I can't afford to work for $800 a week anymore!

Hope you don't think I was bashing you, because I am not. My oldest daughter struggles with money every month. Husband is military and I have 4 beautiful grand children but she does not cook. It is to the point that I tell her the kids think pop-tarts are a food group. That is her main issue, everything comes from a box thus a more expensive way to feed the family. I would suggest that when the oil comes back you and your wife come to an agreement to live on 50-70k and bank the rest for another crash. In the mean time you may have to move to a company like Jones Brothers, Prime etc.

 

Is moving an option? If you go back to Tampa or any big city you can make good money doing ltl or foodservice and be home every day. You could make 75 80k after you got some time in. Probibly start around 60 to 65k
That rent is crazy, I own a 4 bed 2 bath house in the chicago suburbs, mortgage, tax, and insurance is just over 1000 a month

 

That seems to be the trade off. Good place to live or good place to make money, hard to find both.

 

No traffic, I love traffic as an hourly paid driver. Nothing beats getting time and a half to move 100 ft a minute