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Old 06-09-2008, 01:13 AM
 
15 posts, read 42,363 times
Reputation: 10

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I spent the last several hours researching apartments in Southern CA and the more I search the more stressed out I'm getting over moving from Indiana to SoCal. I'm separated and both my soon-to-be ex and I are both moving to CA. He is being transferred there and I am moving out there to make visitation a lot easier on all of us. I have several friends in CA- one in San Diego, one in Studio City and another in Burbank so I'm really looking anywhere between L.A and San Diego.

I work as a Nursing Assistant in Pediatrics and as a Lactation Specialist so I would prefer to be near a good Pediatric Hospital or Birth Center- I also am currently in Nursing School for my BSN and am going to have to transfer to a school out there. I have no idea how much more I will be making out there so I really don't know how much I should expect to spend on rent. I need a (small dog/pet friendly) 3 bedroom apartment in a safe neighborhood near good schools. From what I've been able to figure I don't think I'll be able to afford much more than $1300-$1400 out there (and still be able to feed my boys and pay utilities and other necessary crap)

Does anyone have any advice on good places to look? I really want to avoid having a roomate since I have two kids. The only people I would trust to live with us are the two friends I have that live in SD & Burbank. The friend that lives in SD has mentioned getting a place together, but she has a huge dog (doberman mix) and has trouble finding apartments that are big-dog friendly as it is (let alone a nice 4 bedroom place for all of us). Plus, I'm not a big fan of her dog anyways (she's just too big and excitable to safely have around a toddler.) ~so I'd prefer to avoid that if at all possible. My other friend in Burbank isn't the most fiscally responsible so I don't want to resort to asking her to move in with us either (although both of my kids adore her and I might save money on childcare if she were to live with us...)

Any and all suggestions and advice would be MUCH appreciated!

Thanks~
Liss
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Old 06-09-2008, 03:30 AM
 
109 posts, read 388,198 times
Reputation: 67
That means Irvine is out of the window Can't your ex' top up your income?
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Old 06-09-2008, 06:02 AM
 
15 posts, read 42,363 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ayava View Post
That means Irvine is out of the window Can't your ex' top up your income?
The frustrating thing is that he makes twice what I make so he thinks because he makes more he should have full custody of both boys (even though my oldest is from my first marriage and he met him when he was 6 & adopted him when he was 10)

Part of the reason I think he took the transfer out there is because he knows it's going to be difficult for me to make it on my own as a single mom. I can't stay here and risk sending the kids back and forth between two states 3,000 miles apart because he's threatened on more than one occasion to take the kids and leave the country with them. I can't take that chance- I adore my boys and can't imagine having to live without them. At most I can expect about $600/mo in child support. Anything more than that will be a blessing. I had a 3 bedroom condo here for about $750/mo so combined with the $600 I'll getting in support I figure I should be able to comfortably afford something between $1300 & $1400. I'm not trying to adjust for an increase in my salary because I really have no idea how much I'm going to make there compared to what I'm making here. I figure I'm better underestimating how much I'm going to be bringing in monthly than overestimating.
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Old 06-09-2008, 06:30 AM
 
Location: So Ca
26,731 posts, read 26,812,827 times
Reputation: 24795
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoddessLissa View Post
I'm separated and both my soon-to-be ex and I are both moving to CA. He is being transferred there and I am moving out there to make visitation a lot easier on all of us. - I also am currently in Nursing School for my BSN and am going to have to transfer to a school out there.
Do you know where your stbx will be living? And do you know which nursing school you will be attending? That would make a big difference in terms of narrowing down your search.
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Old 06-09-2008, 06:47 AM
 
Location: Orange County, Calif.
92 posts, read 349,650 times
Reputation: 34
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoddessLissa View Post
I spent the last several hours researching apartments in Southern CA and the more I search the more stressed out I'm getting over moving from Indiana to SoCal. I'm separated and both my soon-to-be ex and I are both moving to CA. He is being transferred there and I am moving out there to make visitation a lot easier on all of us. I have several friends in CA- one in San Diego, one in Studio City and another in Burbank so I'm really looking anywhere between L.A and San Diego.

