Being a Recessionista Sucks

We decided last year that we were going to move. We needed to move. There was just no way could we continue to live in our previous house and be able to keep our heads above water. Even just renting we were paying an outrageous amount of rent. People would drop their jaws in shock whenever they would hear just how much rent we were paying. Granted the subdivision had a pool, well a four foot deep pool. It had a club house with a small workout facility. But it was in a really hilly neighborhood, driving there in the winter should be considered an Olympic sport. All winter you could hear people trying to get out. And a backyard, what backyard. We didn't even have a backyard.

We were there for 3 years. 3 years of paying a double mortgage payment. We were kind of forced to move anyways. The company my husband works for opened a new facility north of where we were living and moved all essential staff up there. It was a long drive for my husband every day. Dealing with rush hour traffic and what we Kansas City people call The Triangle during those hours. When my husband got a job offer making more money, he went to the owner of the company, the CEO and his boss, and told him. He counter offered. Company X countered. My husband's boss countered, told him he would give him a monthly bonus for a year, match the previous offer from company X on one condition. We had to move. They would pay all moving expenses, but our new residence had to be within X amount of miles from the new facility and we had 2 weeks to find a place or the offer was null and void. And he had 10 minutes to give him a response.
Needless to say, we were stuck. The offer from Company X was a yearlong contract with benefits with the chance that it would become permanent. My husband didn't want to take the chance with the other job, so we ruefully agreed to the terms.
An hour later, Company X sent my husband an email. They sent another offer. Six figures, full benefits, bonuses, and he would be head of his own department. But it was too late, my husband had already signed a contract (my husband's idea to make his boss stick to his end of the deal)

I was ticked!! We didn't want to move. We loved our neighborhood. The girls loved their school. Plus school was starting back up in a week. We hurriedly came up north of the river to try and find a place. One in a good school district and one we could afford. It was not an easy task. We had to up how much we would pay in rent. It was next to impossible to find a place renting for under a $1000 a month up here that is not in the ghetto or a complete crap hole.
We found our last place and even though it was more in rent then we wanted. We thought with his raise and the bonuses we would be okay. We under estimated how much utilities and the cost of living would be. Husband's boss stated he had no idea rent would be so much up here for us. (The man is completely clueless when it comes to how much anything costs. (He just tosses down a credit card and signs a receipt)
We almost didn't get the bonus because of some wild hair that jumped up the owners butt. Instead of getting it in one lump sum, we got it broken up into payments. So that delayed us.

We found this new place on Craigslist. It is in the same school district. A pretty quiet community. It's just the house. It's smaller. And it needs work. I don't think the owner has updated anything in here since the early 90s. Once again we were just desperate to get out from under a huge rent payment and into something cheaper. Well this is cheaper, but the owner seems to want us to fix everything and then just send her the bill.
The breakers keep flipping. I'll have on the TV, start the dishwasher and maybe cut on the microwave and the breaker will flip. Plug in something in the living room, the breaker will flip.

I really wish my camera worked, because I would show you my fridge that has duct taped door handles. Yes you read that right. DUCT TAPED DOOR HANDLES. It was manufactured in June of 1991. She won't replace it because it works just fine. We are trying to be nice, she just got a divorce, the last tenants split after 2 months, leaving trash and stealing anything they could. I called her and told her about the breaker box and she started crying on the phone. CRYING on the phone with me!? She didn't want us to fix it and take it out of Feb.'s rent. She wanted to either have my husband fix it with her buying the parts or have someone fix that will let her pay by credit card. Apparently she is not making much money and needs this month's rent. Well, I need to know when I leave the house; a breaker isn't going to flip because I have a lamp on in the living room!!

The good thing about this house, it is on the lake. A beautiful private lake and the backyard are to die for!! It is just huge! A three tiered flower garden. Nice flower beds all over the backyard. A nice paved patio. In short it is perfect for entertaining. Just what we wanted in a backyard. If only the rest of the house was just as nice.

I keep telling myself it is only for a year, just so we can pay off his truck and pay down some other bills. Hopefully, my fingers are crossed, not that my husband got his VMware certification. He will get a raise. Also that we won't be in this place for 3 years either.
Have any of you downsized in any ways? Will you ever go back to how it was before if things get better?


* I'm so glad that ya'll like my girls blogging on the weekend. They had a lot of fun doing it too. They kept asking me what people were saying. One good thing is that it makes them work together and not fight. J