We were all set to call and make an appointment to look at that duplex I linked last week when Matt, being a bit more patient and cautious about these things than I, remembered a couple of things we still need to take care of before we move, and also pointed out that, as much as our current living situation sucks, it's also cheap, and we really should take advantage of it for as long as we can stand and save more money. I pointed out in turn that the rising gas prices and the cost of my daily commute are cutting pretty deeply into our "savings" and that we'd save enough in that and other areas that it will all come out in the wash, but he's right that we need to get some stuff done before we get down to the business of finding a new place. Said "stuff" includes...
Consolidating our debts. After my Prosper request fell through I decided to try for a bank loan instead of re-listing with Prosper, but I haven't gotten around to applying yet. Which is dumb, because a consolidation loan would save us a lot of money. I'm aiming to visit my bank and fill out an application this week.
Selling Matt's truck and buying a second vehicle that runs. Pretty necessary, because Tulsa's public transit system sucks beyond the telling of it, he's not willing to get up early to drive me to work in the mornings so he can have the car all day any more than I'm willing to be stuck here and unable to go anywhere on my lunch hour, and I'm reasonably certain that my mom won't let us bring her minivan with us to Tulsa so he can keep driving it to school. Long story short (too late!), we need two cars.
Applying for disability. This is something Matt should have done years ago, but he was under the impression that since he was still working, albeit part-time, he didn't qualify. But I'm pretty sure that if anybody ought to qualify for disability insurance, it's a one-legged diabetic, and anybody who doubts that should spend a week getting around on crutches and see how physically exhausting it is, and then imagine doing that every day for years with no relief in sight, and THEN factor in a chronic illness and what that does to your energy levels under the best of circumstances. Not to mention that until he finishes school there's not a whole lot he's qualified to do that doesn't require a certain amount of physical dexterity. Heck, even MY job involves almost as much hauling heavy stacks of paper around the building as it does sitting on my butt and typing, and although I'm sure he could do it just fine as long as he had a sturdy cart, it might prove a challenge convincing an HR rep in charge of hiring that it wouldn't be a costly problem. At any rate, I'm sure it goes without saying that if he qualifies, even if it's only for a couple hundred a month, it will be a big, big help.
Summer break is almost here (Matt's final finals are today, as a matter of fact), and Matt's promised to use his down time to take care of his part of the above. So as much as I despair of being stuck in crowded relative boarding house, $50 a week commute Hell for a few more months, at least we've got some forward momentum. That should launch us out of here sooner or later. Right?
Please, oh Lord, let me be right.
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