81k (your net minus tithing, an admirable but fairly unusual practice) doesn’t go that far for a family of three in San Diego. Your gas and grocery totals look a *tad* high to me. I imagine you drive a lot for work, because even at $4 a gallon, you’ve got 100 gallons there, which even at a mere 20 MPG is 2,000 miles of driving a month! As for groceries, $267/mo per person is far from penny pinching.
Obviously the student loans are presently eating up a big chunk of the net. It looks like you’ll have those paid off in less than two years at the rate you’re going, which is a very aggressive plan for what’s usually a low interest loan (but getting worse).
I have no idea what auto insurance “should” cost, but $3,000 a year ($1,500 per car?) sounds like a lot to me, but I drive a cheap used car and take public transportation, so my view may be skewed.
Regardless, you’re far better off than the vast majority of San Diegans. Being a permanent stay at home mom or dad isn’t practical for the vast majority of San Diegans. This is exactly why so many people either rent, buy condos, or took ARM-type, no money down loans. If the cheap, easy money dries up, there’s a potential debt bomb ticking…
