What kind of job do you have? What's your degree or experience in?

I think the sad answer is that you might have to forgo this place, move closer to work, and rent an apartment/smaller house within your budget. I understand not wanting to leave a district that is offering your kiddos good services, though.

Depending on what you do, can you do freelance work at night? Bookkeeping, billing, etc.?

Talk to your county office and see if there's any relief for parents of disabled individuals. Any SS for the disabled kid? What disability?

I was the pp who mentioned dog sitting. My inlaws are rural and pay a lot for dog sitting still when they travel.

I don't think you have a choice. The job is great because they child can be taken to it - free childcare especially for a disabled child is golden.

Sell the house and get at least $100,000. Move to a location within a 10 minute of your new job and keep your car parked 5 out of 7 days except for groceries. Considering what you're making I bet you could find a two-bedroom in the community for less than $500/mo.

Move there. Keep your home profits in your new retirement account. Open a credit card. Build up from there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you spoken to your DH? I would hope he'd help you instead of letting his kids get thrown out onto the street.

Cash out refinance? But you said your credit isn't great.

Dog sitting? Dog walking? My friend gets $40 a dog a day to watch them. It's very easy cash.

Your electric bill is $300? Can't you cut any of that?

The delivery charges for the electric far exceed the charges for the amounts used.
Living in farm country there isn't a need for dog walking but maybe dog sitting is a good idea.

DH, soon to be Ex-DH, doesn't care about the kids, or I. He went four years without working and just growing more and more bitter as the days past. He threatened to kill me and I have an order of protection as a result. He left the state to live with a relative and I haven't heard much from him in nearly a year. Except in regards to our divorce and the kids, he isn't allowed to contact me. I have sole physical and legal custody. He gets whatever is left of his savings and gets to just walk away.

Refinancing or selling really aren't an option. Not just because I can't do that to the kids but because I do have some livestock and a garden. I sell eggs and such but they don't make a killing as the area is saturated with fresh eggs. What I paid $5 for in DC, I sell for $2 here. Taxes are high and my biggest concern.
Also, if I mortgaged the house that would mean I would have to insure it, which I can't afford to do at this point. That means painting (peeling paint) and repairing all 4 porches. I kinda bought a 200 year old farmhouse, a giant one, that needed a ton of work. It cost next to nothing, which was good, but it is still a work in progress.

I guess you could turn part of into a B&B, but that would take some time and $ on your part. Can you Airbnb a part of it?

Anonymous wrote:Have you spoken to your DH? I would hope he'd help you instead of letting his kids get thrown out onto the street.

Cash out refinance? But you said your credit isn't great.

Dog sitting? Dog walking? My friend gets $40 a dog a day to watch them. It's very easy cash.

Your electric bill is $300? Can't you cut any of that?

The delivery charges for the electric far exceed the charges for the amounts used.
Living in farm country there isn't a need for dog walking but maybe dog sitting is a good idea.

DH, soon to be Ex-DH, doesn't care about the kids, or I. He went four years without working and just growing more and more bitter as the days past. He threatened to kill me and I have an order of protection as a result. He left the state to live with a relative and I haven't heard much from him in nearly a year. Except in regards to our divorce and the kids, he isn't allowed to contact me. I have sole physical and legal custody. He gets whatever is left of his savings and gets to just walk away.

Refinancing or selling really aren't an option. Not just because I can't do that to the kids but because I do have some livestock and a garden. I sell eggs and such but they don't make a killing as the area is saturated with fresh eggs. What I paid $5 for in DC, I sell for $2 here. Taxes are high and my biggest concern.
Also, if I mortgaged the house that would mean I would have to insure it, which I can't afford to do at this point. That means painting (peeling paint) and repairing all 4 porches. I kinda bought a 200 year old farmhouse, a giant one, that needed a ton of work. It cost next to nothing, which was good, but it is still a work in progress.

Can you go back to the table and get child support? You will have to sell the house and give him 1/2 but this is unsustainable. I know you don't want to move the kids, but if you don't do it on your own terms the bank will. Can you rent an apartment closer to work? Sorry you are in this position OP.

Can I state the obvious? You need to apply for government assistance. SNAP at the very least.

You don't want to move, but it will be worse when you're forced to move because you can't pay the mortgage.

Move closer to work, preferably in a less expensive and smaller place for now.

Have you spoken to your DH? I would hope he'd help you instead of letting his kids get thrown out onto the street.

Cash out refinance? But you said your credit isn't great.

Dog sitting? Dog walking? My friend gets $40 a dog a day to watch them. It's very easy cash.

Your electric bill is $300? Can't you cut any of that?

Sell house and move to a more affordable area.

Take out a mortgage on your house
Look into government assistance - food stamps, benefits for disabled child
Rent out a room in your house

That sounds really tough. I know you have sacrificed a lot to avoid it, but it might be time to seriously consider selling the house and moving somewhere more affordable. Otherwise this cycle will never end.

There are government programs out there for disabled people/children. Have you looked into this?

DH and I left DC and moved to the country where we paid cash for a house but our taxes are high, about $4K.
DH left me penniless and instead of my buying him out of the house I am forgoing child support. It was either that or sell the house and move the kids, again, can't do that to them.
So, now I am living in the middle of nowhere with a disabled child that makes it hard to work a job with strict start times. I'm working a flexible job and I can bring the disabled child to work with me, which is huge. I also have an understanding boss that gets that emergency hospitalizations happen and that they are always lengthy. I don't get paid for the hours I miss but I'm not going to get fired either.
My biggest issue is that my cost of living makes it impossible to save anything towards my taxes. I don't have cable/internet which helps but I do have cell phones for everyone since we don't have a landline and that takes up one week's paycheck. Another paycheck is swallowed up by my electric bill. This leaves me with less than $600 a month for gas, food, clothes,car insurance, etc. There's nothing extra. I drive over 350 miles a week, just to work and back, because I live so far outside of town. The school is great though (yes it is Pre-k through 12) and the kids are receiving a much better education here than they did in the DC area. They are also doing better socially and no longer the victims of bullies.
Another job just isn't an option. I'm stuck making less than $1200 a month. I work six days a week and have nothing to show for it. I have $80 in savings and $100 in checking and this is to last me for another 9 days. I can do it but it sucks. It sucks so hard. The kids ask for little extras and I can't do it.
I need some ideas. Something I can do to make some extra cash that isn't going to take away from the limited time I already have with the kids and something I can do from home.

I need to come up with that four grand in the next couple of months to pay my taxes. I can't be foreclosed on. I feel like I am drowning.
I have no debts, I have a credit card that has a $60 balance, that is scheduled to be paid when I get my next check, and that's the only reason I have that $80 in savings, because I set that aside so I can build credit. My credit isn't great because DH had my cancel all my cards nearly 20 years ago when we got married. He got me cards on his accounts, said I didn't need my own, and now I have no credit history of my own.

I'm open to all suggestions but please no bashing. I'm having a hard enough time as it is.