Your Questions About Fixer Upper Cars For Sale

Stay at home moms (& dads) what things do you give up to be able to stay home?

What are some of the "things" in life that you give up and some of the financial cuts that you make to make it possible to have one parent in your family stay home and raise your children?

In our case, We have three children, all girls. My husband makes about $38,000 a year. How we make it work is as follows: We found an older home in a decent neighborhood that's about 80 years old and a fixer-upper, it is 1,400 square feet which helps us save on utility costs. We don't have cable. We have one tv that we got used and is 10 years old. We don't have any new furniture, all of our furniture was given to us by family or friends who were giving away old stuff to make room for new - it isn't the most trendy, but it does the job. We don't have a boat or jet ski's or a vacation home or a pool or a big house with a deck or patio or hot tub or any of that. We don't go on vacations - ever. We stick to a very tight budget. We don't have new cars - they are used and paid for. We have a land line phone with an internet package that we pay $50 a month total for instead of having cell phones. We shop for clothes at garage sales, clearance racks, and consignment stores, we don't buy new toys for the kids all of the time - they receive those for Christmases and Birthdays only. We don't go out to eat, we cook meals at home instead. We don't have the latest technological devices which is just fine and we don't miss them either! When my husband and I go out on dates, it consists of a picinic supper, a thermos of coffee or hot chocolate, walks around the lake or fields, sitting on the tail gate of his pickup or long drives down a dirt road and talking and just enjoying eachother's company and not spending a dime! We don't buy new clothes unless we absolutely need them, as when they are worn out and need to be replaced which in reality is only once every year and or so and then it's only to replace the things that are worn out such as one or two pairs of jeans and one or two shirts (and not designer clothes, nothing over $20!) We save cupons for groceries and also shop at the commissary at the nearest military base or at a discount grocer. Our kids' birthday parties consist of a home made cake and icecream at home with family and a few of their friends. How about you moms and dads?

wife and I built home together Prior to getting married,now Divorcing 10 yrs later with 14 mth old son?

I met my wife 12 yrs ago,we drove 18 wheelers together for 10 yrs.After 2 yrs driving we built a home together as I used my income to build her credit score as I had unpaid kidney operation bills.We married 3 mths after closing on home.9 yrs later had our first son.She missed her parents that were always emotionally abusive to her,and honestly we always struggled financially but mostly becase she takes off on me every 2 yrs throwing 20 thousand dollar tantrums.Anyway,this is the first time we have ever filed divorce.We owe about $78,000.00 on the house and it would probably sell around $120,000.00 as a fixer upper - around $9,000.00 for real estate agent fees would leave around $33,000.00,or about $16,500.00 each if the judge splits the equity 50/50.I have always put my money into building her credit and she attacks me with it every two yrs,but it was the best shot we had a decent life.Anyway she wants to just sell the home.I will probably inherit $114,000.00 in the next 5 yrs as my father is in poor health,very obese and elderly.I would have enough money to pay off the debt on the home as well as pay her her equity.She is unemployed,living with her parents 1000 miles from here,and does not want the home.I beleive I will get my son 3 mths out of the yr plus split holidays.I want to keep the home so he has somewhere decent to grow up and can not currently replace the home.She says she is divorcing me to anger problems when she attacks me verbally and emotionally and I tell her to knock it off.I did however put a brick into a neighbors car window for deliberatly scaring my then sleeping 8 mth old as I was walking him after my in laws had visited for 10 days and just attacked me as a father and husband pushing my wife to leave me.
Would you force the sale of the home or let your husband keep it and take the money in a few yrs or so for the equity.I try to tell her the house value will be unreplacable over the 10-20 yrs on top of it being a safe place to raise or son durinhis time with me.There is also a strong possibility that I will get full custody of the child and she will get supervised visitation.I am trying to settle with her.What would be your opinion.I think if I keep the home from getting sold she will eventually come back to me as this is just a post pardum depression thing and she is not thinking rationally at all.