Something about having babies makes you think of the future. The hubs has been future thinking and even my MIL. She recently asked about when we are getting our own home. We have done things in a non-traditional route. How many people do you know who at 25/26 have been married for 6 years, don't own a home, live with parents, and are just starting the have kids part (without the house)? Yes we are odd. Some might even call it wrong. However, it works for us and I don't believe in any one-size fits all plan.
This doesn't mean that I dont have pipe dreams of picket fences. I would LOVE to have a house right now. Getting married at 19 and paying our way through college and life hasn't supported this yet. Surprisingly kids are cheaper than houses. And cars. Cars are expensive too. Thankfully I have a great management job that pays well. But since managers rarely get paid what they are worth (or over $80,000 a year), the house dream gets to wait a little longer. Right now is focused on paying off debt (including that lovely brand-new car purchased after the transmission fell out of the old one).
The other day I started crunching numbers because excel is my friend; and I came up with a game plan. With a little saving and paying off some debt, we can so buy a house! It was exciting to find out that we can swing it even with the SAHD single income scenario within one to two years. We will have to stay diligent and no pricey vacations, but its doable without giving up going out to eat, movies, or a life. In interesting calculations, it actually proved better to pay off car versus credit card debt because our debt to income ratio is fabulous, its the high fixed monthly car payment that hurts us.
Of course the twist is that if we end up moving out of state, I loose my job, our ability to save, gain a higher cost of living, and can't buy a house. I hate limbo.
