Five Steps to Cut Debt

It's common sense that there are three things I need to do to cut my debt.
1. Stop making more debt
2. Pay down the debt I have faster
3. Cut my expenses
4. Make more money
Oops, I guess that's four things I need to do. For the most part, I have stopped making new debt. Except that my car needed serious repairs this month, which went on my Auto Repair Card, becuase I don't have any emergency cash. So, it seems to me that an emergency fund is really important to not making new debt. That is item number five.
5. Save up an emergency fund

What order to do these items in? It's pretty obvious #1 is key, so that is the first item on my list, but without emergency cash it will be hard. Cutting my expenses would be one way to keep more cash, so I am making that #2 on the list. Now my list looks like this
1. Stop making more debt
2. Cut my expenses
3. Save up an emergency fund
4. Pay down the debt I have faster
5. Make more money

The problem for me is that I want to be reducing my debt at the same time that I am saving for the emergency fund. And how much should I have in my emergency fund? At first I thought $1,000 would be enough, and it would be a great start. But with our older cars and our house payment as well as house maintenance, I would feel much more secure with a $2,500 fund. So, that will be my first savings goal. Now, how to do this without putting off my debt pay down for a year or two? I am going to look at our expenses to see where we can cut down. Any money I can cut out of my expenses I am going to (try) to put toward saving.
What do you think? Do you have an ef? Has it helped you stay out of new debt? How much is enough?