re: Say you were to "give up" and go with debt consolidation?

Others in this thread have given you solid financial advice, I'm gonna edge over into the relationship arena. Read back throu your thread and see where, at least twice, you state that you're gonna have to be the "dick" and spend your spare cash on the debt. Are you spending money to impress your spouse, or does saying no to him/her somehow diminish you in your mind? Cause you also need to figure out if 1)you're the problem spender, or 2)he/she's the spendy one, or perhaps 3)you've kept your spouse in the dark about your debt problems. This is a household/family problem....anything you do should be discussed jointly.

Think long and hard about what holes in your life you're trying to fill with frivolous spending. Do some volunteer work in lieu of beers/margaritas in the evenings...you'll feel better about yourself, help others, and not be in an environment where spending is necessary.

Also, work on your financial literacy. Avail yourself of the public library's free books....yet another interesting, entertaining place to go that doesn't take money.