In over my head.

The wife got a new job in KC MO. She has to be there by July 2nd. Two weeks from now. We looked at about a dozen houses for rent last weekend and decided against it. It kills us to pay 3 times more for a place to rent than what our mortgage is. So ... she found a very nice young couple on Craig's list of all places, that are about to have a baby and want to move in to a bigger apartment. We took over the lease on their apartment and have until November 1st to buy a place and move my wife out.

In the meantime, I'll be living here in Iowa fixing up the house, packing everything, and selling it, by myself. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, alone like I'm a bachelor again. I have a to do list longer than my waste is wide, let me tell you brother, it's a wide frickin' waste. My waste is wider 'round than Bapu is tall.

I know I shouldn't complain. Sugar mama ... etc etc ..., well, not really, but it appears that way. We've just been extremely frugal over the years. I mean, look how long I waited to find a deal on that Sheraton, at least 10 years. Anyway, this is way over my capability. Not to mention my age and weight have caught up with me and I can't do the things I used to do.

I think I'm in serious trouble here.

Good thing is, all these years of being tighter than Liberace's, no, Elton John's, no Freddie Mercury's ... well ... you get the picture, has paid off because we have enough equity to buy a place before we actually sell ours, and there are a ton of nice places in the KC MO area. It's unreal actually. 10 acre lots with ponds, woods, 2000 sq.ft house w/barn for 200 ~ 250k, some well under 200 in certain areas, a few under 100 that need work. I guess it's like here, if you can find steady work, it's a golden age for buyers.

Anyhoo, it's 91 out, 30 MPH winds, so I came inside to cool off and vent. I've been doing a whole lot of nothing that seems to matter the last few days. She gets frustrated with me I think, but I'm not 20 anymore, and damn it if it didn't sneak up on me.

*bUb SaYs As He'S rOcKiNg BaCk AnD fOrTh*, I'm sure it will all be ok by November. There's no place like home, oh wait, that's KS, not MO. Doh!

One day and one step at a time Bub.

It does sound like a tall order, but you can do it.  Prioritise what's important and pace yourself.  Maybe you can find a couple of trustworthy kids to help you when you need it.  Hiring them for a few bucks is much more economical than medical bills tend to be. 

Welcome to KC in advance, Bub!! Yeah you can get a steal on a house around here right now. Let me know if you need any advice on neighborhoods, etc.  I'll have some good BBQ and blues club recommendations ready for ya, too...

That lease takeover is quite a fortunate event.  I learned the hard way that it's not good to rush into finding a property to buy.  Get into the area first, take your time looking around and do your research!  Talk to people and get their impressions about different areas.  If one area looks like the prices are a bit too attractive, there might be a very good reason why and you may want to avoid it like the plague.

Good luck Bub!

But not jbow's To Do List.  mkay?  

My mom's house is for sale out in Lee's Summit. One of the nicer suburbs around KC. 5 bedroom, 3 bathrooms, basement in a nice community. Ping me if you are interested. Older home but in good shape.  

Bub, perhaps rather than thinking about everything that needs to be done, look at just one thing, and do that one thing (preferably something that is one of the easier tasks).  That approach can sometimes help in getting the process started.