1. Outside my window…
Is a big, BIG world that I cannot see ... but I know it's there!
2. I am thankful…
For Mike. He has brought a level of balance and acceptance to my life that I never knew existed.
3. In the kitchen…
Is a sink full of dishes that need to be done.
4. I am wearing…
Really soft pajama bottoms and a t-shirt.
5. I am creating…
A life after raising my son, and it's exciting!
6. I am going…
To hell if I don't change my ways (which I don't plan on doing).
7. I am reading…
Blogs via my Feedly.
8. I am learning…
That life isn't often as well compartmentalized as I'd like it to be.
9. I am pondering…
My next career move.
10. A favorite quote…
People confuse bluntness with bitchiness. ~ JULIA STILES
11. One of my favorite things…
Are fresh flowers, no matter if they are from a florist, or picked from the side of the road.
12. A few plans for the rest of the week…
Plans? I'm supposed to have plans?I'm winging it!
13. A peek into my day…
Would probably bore you to tears ...
10 August 2014
09 August 2014
I'm Going To Make This Place Your Home
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| Photo Credit |
It used to be that you bought a Sunday paper, scoured the classified ads, made a few calls, looked at a few places, put down a deposit, then moved in *GET OFF MY LAWN*.
Shoot! When I moved into this apartment in Podunk, I wasn't even required to sign a lease!
Now? It's gotten complicated.
Mike and I have been looking for a new place to live for about a week now. The area we are hoping to move to has a large selection of rental options. I guess that's what happens when you decide to move to a true suburb of Chicago with a population of 70,000+. This should be an easy process, but here's the rub ...
Most of the rentals are "condos". The buildings were originally apartment complexes, but during the housing boom of the 1990s and 2000s, when everyone decided they had a right to be a homeowner, the apartment complexes were converted to condos. When the housing bubble burst and homeowners started defaulting on loans, real estate agents picked up most of these for very little money. Now, most of these rentals are listed by real estate agents, not private parties, thus the rental process requires working with an agent.
Weird ...
Then there are the "traditional" apartment complexes, which are run more like hotels than apartments.
Rents are based on occupancy rate. If you happen to be looking for an apartment when there are several vacancies, your lease will require significantly less rent than if you need an apartment when the complex is full.
These places lure you in with low move-in fees ($175 surety deposit), but then when you add in the application fees (averaging $50 per person on the lease), and pet fees ($500 surety deposit + an extra $25-$50 in "pet rent" - yes, Scooter and Radar are coming with us), the cost to move in isn't really any less, and none of these move-in fees are refundable.
One complex we looked at also charged $5 per day for a visitor parking pass.
CRAZY!
Mike and I have put in an application for a bright, modern, 2-bedroom condo in a perfect location. We are waiting to hear if we've met their criteria (in addition to employment and rental history verification, FICO scores criminal background checks are part of the application process). We could be moving into our first home together in as little as 2 weeks.
*crosses fingers*
06 August 2014
My D-I-V-O-R-C-E
Might become final today by the end of August
(Thank you Tammy Wynette)
After 4+ years of separation, husband and I finally filed for divorce in late June. We decided to use just a single attorney (splitting the cost) to expedite the process and get through it with the least financial damage possible.
Things were going well ... until they weren't ...
The divorce process includes putting the family home up for sale - short sale. We are upside down on the mortgage (by about 25% of the total loan) with no hope of keeping the home long enough for it to actually become an asset.
In fact, the only assets we have in the marriage are our respective 401Ks.
In Illinois, the "standard" is that all marital assets are split 50-50. This means that husband is entitled to half of my 401K, and I am entitled to half of his 401K. This is where things started to get a little ... let's call it difficult.
Husband's 401K is SEVEN TIMES what mine is ... well ... was seven times what mine is ... before he took out a $40,000 loan to pay for step-son's wedding and step-daughter's car, then was laid off from his job and defaulted on the 401K loan.
