Progress

1. Applied for credit card...even if it's just for emergencies, it's a step in the right direction.
1. If it gets declined, I'll pay off those two small issues on my credit and refile.
2. Confirmed there's no point in Les trying for one, because even with the joint account, it's still his name trying for a card when he has no income.
2. Only loan that could be feasible would be straight from the credit card, because we own nothing of value outright.
1. Maybe in a couple of months when we own the car free and clear, we could try for something then; but do we really want to use the car as collateral? Luckily, not an issue at present.
3. Made lists today.
1. Planning to re-expand the potential locations of our move, to include:
1. SC: Columbia, maybe Spartanburg
2. NC: Asheville, the Piedmont Triad (Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point), Charlotte and its suburbs (including Concord, Kannapolis, other points just north of there); possibly Jacksonville & Wilmington (but have a feeling they're too small to be realistic).
3. GA: Athens (probably only Georgia option for now, because we already know we don't want to look at Atlanta or Augusta).
4. KY or TN options...
4. Attacking the job hunt old-school:
1. Internet search to identify every single web design/advertising company in those cities.
2. Create form cover letter for those industries
3. Create sample web pages and essays for my writing sample blog.
4. Send resume and personalized cover letter to every single company's human resource department.
5. Follow-up with biweekly emails to the HR depts and snail-mail cards right after first send of material, phone calls 1 week later, 2nd card 3 weeks later.
6. Really don't care if this option turns out to be a waste of time, because at least I'll know I'm giving it my absolute best try.....
7. Will also, of course, still monitor the decent job search websites out there for new, viable positions in my skill set.
5. Additional income options:
1. Transfer novel to CD and edit; submit to appropriate publishing companies.
2. Start book of short stories and/or essays
3. Start children's book (this isn't a "cold" idea: the stories are from my childhood, just need fleshing out).
4. Research just how difficult it would be to pick up freelance contract work.
1. Quarterly taxes involved, how I go about hiring myself out (diff websites geared specifically toward freelancers), how I sell myself as a freelancer, etc.
5. Encourage DH to learn to type and engage him in discussions about what part-time work he'd be comfortable doing (this part may sound really kid-gloves to some, but the poor guy's teeth are really bad, so he's extra sensitive about public-facing work, while on the other side of the coin, the constant fluorescent lighting of your standard office job - and his hunt-and-peck current typing speed - make it difficult for him to handle customer service phone jobs).
6. One thing I'm NOT looking at: taking a 2nd job. I know myself and that's not a viable option. The above options are more feasible, and there's less chance of them shredding my sanity in the bargain.

Really, the only way we're going to be able to move on time now, is if that credit card has enough zeros behind it to pull off the logistics of an out-of-state move. I'm not holding my breath. Another step I took today was credit monitoring; free the first month and $12.99/month after that for BofA customers...def sounded like it would be worth the money, given the enormity of the task at hand. It's another auto draft to keep an eye out for, but that just promotes more responsibility on my part anyway, keeping that sharp eye trained on the finances and it'll help us stop taking the damn money for granted when it's in the account.

I feel SO much better since this morning. I have tasks in front of me, thinking to do and talking to Les. We're still going north this weekend; I want to see my Mommie and Lil Sis, and reaffirm my desires to live up there, and sell Les a little more on it too. I know he'll go wherever I end up, but I want him happy too.