I'll do my best to answer the questions that have been asked.
Based on your take home - are you contributing to your retirement plan?
My company matches up to 3% dollar for dollar, so I contribute 3%. However, I REALLY want to start a Roth and start making serious contributions.
Are you cooking great food?
Yes. My wife cooks every night. She has become a great cook since we married.
What happens to your wife's income? How is that spent? She has been mostly reinvesting her earnings to purchase more equipment for her business. Lights, props, backgrounds, better lens, external flash. She's just now gathered most of what she feels she needs. So that money should start flowing in to our budget now.
There are several that earn over $12 an hour. Just 10 hours a week could greatly increase your cash flow.
Do you have any suggestions as to where I could find something like this? I've searched in the past but after reading deeper most of the gigs seemed like more of a waste of time.
Have you checked healthcare.gov for healthcare?
Yes. Signed my wife up but the open enrollment period closed before I could make the first payment (wife was going to use her cash flow to pay for this expense) so we are waiting for the next open period. The cost will be $292 a month.
If you moved closer to work, are the housing prices similar?
Yes. Prices are very similar, only a slight increase from what I have been able to see. But many more options as the population is 120k vs 14k people.
How much do you calculate it would cost to move, including selling the house?
As "Gimesalot" said, about 6%, so about $7,000 in our case.
If you move, will your wife have the same photo opportunities? Would she lose the babysitting gig?
She would have a much better client base, and keep her current clients. She could also increase her prices. She wouldn't loose the babysitting gig.
If your in laws don't like to drive the 35 miles to see you, why do you think they would drive the 70, or would they expect you to drive the 70?
We recently sat down with my mother in-law and told her that we can't keep driving back and forth and that they can come visit us instead. The problem is every time she comes over she just starts trying to rearrange our stuff and what not, she's very controlling, it can be difficult to deal with. But, I've put my foot down over this issue and in the last 2 weeks we haven't made the drive to their house. They've come to see us once.
If you did move closer to work, could you cut down to one vehicle?
I think we could cut down to 2. The truck is a must for all the work I do. I am very mechanically inclined. I've actually been able to generate some cash flow by buying a few junkers, a Ford Windstar for $500 and a Honda Civic for $1,200 and fixed them and sold for $2,200 and $2,800 each. That's what allowed us to purchase supplies so I could update our home. Plus, my wife's grandpa owns a furniture and appliance store so we were able to update things at cost, which saved us TONS! The truck and 1 car would be very doable. I could bike to work if we lived closer. As a former college distance runner, biking 10 or even 20 miles is a breeze, I use to run that far every single day for many years.
Is you wife for you moving?
Yes. She's now ready as she sees just how costly and time consuming it is living so far out from everything.
You moved to Missouri to be near your wife's family. Is there any chance they can help out with babysitting during the week so that she can further develop her photography business?
Unfortunately no. Both my in-laws work 5 days a week, and my father in-law works Saturdays as well.
Could you get another 100% loan from the VA to finance another house which you can buy and do up?
Yes. However, I can only have one VA loan at a time, you can not have simultaneous loans.
Are you happy there and are there prospects to improve your pay there?
Yes. I started out in July 2013 making 45k. I was given a 3% raise to $46,575 effective 1 Jan 2014. It's a non-profit company the owners started which is a branch off of a very successful parent company they own. I am the only accountant (we have a staff of 9 ppl) and I also oversee $60 million endowment account. I kind of have a dual role as accountant/investment analyst. I'm working hard to justify asking for a raise during my end of year review. I've created and implemented quite a few processes that have greatly helped. I report directly to the controller. I'm the youngest person in the company and our director wants me here for the long haul. I can certainly see myself being here for quite a while, unless the pay doesn't keep up with my "worth" has an employee.
Could another job be better for you, and if so, where would it be?
I certainly believe that's possible. I'm not your typical accountant. I'm a very outgoing, well spoken individual (as I've been told at least). I see myself being successful in a number of thins however I'm not quite sure exactly what that looks like. I'm probably destined to be in sales, but anything where I'm interacting with clients, establishing and maintaining relationships is one of my greatest strengths.
then you are exchanging 350 miles a week of commuting for 70 miles extra on a weekend trip
This is exactly what I told my wife, and this is what really opened her eyes as to how much of a waste my driving is.