor who says you need to fake being poor in order to get help is not a person whose advice I want to follow.

It may even be a good idea for your wife, her sister and your father-in-law to get some advice from a family counselor beforehand. What we’re really talking about here is an intervention.

I realize no one enjoys driving a beater, but that’s what I’d do right now. Just look at it as a rental car.

A partnership is always a bad idea. There’s absolutely no upside for her, and if you feel there’s nothing you can do to keep her from making such a ridiculously bad mistake, then you guys are going to have issues in your marriage, too.