Nothing but time

So since I have this unexpected uncertainty rolling out in front of me, I've decided to try and rectify some of the messes I've gotten myself into. Some are huge, and deeply embarrassing. Others are just messes, and can be cleaned up if I can get past the anxiety of facing them.

1. Untangle my taxes. The year before last, I got hit with a tax bill that was TEN TIMES what the previous year demanded. Needless to say, I couldn't pay it, so I sat there in frozen terror wondering how to fix it. The next year wasn't any better because although I withheld more, I lost Teen Parent as a dependent AND lost EIC due to being promoted to manager. I am going to bite the bullet, call the IRS and ask for a payment plan.

2. Get out from under The House That Will Not Die. It's become a mess that I just can't manage. Lesson learned. I will now have some time to figure out just how much I owe to whom, what my legal responsibilities are, and how to permanently free myself from the yellow-shingled monster. I no longer care that it's "potential" income; potential does nothing for my current reality. The reality is that the house is a big fat drain and a source of true terror as every repair, even the smallest thing, is more than I can manage. Much has been written about people just 'walking away' from properties, but I've found it's not so easy. When you 'walk away', from it, the property often 'walks right behind' in the form of fees, taxes, and law suits.

3. Figure out my real financial picture, and then file bankruptcy.

4. Try to drag some of that back child support out of the girls' father. I was married to him for nearly eight years, and raised his kids with almost no help. He was spiteful and cruel to the kids, flaunting his wealth in their faces to punish them for my divorcing him. Yes, he told them this. Time to figure out if the courts can shake a few pennies loose. After all, I now have ALL day to fill out paperwork and contact state representatives.

5. Lose these friggin' forty extra pounds. The gym's an easy bike ride away. I still have a membership and now have the freedom to use it whenever I like.

6. Clean out my closet. I have a lot of clothes that I bought because I needed appropriate attire for the various jobs. Many items are on the cusp of being dated, and many make me look even fatter than I am. Looking at it reminds me of working my butt off only to lose the job anyway. Out, out, damned spots.

7. Find out just what training is out there for the chronically displaced. Let's see what the state and Obama will do for an unemployed worker. I applied for a FAFSA grant today.

While I'd rather be gainfully employed and not fearing homelessness, I may as well work the hell out of this turn of events and make it serve me as well as it possibly can.

Wish me luck. No, better yet, wish me focus and tenacity.