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Decisions to be made and no plan
I need a game plan, otherwise I stress. So I need some advice from anyone who has been working full time, going to school, and trying to plan for a house and a child.
We are trying to get a house with in the next year. It has been in the works to pay down our debt, get a house, then start a family. But I am trying to get a degree in Psychology and become a middle school guidance counselor. I recently accelerated my class schedule to have my AAS completed this year so it is out of the way. Well, a wrench was thrown into that when the Fall schedule came out and 1 or the 3 classes I need isn't offered in the evening. 
No idea how I am going to convince my boss to let me off work for 2 hours in the middle of the day so I can complete a degree that has nothing to do with my current job. (Problem #1)
Problem#2 Our lease is up in August on our apartment and there is no way we will have a house by then. But because of the selling of the apartment building it is unlikely that we will stay there. So we may end up moving in with the in-laws. Not too bad, we get along, but that would mean an hour commute one way for a job I am already consistently late for (I'm working on that)
Problem#3 Where am I going to go to school and how am I going to pay for it after I am done at the community college. If we are getting a house then we will have a mortgage. A reasonable one but still a big responsibility that has to come first. So I am dreading the thought of a student loan.
Anyone have any tips or tricks for paying for college while working to pay for a house.
Some general info to help with:
Hubby has knee trouble and has inconsistent pay coming in
We are in Maryland
No kids yet but I am thinking (horribly) that if we have one it will be easier to find scholarships to pay for school and maybe I could still work part time and use the daycare that most schools offer.
I know that is a lot to discuss but any help is much appreciated.
Re: Decisions to be made and no plan
Some questions. What does your H do? Are there closer apartments in your budget? I would not want to live with inlaws. It tends to turn out badly.
Also, I may be way wrong on this, but don't you need way more than an associates to be a counselor?
Yes, I am aware that I need a Masters to be a counselor. That is one of my problems. I will have gone as far as I can go in community college and need to move on to a bigger more expensive college to continue.
My husband works for a r
Do NOT try to have a kid yet.
No matter what, you will have to take a break from school when the baby comes. Often times, that break becomes permanent.
Studying with an infant, or even a two year old, around is VERY hard. You will ha
The problem is you have all these dreams and you want them ASAP. You said the house is priority #1 and must be reached first. I guess you will have to hold off on school to reach this "goal".
Lol at thinking having a baby and using programs
A child was always the final goal in the plan. Believe me, I understand how it feels to grow up with a parent that doesn't consider you a priority. If my husband wasn't so amazing I wouldn't even consider have one.
Thank you for
My big question is this:
Why didn't you and he get married without even the completion of the "basics"??
You should have waited until the both of you were done with college and then waited 2 or 3 more years after that to get married.
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I agree with PP that you need to focus on school, as you have a ways to go. It will be ten times harder to finish with a kid.
Also, has your H thought about getting some training, or does he have other skills? It would help to up his earning pote
While I appreciate the recommendation to put a house on the back burner and focus on school; I don't appreciate being told what I can't do. There have been plenty of motivated individuals that have completed school while having a family. I
TTC since June 2012
Don't set yourself up for disaster. Find another apartment, finish your degree while your DH figures out a new trade/career path. Save for a house while waiting. When you are ready then buy a house. At this point I would assume you would have a hard ti
Baby Boy loved for 15 weeks, 5/31/11
Baby Girl loved for 16.5 weeks. 3/1/12
I get wanting a house badly, but believe me they cost more than you think, as I'm learning as a first time homeowner! Thankfully, H and I have good steady incomes and budgeted very well and didn't stretch the house budget in the first place. Right now,
As I see it you have 3 main priorities in life:
- buy a house
- finish school
- maybe have a baby some day
You have the following holding you back:
- your schooling will take a while, and mean some debt
Things like this in life happen and you gotta roll with it and change what needs to be changed. If school is more important then the house will have to wait. If the house is more important then the school will have to wait. If your not in the situation
Don't worry about everything right now. I'm kinda in the same place as you.
I work full time. I am trying to finish up and get my AA so I can move on to a "bigger & expensive" college and get my BA in Anthropology. H already has his BA in
Do you know how much it costs to buy a house? You didn't mention any savings, but I thought I'd let you know that you need a down payment of at least 3.5% of the total price (5% if you don't want a FHA mortgage with higher monthly payments) plus