Are You Paying Too Much for Your Rental?

Paying too much for rent will only bring on debt. Yet some fail to make this connection. Such a hefty rent might get paid every month, but there will be nothing left to cover gas, food, utilities.

Before leasing a "financial burden," or just getting by every paycheck, consider the benefits of figuring out an affordable rent for your income level. Why? It comes with twice the rewards: A budgeted rent provides a roof overhead and leaves money for saving and spending.

"The less you spend on rent, the more money you have to put toward your other life's goals," says Beth Kobliner, author of The New York Times bestseller "Get a Financial Life."