What is the average amount of credit card debt for a single mother of a college aged child?

I have a son who I have put through a private Catholic High School (not cheap!) and he is on to college in 2007. I bought a modest house last year. I receive no child support. I carry a balance on my credit card (low interest rate) and I pay as much as I can every month. I am never late and have an excellent credit rating.





I'm wondering if the balance I carry is high/average compared to rest of US? Of course, I'd love to pay it off, but with the mortgage, tuition, expenses, etc. I cannot.|||All things in their proper order.





I am older than you by a good many years I expect. I divorced my husband when my daughters were just 11 and 14 years old, and never received a dime in support from him.





I worked full time at a job I absolutely hated while my daughters were in high school, and then college.





10 years ago my parents needed me to live with them in their home to supervise their daily care. My father's mind was going and my Mom couldn't handle him alone.





I had been saving to put myself through University up to that point. My plan was to do the five years of university to obtain my degree. Then to purchase a house afterwards.





Taking care of my parents shelved those plans. And after five years when my mother died, I had to quit my job as well, because my Dad needed full time care.





I was left my parents house after my Dad died last year, but it sounds better than it is. The place actually needs about 50,000 dollars spent on it (minimum) to bring it up to date.





I have a house. And I have no credit card debt. But I have no job either, and no prospects of one now, since I am getting too old to be considered employable in my former profession.





I guess the point I am trying to make is to keep slogging along. And be thankful for each bit of security you can wrest for yourself. Debt is a *****, but it beats having nothing. Just be sure that you get well ahead on paying off your mortgage and other debts before you add anything more to it now.





A personal thought...there seems to be a lot more Superwomen out there in the world then Supermen. You don't see too many of them succeeding with this sort of daily pressure hanging over them. Women just seem to have a greater degree of responsibility and staying power.|||Wow, good question. Try clarkhoward.com|||You've overextended yourself. If you can't pay off your credit card, control your spending. You need to go hungry for a couple of days to appreciate what you're actually doing to your finances.|||There are so many different averages out there. Of course, there probably aren't any statistics for a single mother with a colleged age child. I think you need to re-evaluate if you can truly afford to pay for your child's college tuition and expenses. You have given him a great high school education, so hopefully he will be able to pay for college with all sorts of scholarships. He needs to start applying immediately. Also, there are grants he may qualify for if he files a FAFSA. Many people pay for their own education without the help of any parent, myself included. You are not obligated to pay for his continuing education. You must think about your future and retirement and whether or not you are saving enough. You could also think about paying strictly for tuition and have him pay for his housing and miscellaneous expenses.