Photo Credit: joshstaiger
Yesterday I told you I was out of town (and out of state) doing some interviews. I wanted to give a quick recap of what’s going on and our plans.
My husband and I are considering moving out of our current city and state to another for several reasons, some more a preference than actual need. We hope that this move will help us to reach two financial goals:
- Spend less on expenses (lower housing costs)
- Earn higher wages (my husband’s industry is doing well in this area)
Lower Housing Costs:
Our current area has higher than normal housing costs compared to the national error, according to bestplaces.net. We’ve seen housing to be about 1/3 cheaper in the new location. Right now we are looking at condos and townhouses, both for their lower costs and the fact it’s us and a cat. Utilities are cheaper in the new state. Our city’s utilities score is 139, while the new city is 97. The national average is 100 to give you an idea of the costs. Food and gasoline prices are the same from the places I’ve seen. There are properties where we could put 10% down as of today, so we’ll continue to save as is until we reach 20% and then we’ll seriously inquire into owning a place.
Higher Wages:
We both work currently and have no plans to change that. We hope to sock away the extra income away. While my student loan payments will certainly be manageable, I would like to aggressively pay that off as soon as I can* for my own peace of mind. It’s not the best financial decision, but it’s the best personal finance decision for me. I would feel uncomfortable having that weight on me.
While we’re excited about the possibilities, we decided we would not rush this move. We both have jobs that are satisfactory and give us enough money to pay our bills and save some. While my job can be very stressful, I enjoy my coworkers and have learned a lot since being here. We’re looking for jobs that we can grow into careers, so we’re a little pickier than most people would be.
My trip to North Carolina was very informative and fun. I brought two of my friends with me to help make the most of our day trip. I went to a couple of interviews and looked into areas of the city to live in. A lady I interviewed with was kind enough to give me a great review of the different sections of the city. She was spot on which places would appeal to us. My husband is busy with his job and cannot take vacation at the time. He went before, so he’s comfortable with my semi-solo trip.
I hope that patience will pay off for us. Has anybody moved within the last 2 years? Does anybody have tips to share?
****”As soon as I can means” after I have 3 months emergency savings and pay off my car loan***
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Hmm…tips about moving. Don’t?
Sorry, I’m still a bit jaded from our move this summer.
Let’s see:
1. budget extra for renting your van because it’ll cost more than you expect.
2. consider using movers for some of it. unless…
3. get some good friends to help you by feeding them something nice and perhaps buying them a small thank-you gift.
4. budget more time than you think you’ll need.
5. budget for a little more convenience food than you think you’ll need.
6. budget for something to get your mind off the move midway through the packing and midway through the unpacking (maybe a trip out for coffee or renting a movies—if you think you can hook up the tv/DVDplayer/whatever or maybe watch it on a computer).
Yeah, jaded. But those are all things we ended up doing during our last move.
Moving can be fun, too…I mean it’s a chance to discover a new area and clean up your junk, whatnot.
I’m sorry your move didn’t go as smooth. This would be my husband’s first move. Lived in this area his whole life.
I have to move all the time for work, and it’s no fun. Just have lots of patience. Keep good track of all the phone numbers where things are located…in fact, keep one old phone book from the city you currently reside in – this will help later when you have to transfer random things (think dental records, etc.)
Moving is annoying, but very exciting too. You will be so happy to have a better earning/saving situation.
Moving to a location with lower cost of living and higher salaries…is there such a thing? Most people who work in cities that command high salaries usually live out in the quiet boonies and take a super long commute to work everyday. That’s how it is in Washington DC.
-Raymond
Raymond: It’s a smaller metropolitan area than here. It’s growing and I don’t mind a little more quiet and less traffic. The military keeps some wages over here lower than nat’l average as well.
I’ve been to D.C a few times and it’s too hectic for me.
I’m a suburban girl.
Brooke: Fantastic idea on keeping the old city’s numbers until everything transfer. I’ll be doing most of the moving work as my husband has no experience in this department.
I agree that it’s an exciting chance.
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