Can we live in DFW for $30,000 (Dallas, Fort Worth: fit in, lease, insurance)

[smuboy86]

I make roughly 30k in a starting executive position for a company here and I barely make it and I'm by myself. I do live and work in west Plano so commuting is a minimum. I am paying off student loans as well and enjoy a modest level of entertainment, there is a great discount theater in plano. But I couldnt support another person, no way, and can't fathom a total of 4 people living on my salary.

[frado]

Originally Posted by smuboy86

I make roughly 30k in a starting executive position for a company here and I barely make it and I'm by myself. I do live and work in west Plano so commuting is a minimum. I am paying off student loans as well and enjoy a modest level of entertainment, there is a great discount theater in plano. But I couldnt support another person, no way, and can't fathom a total of 4 people living on my salary.

Because you get more taxes getting taken out of your paycheck, then the the OP. Plus at tax time, the OP will see a bigger tax return (EIC and children), which helps too.

[Philip T]

Because you get more taxes getting taken out of your paycheck, then the the OP. Plus at tax time, the OP will see a bigger tax return (EIC and children), which helps t

But OP gets those (EIC and the kids) whether he brings mama and kids into this mess or not. Just leave the home-of-record (and the kids and mama) at the in-laws while OP/daddy comes to Dallas and makes some bank.

Back directly to the OP. DO NOT do this. I do not see where you have calculated any risk or margin in your plans. One thing goes wrong -- Just ONE thing -- Car dies, or bad landlord, or lose the job -- and you are looking at the homeless shelter. Think things suck now? Just one thing goes wrong, and they can suck a WHOLE LOT worse.

Again -- DO NOT do this. Your school choices for the kids will likely be poor to worse. If you can use and understand the term ghetto -- you understand the housing options. DO NOT do this.

Look, I am Daddy with the three kids and mama at home, too. I follow that to hit the necessary 'trifecta" you have to score well in three areas ALL at the same time.

1. Good (enough) Job +
2. Good (enough) Housing +
3. Good Schools.

HAS to be ALL Three. That is what we have to do. No real options on that. You are not setting yourself and mama and the kids up for that by this scenario.

Here is what you are looking at for a score in these areas if you do this:

Job: C- to a D.
Schools: D to an F.
Housing: D to an F.

Again -- DO NOT do this.

Consider instead -- learn from the Mexicans. They come here. Leave mama and the kids behind for a while, and make some bank. If you really like this job, and can make some money, do that without putting them at risk.

If that job is W2, do it and take the overtime. For when there is no overtime, set up side business here to do and some side work in things you may think you like. Do that as a 1099/side business and expense your taxable existence to zero. The W2 job will cover the Social Security self-employment taxes.

You are here to work and make money so live cheap. Real cheap. None of the Sh1thead Trifecta -- no beer, no cigarettes/smoke, no lottery tickets. Figure on staying busy working 60 to 80 hours a week, and make bank. Figure out how to travel back cheap and take some long week-ends with the mama and the kids. Remember it is they who doing this for, so you do not want to lose them in path up and out. In the meantime, keep them on food stamps, medicaid, and whatever else is available locally to them.

After a year or so, you should have piled enough money and learned enough about the area that you can make the move you all want, in a way, and to a place, you would all want to be. There are some very decent outlying areas to consider, such as Canton, Forney, Waxahachie, and others that are affordable, safe, with good schools and housing to consider once you figure out how to operate here, but get your own act together, first.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by Philip T

DO NOT do this. I do not see where you have calculated any risk or margin in your plans. One thing goes wrong -- Just ONE thing -- Car dies, or bad landlord, or lose the job -- and you are looking at the homeless shelter. Think things suck now? Just one thing goes wrong, and they can suck a WHOLE LOT worse.

I completely agree. You have ZERO margin for error on that budget. IMHO, either find a better job that pays more, or leave the wife and kids with the in-laws and come to Dallas by yourself to work and save money for a year or so.

[racehorse]

Originally Posted by mSooner

Well that is a sweeping and somewhat nosy generalization.

At any rate, if you cant do it in Dallas, I'm not sure where else would be better.

What is sweeping and nosy? The OP is asking for advice. What's wrong with suggesting his wife get a job and provide more income?

[BnSwiss]

live in the city you will spend your money on gas otherwise. the city is changing too public transit is only getting better and the area is only getting nicer so it will be a great place to raise your family so long no one goes to drugs and gangs.

[elan]

Originally Posted by drj0n3z

I really like this site, but this is my first post. I was just offered a job in Dallas for around $30,000 a year, more or less. I have a wife and three young children and my salary needs to support us all. Is it even possible to live in DFW on that income level and not live in the ghetto? The job would be in downtown Dallas, but I am willing to commute. My oldest is going into second grade, and I want her to go to a very good school. Probably looking at 800/mo for rent. Any input? Thx in advance.

Sorry to say, but a big NO.

