Grrrrrr....Taxes

So we went to get our taxes done yesterday. That was fun...NOT! We give the tax guy the W-2's, the paper from unemployment, and our 1099-A from the mortgage company. All is going well, until---the tax guy looks at it and says "where did you get this?". He apparently has never seen one before, and doesn't know what to do with it! So he calls his boss over, and she doesn't know what to do with it either! They told us to come back today, that we could finish our taxes up then. But when we call, they say that they haven't figured it out yet, and the person that knows what to do won't be in until tomorrow.
What it boils down to is that they may count the principal amount that we owed as a gain, and the amount between what we owed and what it sold for as a loss. Makes no sense to me, but I also found out that the amounts from the 1099-C (and A) are supposed to be forgiven for 2007, 2008, and 2009. So we might not have to worry. Or, on the other hand, we might. Hard to say right now. Should hear back sometime after 9am tomorrow, so prayers would be appreciated.

So My Credit Sucks...

And now I have to figure out how to get it decent enough to qualify for a loan thru FHA. Their requirements say at least 3 yrs after a foreclosure, or 5 yrs after a bankruptcy. The question is, 3 yrs from when they filed, or 3 yrs from when it was final lol. I'm guessing from when it was final, which puts us at June/July of 2011. A little over 2yrs from now. So that gives me 2 yrs to clean up our credit and put aside a minimum of 3.5% of the price of whatever house we plan on getting, plus closing costs, and whatever little incidentals. We dont plan on spending more than $100,000 on a house, which means at least $3500 for downpayment, plus at least 3,000 for closing and extras, probably closer to $4000. Can I do this? Yes, I think I can.
And if we wait til we get taxes back in 2012, we'll have a little extra besides what we have put aside between now and then. Now I just need to figure our budget and start setting money aside where we can't mess this up.

Busy, random

Went to the library today. Wow, that seemed to take forever! Finally got out of there almost an hour later.
Found out that the insurance went up by $50 by adding my new van and taking the old van off. So now it's $180 a month for the 2 vehicles with full coverage. Power bill was way higher this month too. Need to make sure I pay at least 1/2 the past balance next month. The rest can be paid when we get taxes back.
On a better note, we have decided that starting next month, we are going to start putting a minimum of $200 a month away towards a down payment towards a place. He and I have talked about a farmette for as long as we've been together. Now we just need to find one. Easier said than done, given what our credit looks like. Anyway, can't seem to keep my thoughts straight. Gonna go find out what the kids are up to.