Moving right along

The realtor took one look at our furnishings and agreed that we really need to get rid of anything we're not currently using.  It will make the rooms look much larger and folks won't get distracted by such ugly stuff.

Dumpster is coming at the end of the week.  Where we've been taking slow, baby steps for the past 3 years, suddenly we're forced to take a giant leap and move ahead very quickly.

Anticipating a LOT of stress and tension between me and M over all the things we need to throw or give away.  The only items we'll put in storage are a few boxes of "maybe" stuff.  We'll only pack the very bare minimum for the coach, but since we won't know how large (or small) it will be, there may be a chance we'll have more storage space than originally planned.  And by additional stuff, I mean maybe a few extra pairs of jeans or sweaters, 2 suits instead of just 1, my Passover pots & pans.  Stuff like that.  M will have the most problem deciding about all his tools and computer components!

Ready to move on

Well, the job opportunity for M did indeed fall through.  We only have enough $ in the bank for 2-3 months to pay bills, so we MUST sell the house REAL FAST.  Meeting with realtor next week.

Nothing holding us back now.  Once we sell, we can determine what kind of rig to get based on how much $ is left over. Certainly won't be the condo on wheels we were dreaming of (the DRV Mobile Suites with separate room for the office in the back), but hopefully it can be something decent.

We've wanted this day to come for the past 3 years.  Maybe it took a traumatic event like this to push us towards it.  Still feeling very scared, but I really should start getting excited.

What a weird roller coaster ride!

My last post mentioned that although I was about to lose my job, M was being offered a job which would make up for the lost salary; pending a successful background check.

Yesterday we learned that due to a ridiculous, absurd semantical problem (his job description not matching his job title), they denied his application.  This put us in a very scary predicament -- that both of us would, in effect, be unemployed.  The only option was to sell the house as quickly as possible.  The amount we have set aside for fixing it up could pay the mortgage for about 2 more months, so we would need to sell "as is" to avoid foreclosure.  And then, where would we live?  Who would rent an apartment to 2 unemployed people with a poor credit rating?

After losing a night of sleep, I was able to think of a Plan B, which is to sell the house with the hopes of getting at least $20-30K out of it, and use that to buy an old, used RV.  Between M's pension and my unemployment, it would be enough to survive on the road, while building my business.  Ok, it wouldn't be the condo on wheels we want; rather it would be a rusted tin box, but at least it would provide shelter and a place to live until we could build ourselves back up.  I even found a craft that has good potential to sell well at street fairs.

Today, M got word that the HR manager was livid at the way things were handled and was able to convince the background check company to give him a second chance.  They sent him a new application and he is starting the process over, this time making the corrections they found (making sure his job title matched).

So who is to say what path we will end up taking?  Will we start our new chapter sooner than planned (no job), or later than planned (job)?  Stay posted for the continuation of this saga.....

All for the good, right?

This is surely divine intervention!

I got the official notice from my job - it is not going 1/2 time, but rather I am being completely terminated as of the end of the year.  Personally, I feel a great sense of relief that I don't have to put up with this very difficult person anymore, and feeling very excited about the prospect of going full steam ahead with building my business.

What is really excellent news is that M has been offered a full time, permanent job which will pay what I was making and what he was making from his freelance work, which means that God is providing for us on the financial front.  I can take my business to the next level without having to worry about how to pay bills.

The only real drawback I can see right now is that this job is relatively static, within the State of NJ (with occasional work in NY).  It does not lend itself to travel, which means we may need to push our dream of full timing back a few years.  But I believe things happen for a reason and when the time is right, we will know.  This also gives us a little time to sock more money into savings so we can buy the rig and truck we really want.

Still on track to sell the house and ONE MORE PROJECT has been accomplished - one of the upstairs bedroom is now cleaned out, floor replaced and painted!!

Another obstacle or a blessing in disguise?

I learned (unofficially, by snooping, but I will be informed formally in a few weeks) that my current full time job of 8 years is being cut back to part time.  I will lose 50% of my hours and pay, and the boss will suggest I work from home instead of the office.

Obstacle because whatever $$ I have saved up to fix the house to put on the market may need to be used towards paying bills if I can't come up with supplemental income.

Blessing because I started a business a few years ago which I have really not pursued because of time constraints (www.AZAdminSolutions.com).  My best case scenario when we sold and bought the RV was that I would not really quit my job but offer my services as a client to my boss.  By cutting my hours back, it (1) gives me the time I need to move full steam ahead with my business and (2) prove that I can do the work from anywhere there's an internet connection.

I guess time will tell.....

Another baby step finished!

Kitchen cabinets look shiny and new!  Downstairs large room is now an official bedroom with a closet (we just need to add the hardware inside).

We have the money set aside for the upstairs bedrooms now; it's now a matter of finding the time to clean out the rooms so the contractor can easily work around the furniture.  I wish I wasn't so darn tired when I get home from work.  In theory, we can get this done much faster if I did this after coming home, making and cleaning up after dinner and before bed.  For now, we've been leaving all the work for a Sunday (observe the Sabbath on Saturday, so can't work then).

Motivate... motivate... motivate....

Another step forward!

Contractor comes tomorrow and will be doing a bunch of work.  We have the money now to put the flooring down in the bedrooms - it's proving to be a bigger challenge cleaning out the rooms!!!  But there's still plenty of work for him to do.

We're trying really, really hard to make it a goal to put the house on the market by this spring.  I know, we've been saying that since we started the blog 3 years ago.. but it's still the PLAN, not the DREAM!