Monday:
I don't think anyone enjoys the process of selling a home. There is so much work that goes into getting it ready and I don't know that it can ever be all completed. Once it's ready enough, there's the getting out during showings phase, which is where we are. This weekend we had at least 6 showings. I really don't know how many for sure, since we got multiple calls for the same time. Either people crossed paths or someone really wanted to make sure they were scheduled. Add the big dog and now we're out of the house and can't really go do anything. We ate dinner one evening at a place we could watch our still running locked car so that the dog and cat would be fine. (The dog has her own seat belt harness- a purchase I'm very happy with, as she now stays put in her seat as we travel.) We have a couple of friends in the area that have opened their homes to us while we show the house, which I am very grateful for! We hope our house sells quickly, as our 5th wheel has been ordered and should be ready in a couple more weeks. The seller has agreed to hold it longer for us, so hopefully everything will work out. In the meantime, we wait.
I think the reaction to our plans has been almost the same across the board. Shock, questions, and commendation. There are not many people who would downsize so drastically. In a way, I would prefer to watch this unfold for someone else. It will be interesting. If you are following this blog you likely want some details that would help this whole thing make sense. First, I'll start with the plan and how it came to be.
In January I signed Jeff and myself up for Financial Peace classes, which was offered by our church. He wasn't thrilled about this endeavor, as he's the kind of guy that doesn't like most social settings and always dislikes classes. I had read the book, Financial Peace, 12 years ago and told him all about it. The way things usually go in cases like this, is that I learn all this great information and share it with him. I often get some details off or even leave some out, although not intentionally, and he gets a partial view of what I have read. He doesn't often care to read what I do, so this is the version he takes away. The point is- we attended this class together and it changed the way he thinks about money. I don't feel like I learned much, but since I'm not the action person in our relationship, what I know doesn't always translate into what we do as a couple. All that to say that we were determined to figure out this debt thing and put it behind us.
Besides having debt, we know that Jeff's company has plans to lay off 30% of its workforce in 2020. His current job description will no longer exist. At work they tell him not to worry, he won't lose his job, but realistically, many will. He is taking the continuing education classes and getting all the recommended certifications to help him be "relevant" when the change occurs, but he is still a sitting duck in our current situation. Four years from now, even if we did pay off our consumer debt, we would still have a mortgage to think about. We also have kids and pay for any activities and classes they do. Two of them may want to go to college in that time. Jeff has been stressed out thinking of all these things and not having a solution.
As we walked to our 3rd Financial Peace class, we were talking about a family that vlogs about dumping debt who had just sold their home to live in their RV while they build a tiny home. Both of us thought of it as a little crazy until I said, "Could you imagine if we sold our house and bought an RV- we'd be out of debt in no time!" Jeff stopped and looked at me. Very few things give him pause, so that's a big deal. He said, "My heart just skipped a beat. That could really work." This is where I say- wives, be careful what you say to your husbands. In my case, this was an offhand comment not meant to convince him of anything. However, he saw a solution in the simplicity of it.
Tuesday:
I got a call while writing the above paragraph that our mama goat was in labor and had already birthed one kid. We made the house ready and went over as quickly as we could. By the time we got there, Mae had birthed 3 baby goats. Names had been decided already by the kids; we just happened to get the right sexes for the names to work out. :) In birth order, Asriel (boy), Polly (girl), and Chewbacca, or Chewy (boy) were all born healthy. Mae tested CAE positive, so the plan had been to pull the babies from her and bottle feed them so they don't succumb to the illness. (Arthritis/Encephalitis condition) Due to our living circumstances and the fact that Mae is such a sweet mommy, I decided not to take them away from her. I plan to consult with a homeopathic doctor about an article I read about success with CAE positive animals and pray for healing through homeopathy.
During the time I was assisting Mae and bathing her babies, we got word that there were 2 offers on our house. WOW! They weren't good offers, so we told them to come back with a real offer. Both offers came back significantly better and last night we accepted a full price offer on our house!
Today I am off to both grandparents' homes to locate house-related paperwork and hold the baby goats. Last night Maddox received his Wolf rank at Cub Scouts and we gained a new boy in our den!! For anyone who didn't realize, Maddox was the "Lone Wolf" for most of the year. This was further complicated because the other dens meet at the same time as AHG, so we couldn't do any group activities with the other boys since I lead at AHG too. Next year promises to be much better for Maddox, as AHG has moved their meetings to another day, and we have gained 2 boys in our den, with the possibility of another! All he needs now is a haircut and his life will be perfect! ;)
Now that the living situation seems to be ironing out, Korbin is getting ready to move forward with his Eagle project. We will talk with the deacon about the prayer garden the church is looking forward to and then he will speak with the Eagle mentor and get started! Next month is also his Philmont trip! this really is an exciting year, although he's pretty stoic and doesn't exactly get excited.
Lacey's dream has always been to live in a tiny home ever since watching a show about it a couple years ago. She was the most thrilled about the move, but now realizes we are leaving the home she grew up in. Jeff and I are pretty steady people. While we are very fluid in our ability to go with the flow, we are not what I would call adventurous, so this is new to all of us. I think Lacey's favorite part will actually be sharing a room with all her siblings.
Kailyn just finished her 2nd year of sign language and we are looking into having her volunteer at a local equestrian therapy facility nearby. Unfortunately, the ranch was devastated by flooding and we have been too crazy here for her to volunteer thus far with the clean up. Hopefully things will settle enough for her to start with that.