I work as a Nursing Assistant in Pediatrics and as a Lactation Specialist so I would prefer to be near a good Pediatric Hospital or Birth Center- I also am currently in Nursing School for my BSN and am going to have to transfer to a school out there. I have no idea how much more I will be making out there so I really don't know how much I should expect to spend on rent. I need a (small dog/pet friendly) 3 bedroom apartment in a safe neighborhood near good schools. From what I've been able to figure I don't think I'll be able to afford much more than $1300-$1400 out there (and still be able to feed my boys and pay utilities and other necessary crap)

Does anyone have any advice on good places to look? I really want to avoid having a roomate since I have two kids. The only people I would trust to live with us are the two friends I have that live in SD & Burbank. The friend that lives in SD has mentioned getting a place together, but she has a huge dog (doberman mix) and has trouble finding apartments that are big-dog friendly as it is (let alone a nice 4 bedroom place for all of us). Plus, I'm not a big fan of her dog anyways (she's just too big and excitable to safely have around a toddler.) ~so I'd prefer to avoid that if at all possible. My other friend in Burbank isn't the most fiscally responsible so I don't want to resort to asking her to move in with us either (although both of my kids adore her and I might save money on childcare if she were to live with us...)

Any and all suggestions and advice would be MUCH appreciated!

Thanks~
Liss

I am a single mom living in Orange County, CA I also have two kids and I am unable to afford a three bedroom place. So I have had enough of this state and I am moving to Nevada this summer, where I can afford a three bedroom apartment or rent a 3 bedroom house. Just be warned it is very very expensive out here for everything just not the housing. I honestly do not think CA is a place for single moms or a proper place to raise kids. My kids are 13 and 17 and this Calif lifestyle has really taken a toll on them.
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Old 06-09-2008, 07:00 AM
 
Location: Sherman Oaks, CA
6,588 posts, read 17,550,899 times
Reputation: 9463
$1300-$1400 can get you a nice two-bedroom apartment in an area like Sherman Oaks. A three-bedroom is out of the question unless you want to live in a seedy, run down area.

I'm in a two-bedroom apartment now, and raised two kids in it for the past eleven years. They had the bedrooms, and I slept in my living room. It's not an ideal situation by any means, but it can be done.

Good luck with your search, and when you know where you'll be going to school or a little more detail, please post in the Los Angeles or San Diego forums for more info. Welcome to City-Data!
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Old 06-09-2008, 08:12 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,329 posts, read 93,761,592 times
Reputation: 17831
Any way you can get get rid of the dog?

It's amazing how many people post on city data looking for housing, with all these needs and wants and means, only to have this huge constraint of a dog. Things are tough enough finding housing in SoCal (especially for single parents) but having a dog makes it much harder.
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Old 06-09-2008, 10:09 AM
 
1,714 posts, read 6,054,971 times
Reputation: 696
There are lots of good hospitals out here. Have you looked at the job postings at, say, UCLA? That could give you an idea of what you could make, to give you a better idea for your housing.

Your boys could share a bedroom. Get a 2BR and give them the master. That way they'll have plenty of room for their toys. You can do it!
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Old 06-09-2008, 10:53 AM
 
Location: Bradenton, FL
46 posts, read 162,529 times
Reputation: 18
Might I suggest also looking at rental houses? I find rental homes more flexible than apartments.
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Old 06-09-2008, 11:24 AM
 
15 posts, read 42,363 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by CA4Now View Post
Do you know where your stbx will be living? And do you know which nursing school you will be attending? That would make a big difference in terms of narrowing down your search.
That's the trouble. One day he says it looks like he'll be moving to Hollywood because there's more of a need for him there, the next he says San Diego is really going to need him after the company he works for expands their SD location.

I don't know whether to look for housing first and then look for work close to where I'm going to be or look for a job first and then look for housing close to it... I know little about CA. I've been there twice this year- mainly in SD, but I spent a few days in LA and have a friend there that can help recommend places around there hopefully.

School has me stressed out as well. Everyone I talk to says there's a nursing shortage in CA and that there's a wait list for most of the nursing schools. I have a list of schools that have BSN programs, but for the time being I'm registered for fall semester taking online classes at the university I've been attending here. I figure it will give me a little time to get settled into a new place and a new job in a new city before having to figure out a school, home and work all within reasonable driving distance of each other.
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