Financial experts will tell you that the first thing you should you pay each month is your mortgage. Late or missing mortgage payments damage your credit, and if you miss enough of them, you risk losing the roof over your head.
If you’re a parent of young children, the second thing you make sure you pay each month (or each week, more likely) is child care. While missing child care payments may not damage your credit, no one is going to watch your kids for free, which means you can’t go to work and earn the paycheck that pays the rent.