Returning to the Simple Life

Back before I was married and had children I thought that the only way to get by in life was to have a good education. So I got a student loan and started taking classes. After marriage, and while I was pregnant with my second cild, I went back again. A couple years later, I tried to send my husband to some classes. Then we got a credit card... and the rest is history.
Like many others at this point in time, I have been running from debts. Debts which are ignored, and ran from always come back at an inconvenient time.
My husband was laid-off a few weeks ago, and denied entry into the army because he is in somewhat poor health (he is, by army standards, old and has bad teeth). This has put a lot of stress on our relationship. My job stresses me out sometimes so badly that I seem to be having stomach problems. It is coming to a point where our futures are looking a little bleak.
Fortunately, at least in some ways, my father in law has been having some problems as well.
It seems the water-pump for one of the houses on his property has gone out, and there is no water in it. Because of this (along with a lot of other drama that we won't get in to) my husband's sister, who had run up a $400 dollar electricity bill, moved out and left him with an empty house, the bill and a female dog which has not been fixed.
On Saturday, Eric spoke with him, learned of his problems, and it was decided that we would move in with him, at least for a while, and help each other get back on our feet. We will be either fixing or replacing the pump, but until then baths, laundry and the like will have to be at his house (a two-story farm house with some interesting history and even more interesting archetecture--if you can call it that) and we will have to drink and cook with bottled water.
So, in mid-October (we are thinking the weekendd of the 10th) we will be moving to Calhan, CO, about 45 minutes from The Springs out on the Great Planes. We will be living with about twelve dogs (two dogs and their 10 puppies), but that is a good thing, because apparently there is a badger, and there has always been coyotes out there.
I mean, we are living in the middle of NOWHERE! I am so excited! The nearest towns are teeny-weeny, and 15 minutes away. We will be gardening, raising chickens and cows, and shootin' critters with ar 20 gauge, YEEHAW! And for anyone reading this who thinks I can't take it, go to Hell. I have raised chickens, and gardened before. I already know what it is like to pluck a chicken (can't say I am really looking foreward to THAT little bit), and I already know not to let my children out at night (coyotes, badgers, DUH). I also know that there will be a lot of hard work and surprises as well.
I am still excited.
I am INCREADIBLY excited for my husband. I just love listening to him and his father talking. I don't think I ever hear him have more adult, mature and natural conversation with anyone other than me and his father. They were talking about all their plans to update and improve the farm, and ideas to make it a little more homey as well. They talked about working on cars, and building greenhouses and fixing the garage and patching holes left in the walls by prior "tennants".

We also have a financial plan which we have started putting in to action already. We created this plan BEFORE the whole Calhan thing.
Step one was to minimalize as much as we could (this meant, at the time, attempting to get in to a low-income apartment, and getting on food stamps--there wasn't much lower for us to go from our current possition--now we will be living rent free for a little while, and then at a kind of sliding scale after that).
Step two: working with the money we have coming in (which is not much) begin saving a small $500 rainy-day fund.
Step two point five:Make more money!!!!! (I know that everyone has this ambition, however all I want is enough to be able to live comfortably while putting my plan into action)
Step three: working with the money we already have coming in (still, not much) start chipping away at the old unpaind, ran-from bills. STOP RUNNING, START FIGHTING!!!
Step three point five: Make more MONEY!!!
Step four: Do an actual rainy-day fund. You know, the three-six month rainy day fund all financial experts suggest. You may have heard of this system, Dave Ramsey is its spokesperson (I suggest you take a look).
Through this whole thing, I hope to stop just getting by, and to start living. My last 24 years have been all about learning to survive, now it's time to learn to live.
We can do this, I know, and with the help of our families (including the members we are leaving in Montrose) I know we can do this.
I have my fears, naturally, about the whole thing (especially the badger-what if it's rabid, eek!), but I know this is a good thing.