The Great Job Debate

As I may or may not have pointed out we're a little BROKE. My handsome, young, athletic, codependent provider is still the fantastic provider he's been for years. The loans applications are pouring in like always. Problem is, the banks are making things like, pretty much impossible right now. They're all FREAKED OUT about the foreclosures and the risk associated with all that mess, so they're making it super difficult to get a loan approved right now.Let's say you have a 700 fico score. In my opinion you are a credit god. A man among men. A woman among women. Someone who's fiscal responsibility is like unto my daughter's determination to have her hair perfect at all times, in all things and in all places, whatsoever challenges may arise. So, I'm saying you pretty much ROCK at paying your bills, right? That was the case in the banks' eyes until the last few months. 700 fico? Here ya go, take how ever much of our money you want. No need to provide any pesky things like proof of income or even employment, heck, it's a house, if you don't pay we'll just take it away and sell it. No biggie for us.

Not so much these days. These days it's more like 700 fico? Are you kidding, you slimeball, no house for you. Maaayyybeee if you put like half down. A mere 100,000 down payment. Then maybe we can help you.

Rates aren't bad at all. It's just that between the tightening guidelines and the lowering home values we're not sitting too pretty. Oh, and no one will do Home Equity Credit Lines right now. We just got a lovely letter in the mail ourselves saying Due to lowering values in your area you no longer have a home equity line of credit, cause your house ain't worth jack, Jack. So there goes that backup emergency money in case all else fails for a month or two. Scary stuff around this place, ladies.

So, Chris is seeking to whore out his amazing mortgage prowess. He met with two places today, and two more yesterday. He was gone from 10-4 yesterday. Who's proud? I'm proud! AND, I did it without threatening any of the children the whole time. More about how I managed that later.

His choices are split between broker places and big banks. Broker places pay better, are more competitive in their rates, and offer some benefits. Big banks offer less compensation but better benefits and possibly better security, future opportunities, better name recognition, etc. With all the changes going down right now it's hard to know where to go.

I'm leaning big bank, myself. The one I like just emailed their health rates to us. Ummm, we're paying $540 a month for our LAME health insurance coverage right now. We're talking a $3000 deductible. I believe that would make it more of an "emergency health plan", cause it's not covering crap at this point unless one of us has something HORRIBLE happen. This bank I like is $59.20 per paycheck for similar coverage. Yippykiay, mamacita! That's what I like to hear! And if we want for really reals insurance, that would, say, PAY FOR DOCTOR BILLS, it's $190 per paycheck. Hot diggity, that makes me horny! I never thought health insurance options could be such an aphrodisiac, but you know what, it's not taking a whole lot these days. Pretty much just want to pay my bills and to get my roots done. By my girl, Brandie, not sitting in my bathroom with some Frost n Tip and a pull thru cap and a bottle of bleach, PLEASE. I need decent hair again. I spent too many years with horrid hair, I don't want to go back there. I know it's never great hair, but I like to do all I can to keep it not orange or bright yellow or stripey or fried. Let's just say that I will not be posting any pictures of myself until I can afford to fix my color. That's all I'm saying. Oh, and that Kiki is not going to help next time. And I'm not using that brand of color ever again. That's all I'm saying about that.

Both places Chris really likes are places that will let him continue to work from home, too, so I'm not panicking too bad yet. You'd think we've never been apart, but he used to go to work every day, all day. I hated it and I never want to go back. Please, please, don't make me go back. Maybe he's just faking this housing market down turn thing so he can go seek a job in the real world. Maybe he hates me. Maybe he just can't stand being here and wants out of this house so bad he can't stand it and is only hanging on to his sanity by a thin, thin thread and sometimes thinks of running far far away as fast as he can. Maybe he thinks I'm paranoid and I'm suffocating him with my neediness. I doubt it.

So, that's the scoop on our poorness and his goneness. He should make a decision by Friday. I feel sick, he feels sick, it's sickening the stress this decision is inducing. It's like the night before you're scheduled to go and get a csection. You're whole life is about to change and you can't even imagine what's in store. Yeah, like that, except without that adorable little infant. Just some hopefully adorable paychecks. And insurance.