Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Dan got the job!!!
He got a phone call about 11am today from the company in Sioux Falls that makes brochures. He starts on June 1st, which is only two weeks and two days away. He will only be making two-thirds of what he has been earning at the newspapers, but we still should be able to buy a house there IF we are frugal and IF I have an SSDI award letter at the time we need to secure a loan. The job comes with medical insurance, which is essential because without continous medical coverage, I am pretty much uninsurable. One awesome thing is that there is a 401(K) with matching! So we should be able to get along ok as long as this house sells. Yayyyyyyyyy!!
So here's the plan: Dan is giving notice at his current job this afternoon. He is only gonna stay there through the end of this week. I know it is customary to stay for two weeks, but, hey, they wanted to lay him off so badly that they don't deserve politeness. He will get paid for two weeks of vacation he hasn't yet taken plus vacation he earned this year that would apply for 2007, so basically about the equivalent of three paychecks. He's gonna do the COBRA thing for the month of June just to make sure the medical coverage is continuous and to give me time to finish up with all my docs. The 401(K) at the new place doesn't kick in for a year, so he will see if Prudential will let him freeze his current account and then roll it into the new one (if not, he can always make an IRA out of it).
Next week, Dan will be doing as much as he can to pack, clean and otherwise get the house ready to sell. I have already booked storage crate delivery for Memorial Day weekend. The moving company will drop off five crates, and we will put all the stuff we have packed up into them, put our own locks on them, and then the company will pick up the crates the day after Memorial Day and put them into a climate controlled storage area for as long as we need. So then the house will officially be de-cluttered. I'm in the process of seeing if I can get some relatives over this weekend to help Dan move some furniture for a garage sale. I don't know if I have enough time to get an ad in the paper or not, but we'll see.
Dan's parents will be driving out here with their large SUV to pick Dan up. That way, Dan can take more of his belongings with him than if he flew to Sioux Falls. If they can get here a few days early, they might be able to help with packing and cleaning (although I am concerned that his mom take it somewhat easy as she has herniated discs in her back). Dan will be moving into their house until I can get this one sold, and then we'll buy something of our own in Sioux Falls. Yes, it's massively inconvenient for all concerned, but we simply cannot buy another house without paying off this one. So Dan has to rely on me to take care of the selling process here, and I have to rely on him to take care of the buying process there. Cross your fingers this can happen quickly. I'm hoping it won't take more than two months.
IF YOU LIVE NEAR ME, PLEASE READ: I am accepting any and all offers of help once Dan has started his new job. I cannot do yard work or strenous cleaning, and most of my energy will probably have to go to organizing the sale of the house and taking good enough care of myself and Chip to ensure we will be healthy enough to make the move when the time comes. We will try to take care of as much as possible before Dan leaves, but two weeks is not long. I am willing to enlist professional help to get the process going if necessary, but if you are reading this and will have some free time to pack a box, wash a wall or pull some weeds, it would be appreciated mightily.
As for me, now is the time for me to engage in "panic packing". Luckily, I did at least get through part of the house and throw junk away. But the command center and the book room closet (where I store financial records, scrapbook stuff and other momentos) are pretty much going as they are. Dan's gonna swing by the U-Haul place and get some larger boxes so I can start dumping items into them without sorting them. I have already gotten a few cheap things from Wal-Mart to replace worn-out stuff once the cleaning is done, like new trashcans, new front door mat, a couple of towels, an area rug for the main bathroom. And I found a few large vases in the kitchen and bought new silk flowers to go in them to give the house that "homey" touch. So if I can keep myself out of a flare and not go into brain overload, I may be able to get the house on the market within a reasonable time frame.
And if you read this blog regularly, please do not get concerned if I "vanish" for awhile. I am going to be making phone calls, gathering medical records, lining up a realtor, throwing together a garage sale, arranging some repair work, etc, etc, etc. I may not have the energy for updates. But I will be back. And dammit, when I move to Sioux Falls, I am getting cable internet!!
So I will pop in when I can. Oh, and once again, yayyyyyyyyy!
So here's the plan: Dan is giving notice at his current job this afternoon. He is only gonna stay there through the end of this week. I know it is customary to stay for two weeks, but, hey, they wanted to lay him off so badly that they don't deserve politeness. He will get paid for two weeks of vacation he hasn't yet taken plus vacation he earned this year that would apply for 2007, so basically about the equivalent of three paychecks. He's gonna do the COBRA thing for the month of June just to make sure the medical coverage is continuous and to give me time to finish up with all my docs. The 401(K) at the new place doesn't kick in for a year, so he will see if Prudential will let him freeze his current account and then roll it into the new one (if not, he can always make an IRA out of it).
Next week, Dan will be doing as much as he can to pack, clean and otherwise get the house ready to sell. I have already booked storage crate delivery for Memorial Day weekend. The moving company will drop off five crates, and we will put all the stuff we have packed up into them, put our own locks on them, and then the company will pick up the crates the day after Memorial Day and put them into a climate controlled storage area for as long as we need. So then the house will officially be de-cluttered. I'm in the process of seeing if I can get some relatives over this weekend to help Dan move some furniture for a garage sale. I don't know if I have enough time to get an ad in the paper or not, but we'll see.
Dan's parents will be driving out here with their large SUV to pick Dan up. That way, Dan can take more of his belongings with him than if he flew to Sioux Falls. If they can get here a few days early, they might be able to help with packing and cleaning (although I am concerned that his mom take it somewhat easy as she has herniated discs in her back). Dan will be moving into their house until I can get this one sold, and then we'll buy something of our own in Sioux Falls. Yes, it's massively inconvenient for all concerned, but we simply cannot buy another house without paying off this one. So Dan has to rely on me to take care of the selling process here, and I have to rely on him to take care of the buying process there. Cross your fingers this can happen quickly. I'm hoping it won't take more than two months.
IF YOU LIVE NEAR ME, PLEASE READ: I am accepting any and all offers of help once Dan has started his new job. I cannot do yard work or strenous cleaning, and most of my energy will probably have to go to organizing the sale of the house and taking good enough care of myself and Chip to ensure we will be healthy enough to make the move when the time comes. We will try to take care of as much as possible before Dan leaves, but two weeks is not long. I am willing to enlist professional help to get the process going if necessary, but if you are reading this and will have some free time to pack a box, wash a wall or pull some weeds, it would be appreciated mightily.
As for me, now is the time for me to engage in "panic packing". Luckily, I did at least get through part of the house and throw junk away. But the command center and the book room closet (where I store financial records, scrapbook stuff and other momentos) are pretty much going as they are. Dan's gonna swing by the U-Haul place and get some larger boxes so I can start dumping items into them without sorting them. I have already gotten a few cheap things from Wal-Mart to replace worn-out stuff once the cleaning is done, like new trashcans, new front door mat, a couple of towels, an area rug for the main bathroom. And I found a few large vases in the kitchen and bought new silk flowers to go in them to give the house that "homey" touch. So if I can keep myself out of a flare and not go into brain overload, I may be able to get the house on the market within a reasonable time frame.
And if you read this blog regularly, please do not get concerned if I "vanish" for awhile. I am going to be making phone calls, gathering medical records, lining up a realtor, throwing together a garage sale, arranging some repair work, etc, etc, etc. I may not have the energy for updates. But I will be back. And dammit, when I move to Sioux Falls, I am getting cable internet!!
So I will pop in when I can. Oh, and once again, yayyyyyyyyy!
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