It's official, as of today- discharge! 
Thanks to everyone in here for your advice and companionship, even when I was initially just lurking. It was a big help, and made the process a bit less scary.
I think we're going to be okay
Now that we've been discharged, the apartment we were applying for is sure they can get us in. I've gone through our budget with a fine-tooth comb, and whittled it down to the bare minimum- just under $1,100 per month. That gets us two reliable cars we actually own, a big built-in-2007 riverside 3 bd / 2ba apartment with lots of perks, two cellphones, cable tv, internet, and all monthly utilities, insurance, gas, and misc. paid (ask me if you want details, I feel pretty clever about it). Planning for the worst, I could fall back on Walmart or a temp agency and still make ends meet for my family!
For the next 2-3 years, we're going to work on getting a stable job and rebuilding our credit, so we can think about owning a home again. As of next week, we will miss our first payment on the upside-down home IIB- ironically, the mortgage payments were about what our new total monthly budget will be. We'll probably stay here another few weeks to save up money, then turn it over to the bank. I'm not sure we're even sad about losing it, anymore... the peace of mind of having everything paid for / paid off, with nothing hanging over our heads is exciting.
Last word of advice for everyone: rethink things. Don't take anything for granted. Just because you've always had a newer car, big house, or lived a certain lifestyle, doesn't mean you should continue. You're here for a reason! Make it a goal to work back toward that, if it's important to you. In the meantime, listen to the advice here. Put pride on the back burner, and do what you need to to secure your future. The I-need-it-now mentality is a carefully cultivated trap which you CAN escape. Good luck all
Thanks to everyone in here for your advice and companionship, even when I was initially just lurking. It was a big help, and made the process a bit less scary.
I think we're going to be okay
Now that we've been discharged, the apartment we were applying for is sure they can get us in. I've gone through our budget with a fine-tooth comb, and whittled it down to the bare minimum- just under $1,100 per month. That gets us two reliable cars we actually own, a big built-in-2007 riverside 3 bd / 2ba apartment with lots of perks, two cellphones, cable tv, internet, and all monthly utilities, insurance, gas, and misc. paid (ask me if you want details, I feel pretty clever about it). Planning for the worst, I could fall back on Walmart or a temp agency and still make ends meet for my family!For the next 2-3 years, we're going to work on getting a stable job and rebuilding our credit, so we can think about owning a home again. As of next week, we will miss our first payment on the upside-down home IIB- ironically, the mortgage payments were about what our new total monthly budget will be. We'll probably stay here another few weeks to save up money, then turn it over to the bank. I'm not sure we're even sad about losing it, anymore... the peace of mind of having everything paid for / paid off, with nothing hanging over our heads is exciting.
Last word of advice for everyone: rethink things. Don't take anything for granted. Just because you've always had a newer car, big house, or lived a certain lifestyle, doesn't mean you should continue. You're here for a reason! Make it a goal to work back toward that, if it's important to you. In the meantime, listen to the advice here. Put pride on the back burner, and do what you need to to secure your future. The I-need-it-now mentality is a carefully cultivated trap which you CAN escape. Good luck all
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