Shadow Puppet Storyteller

T-Minus Four

I thought I was pie-in-the-sky a decade ago when I used to wonder how to get into a modestly-priced home in my native California. If only I could have saved every tax refund check from that time forward. Instead, the reality has always been I've settled for a simple desk job for too little pay and met the basic needs of my children. If I am both very fortunate and stick to a budget, I might soon own a mobile home for my later years.

The whole search for a reasonable home took all this time, fifty plus days, and it has been scary beyond belief. I have not had to face giving up animals I care for before (knew it was a possibility) but never before faced the shame of it. It is a terrible decision to have to make, and it makes me face how distant I am from people I know -- and shy on top of it -- making it difficult to do more of a "broadcast" about the odd-dog out that will need a home as I move.

I truly had not had to navigate the real estate world since the first time I'd been on my own as a young college student. That's been a long time. The world is less friendly and property owners more skeptical, and I remember being totally overwhelmed and afraid then.

The same things were true then as now, having available money makes everything go much smoother. It's that fluid money I want to work into my income and budget -- it is essential. Otherwise, you have a place to go but no one to carry you there.