Robbing Peter to pay Paul.

I have a good credit score. How I've managed to keep it over the last few years has been a real juggling act. I have a second home that I've been unable to sell, I had to take a lower paying job, and I've acquired a lot of debt along the way just trying to stay afloat.

It's possible that I will have an offer on my second place soon. I called my realtor today to ask him when my contract was up, and, amazingly, he said he knew of someone who might make me an offer. Go figure. I should have tried that three years ago.

He told me what the offer would probably be if it is made. It's about $9000 below what I owe. With his commission, I'd need to come up with about $11,000. That's a lot of bread for a guy who makes $15.30 an hour. Fortunately, we are getting a big tax refund this year and I do have some money in the bank. Between that and a cash advance on a credit card, I should be able to swing it.

We won't have much of a reserve after that, but we will have turned the corner from losing money every month to being able to put some back. I will be so relieved. I've been using school loan money to pay bills. That money won't be there anymore because I just graduated. Something will have had to happen on the other place by this summer or I will have been in a world of hurt financially by then.

But I don't have that offer yet. If I don't get it I'm going to have to let that contract expire and go with plan B.