I've done everything wrong my whole life pity party - Page 2

[smokeylo]

Right there with you regretting lots of decisions that will weigh on us for years to come.

[aprons_and_acorns]

Originally Posted by SaoirseC

i hope this comes across as helpful, because that's how it's intended.
this time last year, I was a pregnant SAHm to 2 children, wife to someone underemployed, and we were both in a load of (student loan) debt- living in an apartment that was pitifully small and completely inadequate. i resigned myself into believing that we might never be financially stable, and that we would never own a house. the most i could hope for was to someday live in a rental that would be big enough for my children to have some personal space, and that we could hold out financially until my youngest was 18 months, and i could go back to work (crappy, low-paying job).

Just months later, my husband received a job offer in his field that would be just enough to pay the bills! And a few months after that, we discovered that it would be economically feasible to buy a house! And now here we are, living in a house that's big enough with a backyard and my husband is working in a job where he feels appreciated, with people he likes! if you had told me where i would be in a year, i wouldn't have believed you, because after years of hoping, i had resigned myself to my situation. just sayin', things can change. but don't let me interrupt your pity party, because i know how necessary that can be.

This is so encouraging!

My family is a lot like some of the other posters here . . . DH works in human service with a master's degree in social justice, I have a social work degree but I haven't used it in quite a while because my WAH gig is more lucrative. Still we are just scraping by from month to month, living in a cute but small rental house and wondering if we'll ever feel like "real" grown-ups.

[Pippi L.]

We feel the same sometimes. We have good jobs (teacher, city worker). I work part-time and take care of my daughter the rest of the time. On paper our income looks great, but we live in a high cost of living area and can't move because of my husband's job. We missed the boat housing-wise. Ten years ago we could have afforded a great house with what we have now (well, a house -- with three bedrooms and a postage stamp lawn but that's great for here!) but ten years ago we were students in another city. Now we are totally priced out. So we rent a 2 bedroom apartment hoping to save up enough for a down payment. I look at the prices of housing here, though, and reality hits. We're frugal, but by the time we save up the $200,000 or so needed for a good down payment the market will have gone up and it will still be impossible to buy.

That said, when I come home from work I know that my job is important. Spending time with children is important. Not feeling horribly rushed is important. I wouldn't trade that for a house...