Logistics

Here's the thing. We live in a one-bedroom apartment and get around by public transit. Obviously we're going to have to move, but to where? How? When?

Option 1: My dream, as I've stated here before, is to move back to my hometown (a two-hour drive away) where we could actually afford to buy a decent house. I want to do this about two months after giving birth, if at all possible. In fact, I'm going to be pretty upset if it can't happen. But there are obstacles...

Option 2: Buy a two-bedroom condo somewhere, at the top end of what we could possibly afford — probably in the metro region and not in the city itself, which means a longer commute, higher transportation costs (whether for gas, public transit, or both), and being more isolated from everything. Oh, and I should mention that even if we had a car, Keith doesn't have a driver's licence. I've been nagging him to get one, but no move in that direction yet.

Option 3: Move into a two-bedroom apartment in our current area and continue to rent. Sigh. I guess this would work out okay, but we both really want to own a home, and we do have some savings that could be a downpayment. Considering the sad state of our RRSPs, I'd say owning a home will be a very important part of our financial well-being in retirement. Also, one of my biggest objections to living here is the isolation and loneliness I feel. My friends and family all live elsewhere. Keith's friends and family are all here, but we don't see his friends often and he's not as close to his family as I am to mine.

The aforementioned obstacle to achieving my much preferred option is, of course, the employment situation. I don't care about my job. I will gladly get a new one after my maternity/parental benefits expire, or I will try to earn enough as a freelance editor to get us by. Keith, however, likes his job and makes enough money that he is loath to leave it. He will be asking to work from home full-time, or at least three days a week, so that we can finally escape from the city. If his employer says no, well, I don't know what we'll do.

The uncertainty is more than a little unsettling. I know things will work themselves out somehow, but I just wish I knew how and when.