Pulled Ourselves Out of the Fire

Looks like we are pulling ourselves out of the fire.  Just when I was wondering if I should be sending resumes out, knowing I probably wouldn't make much more in our rural area than I do now working from home, if I had to pay child care to work outside the home, it looks like if we sign on all the right dotted lines, we'll be able to get out house out of foreclosure. 

We tried to refinance for a lower interest rate before we were late but Bank of America required way too many thousands to close the loan so behind we fell. When we were three months behind, we sent them three months' worth of payments to catch us up but Bank of America returned them to us! They said it was too late.  Looks like they wanted it to go into foreclosure.

With hours cut at my husband's work since last Fall, paying all the past due school taxes that we didn't know were required here to be paid when we moved here a few years ago (imagine the penalty fees on those...yikes!), the trip to our homestate and then unexpected family here for Easter and then more unexpected family the week after, the money was flying out the windows, plus shelling out a ton on propane over the winter to keep us from turning into popsicles, it's been a financial storm for us for months. 

We talked to a debt consolidation place but get this - we don't make enough money for their help.  Huh?  They gave us suggestions - no phone service, spend less on clothing (with all our kids...we already shop at Walmart and Goodwill), and see about getting child support lowered.  They didn't give us any suggestions that were actually doable!

Now that the foreclosure process has moved to the courts, they are willing to refinance for that lower interest rate without taking our firstborn with the new mortgage papers.  Knowing how the economy is, how the automotive industry is (which my husband is in) and with foreclosures everywhere, why didn't they just do that last Fall when we asked them to begin with?  Geez!

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Trip Looming & So is Foreclosure

We are 1-1/2 weeks away from our trip to the great white north (which hopefully is all melted by the time we get there) to visit family, including spending time with my stepkids.  I've had insomnia so bad the last couple of weeks that I hope I'm not a zombie by the time the weekend trip rolls around.  There's a lot of financial stress right now and unless the attorney can do something, we will be losing our house.  I sent them the past due mortgage payments and Bank of America sent it all back to me!  I know people who haven't made house payments in a year and they aren't in the foreclosure process yet and we get a few payments behind and they want our house regardless of all the money flashed in their face.  I'm guessing that is why I can't sleep.  Good reason eh? 

I feel like we shouldn't be taking this trip right now because it'd cost us half a house payment to do so but we have to see my husband's kids (and the mortgage company won't take the money anyway so what the heck).  It's been too long since seeing my stepkids and getting them to leave their mother alone to come here is difficult on them.  Plus, our kids want to see the rest of our family too. 

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