Making ends meet

I've been spending the last few days stupidly functioning as though nothing is changing. I say stupidly because in less than two weeks we're going to have to be completely moved out and cleaned up, and be more or less moved into Mom's house, which means a great deal of preparing over there that she needs help with too. It means doing a metric ton of work over here, never mind the obvious daily functioning that has to occur, to continue separating items into three piles: yard sale, storage, and coming along. This, of course, means that I've been doing a lot of reconsidering when it comes to what's actually necessary and what isn't. As my beautiful sister-in-law K pointed out, it can feel good to know you're getting rid of the unnecessary and that you're going to start living with less clutter and junk. At this point, anything that has spent its time in closets or boxes is fair game, and it means that we're parting with a bunch of stuff. But man, it feels SO good!

Tomorrow is A's second birthday, though, and that means that on top of packing and sorting, I also need to do a full-down clean - and any cleaning done tomorrow will have to also be done with a third child here, and no help from Hubby, who will be at work most of the day. I will probably go insane, and that's okay.

I did set up a budget. It currently lacks a lot of crucial information, but as it is, if we stay with my mother for a year we will not only manage to completely fix our credit scores (yes, both of us) but will also be able to put some $10,000 aside for a down payment on a house. All while Hubby keeps working and I keep going to school. The downside is that we'll have a year of absolutely no leeway - no eating out, no toys, nothing. But do we really need to do those things? They're fun, sure, but they don't define our lives or relationships, and they don't make or break a good night or day. There are other things we can do that are fun and don't cost a thing, places we can do and activities to enjoy if we look hard enough that won't cost a dime. Nobody's life is defined by the inability to go someplace, or eat somewhere, or do something, or own another item we don't need and won't have room for.

The next year is going to be incredibly hard, and full of a lot of sacrifices and griping and uncomfortable quarters. But it won't be impossible, and the short term is so meaningless and small in comparison to what could be if we were willing to push a little harder for a while. In five years we won't care in the least how long we stayed with my mom, what it was like, the times we all got on each other's nerves, especially if at the end of that five years we're in our own house, Hubby and I are both working good full-time jobs that we enjoy, and we can take care of ourselves and our kids without having to depend on anyone or anything else anymore. They'll be meaningless if we can reach our goal.

So here goes!