The MAYBE Game Changing News

Once again, we are trying to relocate.  A position has opened in our office of choice, and G-man submitted his application.  I am very proud of him....he asked for help, which is hard for him to do.  He asked several high up management people to look at it, and they made a few suggestions, but were encouraging and felt he had a very strong application.

We have been trying to move since 2005. 

It is hard to not get excited.  It has been about 2 years since the last job opened.  We both really would love a fresh start.  The cost of living there is WAY less than here.  We could get a house 2x a large for the same money (not saying we would do that...but that is the housing market there).  Gas, food, taxes...all less expensive.  Additionally, we would be close to my parents.  While there are some definite issues with this....the fact remains that they are in failing health, and it would be so much better if I was there to oversee things.  The kids would be thrilled to see them more often, and I know they feel the same.

The way this process works....he submits the application, then we have to wait 4-6 weeks to find out if he made the first cut, and then the application is forwarded to the field office.  IF they offer him the job, he has 90 days to report.  If our house hasn't sold, the kids and I would stay back until it did sell.

Ideally, he would get a higher pay grade, even though the pay might actually stay the same.  There is a chance that they can offer him LESS....in the hopes that he get back where he was in a year.  This would be our way into the office....but a huge pay cut.  Like $15k, plus the loss of his second job and my job (until we can get that squared away).  Between it all....it is a cut of 40k until I have a job that either takes the place of his second job, and my job....or we both have part time work.

My head is already thinking into overdrive.

1)  Selling our house.  There are some repairs we will have to do....we are estimating $1500.  *sigh*  Plus I am very concerned about the housing market and not getting enough for our house to cover the mortgage and commission.  There is a house for sale around the corner....and if ours sold for what they are asking...we would barely...BARELY squeak by.

2)  The buyers.  We already know we have to eek out every cent.  I am sure they will expect us to pay their closing fees.  Not sure we can do that.  That could be a deal breaker.  We have talked about renting the house, but not sure we would get enough to cover our mortgage and taxes.

3)  A new house.  We won't have a downpayment.  See #1 and #2.  I am still worrying about paying off what we need to, just to get out of the current house.  Let alone into a new house.  We could rent...lose the tax write off and probably owe mega taxes, or have so much taken out of our checks that we are living on WAY WAY less.

4)  The move.  We pay for it.  Even with doing it ourselves, it will still be a few grand.

5)  Pay cut.  UGH....I can't even think about this one.

On the flip side....we could live with my parents if we had to.  But we can't afford to permanently live in that area.  But we have to sign the kids up for school.  I really don't want to move and start the kids in school, and then have to switch schools AGAIN.   That would be 4 elementary schools in 5 years.  We would pay my parents something toward rent, food, utilities.  It would be less than what we are paying now, which would allow us to speed up our debt repayment (in theory). 

So now...we are debating on putting debt repayment on as much hold as possible and hoard cash.  The sad fact is....it isn't like there is much in the budget for repayment anyway (we are almost at a point of giving up our individual counseling and couples counseling to save the $250 a month).  The medical costs, plus the increase in my student loan....we are basically at a zero balance budget, but paying NOTHING extra to anyone.

If we move, I will have to find a new job....so for a period of time...we will be operating on ALOT less money.  Not sure how all of this will work.  I know I wouldn't have a job with as much flexibility as I have now.  But I looked at Career Builder, just to see what was there...and there was one full time job that peaked my interest.  If my parents are there, I would have some babysitting help.

Again, all of this is speculative.

Now I am scared and excited, and overwhelmed, and trying to keep positive.  I have no idea what to do.  If we hoard cash and he doesn't get the job....at least we have money.  If he does get the job...then we have to figure out all the above issues.

These are the times that I think back to when we moved to CT in 2000.  I didn't have a job.  I was in graduate school.  G-man had put in for a transfer but we didn't know when that would happen.  But at 24 years old....I had the optimistic attitude that it was ALL possible.  We moved, I found a job (actually 2).  We rented our apartment for almost 2 years....bought a house....had some kids....

Now, it seems so much scarier.  So much more daunting.  SO much more at stake.  Our lives are so different now....not as easy to put it all in a U-haul and just go.

Any advice????