<human>: I would like to buy a house next year. So right now I am trying to rebuild my credit and learn to budget. My wife and I both come from families who are thousands of dollars in dept. Personally I have about $5,000 dollars in collections the largest is $2,700 for a college mistake (I rented an apartment roommate moved out with no notice. I was Evicted, and charged damages and late fees) My wife has no debt in collections after 2 years of us working on her credit. combined we have $12,000 in student loans that are current and we are making small payments. 

Credit Karma Gives me a score of 548 & My wife a 581
I have one one Credit card (Discover) with a $500 limit. I have had the card since 2010. Most of that time it has held a balance or had been maxed out. 
After working in retail for the past 6 years making 20,000 or less a year. I have finally landed a job in IT. I now make $37,500 a year. My wife has no income she is a home-maker and takes care of our daughter.

Can you summarize the given text in a few sentences?
<bot>: Advice building credit to buy a house. We have dept, but not enough to file bankruptcy. We do have enough that it is ruining our credit.