Single Mom & Financially Scared / Concerned

I took on the single mom life in October. My husband called out quits and we are slowly but surely taking on the divorce process. Praying it goes smoothly and he comes to terms with the custody agreement and stops changing his damn mind. (He’s highly influenced by his parents).

I’m an assistant preschool teacher. I went from full-time to part-time shortly after needing gallbladder surgery. When I came back I had some decent hours but then I was severely cut short with only 2.5hrs a day. Yup...A GOD DAMN DAY! As of the first, I was supposed to go full-time again, but I got word the positions were filled already and my boss doesn’t have anything for me until summer and on. I can’t wait until summer! I’m trying to get the hell out of my moms place. It’s a NIGHTMARE!!

I was hired on with a pay of $11.75 an hour. Which is great for just being an assistant without my CDA. But not great when your biweekly check is paid for 29hrs or less. So since my goal is to be out and on our own by summer; especially since my mom said we aren’t welcome when they move in July, I’m needing to buckle down hard.

I went on 2 interviews today.

One was at 8am. The owner was great! And she offered me the job. But I’ll be in contact with her within the few days because I need to think. Ok, so she offered me $9.75, a $2 cut. But she has a lot to offer. At my current job, if I do go full time I’ll be paying $250 biweekly for my daughter to attend. She’s an infant so she will be in the infant room which is the most expensive. But it would have been $250 because I get a 50% discount. Now after childcare and before taxes I’d be looking at $690 biweekly (this is for my current job if I was finally to go full-time). Now the job I was offered for the $9.75 position, I was offered childcare for $176 biweekly with ECC assistance paying and her employee discount, PLUS!!! She can get me a full paid scholarship for my CDA and I’d but to at or a little over $10 once completed to be a lead teacher.

I have opportunities but less pay at this one.

To note; I’m also enrolling in school for my Bachelors in Elementary Education so my pay will go from whatever to $20+ once schooling is completed and once I start I was told it could take as little as 2.5 years, so I’d only have to pinch pennies for that long.

The second interview this afternoon was nice. Pay was open, I gave my price, not much about the job since it wasnt the owner or director interviewing. And NO CHILDCARE openings for my daughter.

What would you do? Stay at a shit hour job until summer to go fulltime or accept the $2 drop job and pray it’s enough to move out and hold on to until you get your degree?

I’m worried no one will rent to me if I make less than what I’m making now. I’m so scared of failing :(. I mean I’m not going to lie, when I get into school, I’m putting whatever remaining FAFSA I get away to get a place of our own. I’m sure I’m not the only one to have done this for their family.

UPDATE:

I accepted the job offer. She’s gonna help me get my CDA asap for that $1 jump and she’s going to look and see if she can drop my childcare cost even more.