I am trying very hard to be excited about the fact that my salary is about to double when I take on my new position (which, btw, is my dream position), but it is really hard to stay excited when you suddenly you make TO MUCH money! This all started when I realized that I had money stuck in a 401a account in Chicago, IL. I decided it was time to get that money out before Chicago pulled an Enron and "stole" the money from me (if you are not paying attention, go look at the political climate in Chicago for teachers). I called TIAA-Cref to talk about setting up an IRA to transfer the money. I have spent my entire adult life living from paycheck to paycheck. I have never made enough to be able to afford to pay my bills AND open an IRA account. So, I never did. Well, here's the deal, the restrictions on income are making it hard for me to figure out what kind of IRA I should be opening up. I was so excited because, finally, I would be able to open an IRA and get some tax benefits. Oh no, that's not to be! Once I am making my base salary, we already exceed the income limit for getting the tax break (that's not even taking into extra income from taking extra classes and/or teaching in summer!). So, then I thought, well, since I can't get the tax benefits, I'll just open a Roth IRA. Well, we are very, very close to the income limit for even being able to contribute to a Roth. Don't you think that the government would WANT us to be saving for retirement? I am so ticked off about all of this.
So, now, fast forward to my search for a place to live. So far, I have been frustrated here too. The only nice house that I have seen (single-family home) is this beautiful 2 story, 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, finished basement home which is quite a bit larger than I need (since it's just going to be me). I really, really liked it and the location is great, but I worry about the utilities. So my search continues (btw, the house has been rented now, so I waited too long). Today, I found a bunch of small houses that just look great. Beautiful new, 2 bdrm, 1 1/2 bath houses on small lots that allow animals, etc. Yeah, well, the catch here is that they are tax qualified and clearly, that won't work for me. Ugh! So, those of us that are making a living wage (comfortable living wage) are supposed to live in crappy old houses while those who cannot afford a house get to live in beautiful new houses?
I know, you are thinking, why don't I buy a house? Well, that would be because my ex husband screwed me when we divorced and I am still fighting to get my credit rating out of the gutter. The plus here is that I will be able to finally achieve that given my new salary, but it will take time. So, in the meantime, it's looking more and more like I am going to have to take what I can get for now and move again later. Given that I have moved 11 times in 12 years, I really was hoping to avoid that! Ah well, life goes on.
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