Can I save for a home and pay off my debt at the same time?

Sorry for being gone for so long; the month of April was ridiculously busy at the 9 to 5. But I'm back strong and with a good question that came from formspring:

I'm almost debt free and I want to start saving for a down payment. How can I aggressively tackle the last credit card...and save at the same time?

My advice: Don't spread yourself too thin. You have a finite income and that money only stretches so far. If you're almost debt free, you should devote as much of your income as you can to paying off the debt until it's gone. That will help you as much as saving for a down payment (on a home, I'm assuming) because lowering your debt will help improve your credit score. When the debt's gone, take the money you were putting toward that and apply it to a down payment. Take your time and remember you can't do it all at once.

Also, how much money do you have in an emergency fund? If it's less than six months worth of your living expenses, that should be your priority over both a down payment and paying off debt. What you don't want to do is be in a situation where you've got to run up credit cards or beg, borrow and steal if you should  lose your job.

Good luck.