But Illinois doesn't care about that loan. Illinois sees that loan as a marital asset that was used to cover non-marital expenses, therefor calculates my half of the asset based on the pre-loan amount.
In other words, I was going to just about clear out what was left in husband's 401K ...
And he's still unemployed.
When he realized that was what the law stipulated, he decided to revert back to his old ways - making threats ("I'll make sure you blow all of your money on attorney fees if you decide to try to take my money!"), giving me the silent treatment, delaying the listing of the family home by refusing to provide the realtor his financial documents, and generally being the ass he was the entire time we were together.
Yesterday, he apparently decided that being a bit more rational might just get him a lot farther (further?) than being a dick-head. He's come up with a settlement number that is much closer to what truly is equitable, he's provided the realtor with the financial documentation they need to get the short-sale application to the bank, and he has decided that his "What's in the house now is mine, mine, MINE!!!" may have some flexibility ... as in he offered me the informal dining room table and chair set, a gently used sofa, and other miscellaneous household items.
We are this close to a settlement agreement.
There are a few things that I am still concerned about, like who will be responsible for the utilities should he move out of the house prior to it being sold (his plan is to move out of state in the near future), as well as other expenses we might incur during the home sale process.
Based on those concerns, I've got a counter-offer in mind - about 10% above his current number. If we can agree to that number, this ordeal should be over by the the end of the month!
*crosses fingers*
*makes a sacrifice to the Flying Spaghetti Monster*
*throws salt over my shoulder*
*burns a sage stick*
(Thank you Tammy Wynette)
After 4+ years of separation, husband and I finally filed for divorce in late June. We decided to use just a single attorney (splitting the cost) to expedite the process and get through it with the least financial damage possible.
Things were going well ... until they weren't ...
The divorce process includes putting the family home up for sale - short sale. We are upside down on the mortgage (by about 25% of the total loan) with no hope of keeping the home long enough for it to actually become an asset.
In fact, the only assets we have in the marriage are our respective 401Ks.
In Illinois, the "standard" is that all marital assets are split 50-50. This means that husband is entitled to half of my 401K, and I am entitled to half of his 401K. This is where things started to get a little ... let's call it difficult.
Husband's 401K is SEVEN TIMES what mine is ... well ... was seven times what mine is ... before he took out a $40,000 loan to pay for step-son's wedding and step-daughter's car, then was laid off from his job and defaulted on the 401K loan.
But Illinois doesn't care about that loan. Illinois sees that loan as a marital asset that was used to cover non-marital expenses, therefor calculates my half of the asset based on the pre-loan amount.
In other words, I was going to just about clear out what was left in husband's 401K ...
And he's still unemployed.
When he realized that was what the law stipulated, he decided to revert back to his old ways - making threats ("I'll make sure you blow all of your money on attorney fees if you decide to try to take my money!"), giving me the silent treatment, delaying the listing of the family home by refusing to provide the realtor his financial documents, and generally being the ass he was the entire time we were together.
Yesterday, he apparently decided that being a bit more rational might just get him a lot farther (further?) than being a dick-head. He's come up with a settlement number that is much closer to what truly is equitable, he's provided the realtor with the financial documentation they need to get the short-sale application to the bank, and he has decided that his "What's in the house now is mine, mine, MINE!!!" may have some flexibility ... as in he offered me the informal dining room table and chair set, a gently used sofa, and other miscellaneous household items.
We are this close to a settlement agreement.
There are a few things that I am still concerned about, like who will be responsible for the utilities should he move out of the house prior to it being sold (his plan is to move out of state in the near future), as well as other expenses we might incur during the home sale process.
Based on those concerns, I've got a counter-offer in mind - about 10% above his current number. If we can agree to that number, this ordeal should be over by the the end of the month!
*crosses fingers*
*makes a sacrifice to the Flying Spaghetti Monster*
*throws salt over my shoulder*
*burns a sage stick*
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