Financial strain

[Jaco2016]

Hi,

I am struggling and just need a place to vent. My wife and I bought a house a few years ago that was in a top rated school district that our kids have been attending since they were in preschool (we were renting a small apartment prior but our family got too big for it). Anyway we bought this house that definitely needed work. I had been on antidepressants for 6 years prior and we were so house hungry that we didn't care that the house needed a lot of work. First couple years I worked my tail off (on top of working 50+ hours week at my job) to fix this place up best I could. There are some jobs I had to pay others to do... bottom line is here we are several years later and our house still needs a lot of work. We are squeaking by financially (very little savings for things like a newer vehicle which we will need soon) and I would honestly just love to move into a place where there was less fixing up to do so we could save money for a vehicle, vacations, college etc. Trouble is we don't want to take our kids out of this top rated school district (moving to another home in better condition in this district is not an option because nicer homes are too expensive). On top of this I'm dealing with anxiety and depression that I've had for most of my life but seems to be getting worse at times and I don't really love where I work but it is easy and I feel like I'm just barely functioning right now so easy is good I think. I tried going off meds for a couple months. The withdrawal was hell but eventually went away but the anxiety and depression came back with a vengeance so I begged my primary doc to put me back on something. Anyway it's hard being house poor and in a job I don't love but I want to give my kids the advantage of a top notch education I just wish we had more wiggle room financially and my wife and I didn't have to work so much ☹️. Anyway just needed to vent ...

[Hidden]

Sounds like you are doing a good job for your family and trying to meet everyone's needs. I suffer from bipolar and the anxiety and bipolar are crucial. I'm pretty much in same boat but me and husband had to move back to moms house so we're trying to get back on feet get me new car. My therapist always tells me be your own best parent to yourself. You self care is important when life shows up. Little things to soothe your soul.

[Jaco2016 in reply to Hidden]

Good to know I'm not the only one in a similar situation. I have to admit sometimes I dream about my kids graduating just so we can move out of this house and have some financial breathing room. But that's not for another 10 years before our youngest will be done. Until then have to figure out how to survive on less