Okay ladies, here's the private scoop on my life at the moment. DH is coming up on a reinstatement of his drivers license - almost 5 years ago he got himself into a heap of trouble with two DUI's in the state of Florida. As I'm sure Rachel is aware, this is not a joke like some states may treat it. Aside from jail time, restitution and ticket fees, a leg bracelet detecting any sign of alcohol (to include the use of mouthwash or certain deodrants and cologne) and a suspension for 5 years, upon his reinstatement he is required to have an interlock on his vehicle for 1 year. Not only does this incur a monthly fee and installation charge, but he has to have it on his own vehicle - which incurs not only monthly car payments, but also the cost of insurance which, if you're in the insurance business you'll know that he cannot be in a premier rating tier for another 3 years past his reinstatement - at least it's this way in Kansas.
Big bucks, folks. Really big bucks.
We were beginning to start the process of homebuying and, because of these circumstances, have decided to go ahead and forego doing so until a later date. Instead, I am going to begin searching immediately for an apartment closer to his job - currently we are 30 minutes away from his job which I drive him to in the mornings and are paying over $1000 for our 3-bedroom apartment because we are in the wealthiest suburb of Kansas City.
Please keep us in your prayers - DH has been such an incredible source of inspiration for me in the past years as he has put his big boy pants on, admitted his weaknesses with alcohol and chosen the path of sobriety. I hate to see him continue to pay for his mistakes but know that it has definitely aided in making it clear that his past actions are not acceptable. We want so badly to put this behind us and hope that, with the right choices we are able to find housing that is less expensive and allows us the opportunity to afford our other expenses and perhaps, live a little.
Love you all!
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omggggg the interlock requirement is by far the worst freaking idea EVER.
Has he looked into asking for a waiver? If he doesn't own a vehicle, and the vehicle that was driven when he got the DUIs is no longer in his possession, it's possible - depending on the county - that a Judge may be willing to sign an order waiving the ignition interlock requirement. I've done this for my clients before and they have been able to get a license! Not every Judge will do this, and he'd probably need a local lawyer, but it may be worth it to look into.
Yeah that is a very tough situation. Glad to see you are staying strong and practical through the whole thing.
I will be thinking of you guys and hoping that everything works out!
xo.
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Oh that majorly sucks! As I deal with DUI's too, I know the trouble they cause. My boss/attorney usually has the client's remove their name from any vehicle titles. Like Rach said, is it possible for him to transfer the title of his vehicle to your name (after all you are his wife!)? Something you may want to check into!
Good luck on the apartment search. I really wish more apartments were animal friendly.
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Love ya, Mel, but please don't do this!!! That would most certainly be a fraud and could get him in more trouble.
From your initial post, it seemed like he doesn't have a vehicle at all and would have to get one in order to comply with the requirement. That might be grounds for a waiver, but transfer of title to avoid the device would be a bad idea IMO.
Hmmm.....okay I defer to you
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Thanks ladies! Rachel I called DH about your recommendation and he's getting in touch with his Aunt in Florida to see if she can help us out with the logistics. As it turns out, Kansas is a no-hardship state, so even if Florida provides him a hardship letter the likelihood of them accepting it is slim. We are still going to try and work towards having the interlock removed from his requirements when they do allow the reinstatement in December, which is when I'm guessing they're going to formally say yes to renewing his license.
As an update to the apartment searching, we have unfortunately found that, while our budget says we can afford one number, our salary indicates we can afford something much higher. As a result, Kansas City offers section A housing starting at $750...that was my ideal budget number to allow us to save money and even in the Northland the city, based on our salary, requires that we have to pay between $800 and $1000 for an apartment because of the way they have sanctioned the apartments up there. As a result, I have proceeded with contacting a Financial Rep to start the pre-approval process for a home - with our information she thinks we'll be able to get something for around the number we're wanting for an actual home we can call our own. So...more prayers please! I never realized how stressful this adult sh!t can be!
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This...((hugs))