[Twincam666]

Honestly, you can do it. I know people that do. A couple things to consider. If your credit is good it will help. As far as apartments they're not cheap in DFW area if you want a GOOD area. But you can rent a mobile home in an EXCELLENT school district like Aubrey or Little Elm for about $550 or $600 a month......If you dont have a bunch of loans/credit card payments or car payments it's easy!

Just look around, you can even buy an inexpensive home under $80k in Watauga or HEB area and have good schools too? Just keep all of you non-essential bills low.......

Trust me, plenty of people in DFW making under $35k a year and get by just fine....

[jbiggs]

Originally Posted by drj0n3z

I really like this site, but this is my first post. I was just offered a job in Dallas for around $30,000 a year, more or less. I have a wife and three young children and my salary needs to support us all. Is it even possible to live in DFW on that income level and not live in the ghetto? The job would be in downtown Dallas, but I am willing to commute. My oldest is going into second grade, and I want her to go to a very good school. Probably looking at 800/mo for rent. Any input? Thx in advance.

OMG! ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Your profile shows a Utah Zip Code, and not far from Salt Lake. Stay where you are at and take a job in Salt Lake if you can. If you have to rent a room then do that so you can at least come back to your family on the weekends or days off. If you try to move here then think of these points.

• To find a safe place for your family you are going to need at least twice the pay you are telling us has been offered.
• Unless you have a lot of money saved (does not sound like it) then you will be renting a place. Your rent alone will wipe out any savings and your budget. Even if you can obtain rental assistance it would certainly not be in a safe area. Unless your pay doubles or triples then you will never have the money to purchase a home in a safe area for your family.
• If you ever do want to buy even a shack in a safe area you can forget it! You would need to make twice what you are being offered just to qualify for a FHA low income loan. Then you will need to pay property taxes which are ridiculously high here and going to get higher! Then you will need homeowner's insurance. Ask your in-laws what they pay for their homeowner's insurance and triple that amount. That is a conservative estimate.
• Even if only you moved here to get started, and left the family there, renting a place with cooking facilities would kill your budget. After all at $30K a year you certainly can't afford to eat out and would need to significantly economize.
• Any benefits here that depend on a residency requirement might well require you to be here for a year first before you could apply. Obviously that would not include food stamps, Section 8 Housing, and other basic necessities but if any other assistance requires 1 year residency then you don't qualify.
• Gas is near $4/Gallon so commuting in your own vehicle is out of the question. Also consider your auto insurance costs. Take your current auto insurance cost and at least double that for liability insurance alone. If you think you will drive without insurance forget it. Texas has a new system that easily identifies uninsured motorists. If you get caught you will pay big fines! Also every year you get to pay from $100 - $150 a year just to have that vehicle inspected and renew the registration. If your vehicle fails the inspection your definitely screwed as you won't have the money to fix it.
• From the sounds of your situation you most likely don't even have the money to move your entire family here (moving costs) let alone just you with temporary living costs until you get established. Once you are established here with the new job you most likely would not be able to afford moving the family here.
• If you can pack everything in a car that you, and your family owns, and move down here then you won't have enough money to even furnish a small apartment and pay all of your normal bills.
• Texas does not have an income tax but does have an 8.25% sales tax on just about everything else!
• Texas is a "Right to work" State. That means an employer can fire you for any reason or no reason at all! Once you're fired, and you will be fired and not just let go, then you get to fight your company for unemployment compensation. Employers here are firing people for BS reasons just so they don't have to pay their share of unemployment compensation. It's the "New American Way" of business. Once you're fired you get to look for employment just like the hoard of people out there now looking.

The grass is not greener on the other side! Texas is not the "Land of milk and honey". Instead Texas is "The land of bilk and money!". If you have been hearing the recent Governor Perry ads on the radio, on TV, reading them in print, about how Texas is the place to be then don't believe them! Texas has lost many more jobs to the "Great Sucking Sound" (Ross Perot on NAFTA), to the 2000 - 2001 Tech bust, to the 1000,000+ a year new work visas a year, to the flood of illegal immigrants, to the recent Texas budget shortfalls, and to the current economic crisis.

If you come down here you will find brown grass and you are stuck!! Stay where you are and make the best of a bad situation. If the economy ever truly turns around (most likely not in my remaining years) then consider a move!

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by Twincam666

Honestly, you can do it. I know people that do. A couple things to consider. If your credit is good it will help. As far as apartments they're not cheap in DFW area if you want a GOOD area. But you can rent a mobile home in an EXCELLENT school district like Aubrey or Little Elm for about $550 or $600 a month......If you dont have a bunch of loans/credit card payments or car payments it's easy!

Just look around, you can even buy an inexpensive home under $80k in Watauga or HEB area and have good schools too? Just keep all of you non-essential bills low.......

Trust me, plenty of people in DFW making under $35k a year and get by just fine....

His job offer is in downtown Dallas, so none of the towns you mentioned are really commutable in under 1 hour, but I agree- look in some of the southern/eastern burbs (Mesquite, Garland, Cedar Hill) where the commute would be under 30 minutes (saves gas & eliminates tolls to to the northern burbs) OR live in East Dallas where the schools are great and have a 5 minute commute.