Where should I allocate my cash and which debts should I pay off?

Debt

Income: $3,288/month after tax (temporarily low due to my industry, will increase after some deals close)

Expenses: ~+/-$4.3k/month

  • Rent: $2,100
  • Car payment + gas + insurance: $700
  • Food/entertainment/misc: ~$1,500

I know I'm currently negative on cash flow, but I have savings to hold me over until my income increases.

Current Cash:

  • Chase checking: $9,847
  • Discover savings: $25,085
  • Total liquid: $34,932

Retirement:

  • 401k: $45k

Debts:

Student loans: $6,278 @ 3.86% (My company pays $250/month which covers minimum + some extra)

Auto loan: $20,778 @ 7.84%

  • Monthly payment: $420
  • Planning to refi soon credit score 758

Credit cards (I pay off each month, high balances due to recent moving expenses):

  • Chase: $3,285
  • AMEX: $6,815
  • Mastercard: $14,459 (0% promo with deferred interest until December 10th)

Total CC balances: $24,559

If I subtract my credit card balances from my liquid cash, I'm left with about $10k. I'm open to all perspectives on how to allocate this. Should I pay off some/all of the debt now or keep more cash on hand given my temporary income situation?

Let me know if I left out any important details!

Posted Oct 6, 2025, 7:12 PM UTC

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