WindPines

Good morning from NC

I'm not sure if it's due to doors opening up in these 7 months of sobriety, or if life is just getting WAY too expensive here where I live with my kiddo, but I'm beginning to dream of making a move.
It can't happen any time soon, because I signed a contract with work, binding me to them for a couple of years. Also, I really don't want to take my daughter out of the school that she's in, and would like her to finish up there before moving. That's quite a while away though, and for right now, it takes just about three weeks of work to make a rent payment.
This page is so great, thank you guys for the support and experience to share.
I was wondering if you've been in this position before, where you have to pay out either exactly what you make, or a little less, just to live, and what you did about it. Did you move? Add a roommate (and if so, how'd that go?) Not too sure about the roommate option, only because I don't think it would be a great situation for my daughter to grow up in. We would have to share a room! There are plenty of other reasons.
Anyhow, just wondering.

Thanks you guys! Enjoy the day, and Happy Fall!

fishkiller

Good morning from NC also!

We lived paycheck to paycheck for a long time.
I started a side business to help out and ended up being pretty successful.
Then when the time was right we sold out and moved where the cost of living was much lower.

Never looked back.
Of course with lower COL usually there is less of a job market but it is doable.

The roommate with my kids still in the house is a no go for me 100%.

fishkiller

Not sure about your means of transportation but I have always worked in higher income areas but lived outside of them and just traveled a little farther to work every day.

NC seems to have quite a few areas that are relatively inexpensive to live but are not far from busy, more expensive places.

The school issue does apply here so if you really like your daughters school this may not be an option. If the schools are just ok then your daughter would probably adapt. My daughter had no trouble moving schools a few times but everyone is different.

Hang in there. It is tough but with proper planning you Can make a better, more affordable life for you and your family.

DriGuy

I remember being poor for a long time. I made a lot of compromises. Need new tires for the car? OK, what do you give up this month? Moving someplace else was not something I needed to do. And even if it meant big bucks, I wouldn't have done it. I was in the mountains of Montana, and that was my priority. I lived in a poor mill town, so I was pretty sure things wouldn't get worse.

Dee74

With regards to recovery, sometimes you have to make changes in that first year.
As long as you have a strong support system and you're using it when you need it, your recovery can stay intact.

I found that not drinking gave me a lot more money in the bank but its true I was lucky to be eligible for subsidised housing with cheap rent.

There are any number of free and reputable places online that can help you make out a budget and stick to it as well.

Evoo

Yeah, once we had our kids my wife and I left the big-city life and moved back to the small town we were from... where we literally pay a mortgage that is less than what our rent was (by a lot). Pretty wild. I definitely don't miss it.

DriGuy

Long before I ever considered buying my first house, I was working with a crew boss who mentioned that he bought the house he had been renting for years, and his monthly mortgage payment was $20 less than his rent. Now that was back in the early '60s and things have changed a lot. Back then his rent was $110 and his mortgage was $90. That made an impression on me, and unless you are going to be moving every two years, you will eventually own your house, and you won't have a mortgage at all. If you rent your entire life, you will always being paying rent.