It's that time of year again.

I came home to the annual "renew your apartment lease" notice.

I hate this time of year.  it proves to me how incredibly trapped we are.

We moved into this apartment in 2009.  This December will be the 4th time that we'll have renewed this lease.

Do we want to stay around here?  Oh hell no.  I'm dying for living in a place where the toilets work properly, and the front door leads to the outside, not a hall.  But we really can't afford to move.

• Credit checks.  Ours are frightening.  And I'd hate to find a place that I love, and pay hundreds of dollars just to be denied because of the credit.
• The pets.  If we stay another year, the have to replace the carpeting, and most likely we won't have to pay for it when we move.
• First, last, deposit and all.  That's a lot of money.  Money that we don't have anymore.  Though, I think I'm going to squirrel that money away for next year... maybe next year....

We have debt, bills, and only one car.  The Spousal Equivalent and I work on opposite ends of the Peninsula.  We'd have to stay on this end of town to make it work.

Maybe next year.

Maybe I'll win the lottery.

Maybe...