Two years

That's the minimum I'm placing on us, two years before we can move out of Florida. It's a hard pill to swallow, but even if Husby got back into the workforce tomorrow, we've got a lot of debt to chip away at before our credit even makes the move realistic. The only thing that's changed in a year with our finances, is I passed the 10-year mark on being discharged from my bankruptcy. We still wouldn't be considered a good risk if we inquired to rent anywhere right now. That's, of course, unacceptable; and I'll be budgeting us through the end of '08 with that reality in mind. We can refile for Social Security disability next February, but in the meantime, I'm prodding Husby to look for work; and I'll be budgeting our lives with his teeth in mind, scrimping just a bit at a time to get him full dentures. His life would improve so much if he had a healthy mouth; I totally get that it's a big thing that holds him back from looking for work and being in public much. So it's a tall order, and moving has to take a back burner for now, especially in light of us trying to start a family. Heck, maybe it'll mean staying in Florida until our small people are hitting school-age and then deciding if we're able and want to move outside Atlanta or Chapel Hill, to get them in one of the Waldorf schools. Who knows? What I do know is I need to stop pushing, pushing toward SC for now, and concentrate on improving our lives here in Florida.

So ok, what's next?

• Creating a budget
• Outlawing those fast-food splurges that always occur on paycheck days
• Get the monthly bills up to date
• Pull an amount automatically from my paychecks into the saving account, AND LEAVE IT THERE
• Expand repertoire of home-cooked meals
• Continue purging the apartment of things we don't need or won't use

A good start, more to come....