Denver here we come! (Aurora, Parker: apartment, renting, health insurance)

[ecutsor]

Howdy everyone!

My girlfriend and I are planning on moving to Denver next year. We're shooting to be in a apartment by June 1st of 2011. We're originally from Wisconsin, then we moved to Southern California(where we currently reside). Without having to go much into detail, California is too expensive and we have always wanted to live in Denver.

We're both outdoors type of people and we're also used to cold winters. So we're not worried about that at all. We're in our early/mid 20's(I'm 23, she's 24). We both are planning and hoping we can transfer with our current jobs to a location in Denver. We both work in retail. If for some reason one or both of us cannot transfer, how is the job market? We're really just looking for any kind of job just so we can make ends meet.

How much money would you recommend that we save before moving out there? We're shooting for $4-5k between the both of us. We would find a 1 bedroom apartment. Do you think $4-5k would be enough to live off for a few months until we found a job(if we can't transfer with our current companies)

Any other advice?

Thanks!

-Erik

[Davros]

Originally Posted by ecutsor

Howdy everyone!

My girlfriend and I are planning on moving to Denver next year. We're shooting to be in a apartment by June 1st of 2011. We're originally from Wisconsin, then we moved to Southern California(where we currently reside). Without having to go much into detail, California is too expensive and we have always wanted to live in Denver.

We're both outdoors type of people and we're also used to cold winters. So we're not worried about that at all. We're in our early/mid 20's(I'm 23, she's 24). We both are planning and hoping we can transfer with our current jobs to a location in Denver. We both work in retail. If for some reason one or both of us cannot transfer, how is the job market? We're really just looking for any kind of job just so we can make ends meet.

How much money would you recommend that we save before moving out there? We're shooting for $4-5k between the both of us. We would find a 1 bedroom apartment. Do you think $4-5k would be enough to live off for a few months until we found a job(if we can't transfer with our current companies)

Any other advice?

Thanks!

-Erik

If you can get transferred ... great ! Otherwise ...

My advice is that $4-5k is very, very risky. If you weren't quitting a job in order to move, I would say why not. But the thought of quitting a job and moving with only $4-5k to support TWO people in this economy sounds more than a bit too risky for my liking. Of course, I'm an overly cautious person ... but.

You see, I'd love to move back to Denver too. But I would have to quit a good job to do that. I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it without $35,000 saved up just for me, and even then ... The main reason I'd want that kind of money is health care. But even renting at say $800 per month is going to eat into $5,000 pretty darn fast. In fact, I think just the moving costs and moving in costs are going to eat up most of that.

I'm hearing plenty of stories about people not finding jobs for as long as a year. I don't think $4-$5k is going to do you much good if that were to happen to you.

If you quit your job, you sure aren't going to be getting unemployment income.

Speaking of insurance, individual health insurance is a very expensive thing to have. And it is an even more expensive thing to be without if you ever get sick or injured. Being without health insurance can ruin your financial future.

Why create the risk of being thrown into abject poverty by quitting a job if you don't have to ? I'm worried that this recession is far from over.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by ecutsor

We're really just looking for any kind of job just so we can make ends meet.

If I had a dime for every time I've heard "I'll just find any job while I look for my ideal job..." Thing is, in this economy there's really no such thing as "any kind of job." Being overqualified makes you just as unlikely to get hired as being underqualified. The competition for low wage, unskilled jobs isn't necessarily any easier than for "real jobs." It might depend how far up the food chain you are in your current retail positions.

[geef]

Does it make you feel better to berate young people for being excited, Vegas?

Erik, I'll attempt to answer your question. It won't necessarily be easy, but you guys are young and Denver is a fun, active city. You can find a one-bedroom rental, with more than enough room, in the $600 to $700 range. It is true that the economy is tough here, as it is many other places. However, there are still service industry positions around town - waiting tables, etc. - and those are sometimes a great way to get to meet folks.

You'll be pushing it a bit on the amount that you've saved, but again, this is the time of your life to take a leap! One other consideration that one or each of you might look at is AmeriCorps. We have some great AmeriCorps and VISTA programs around Denver - they don't pay exceptionally well, but you give back to the community while getting to know it well and putting something valuable onto your resume.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

If I had a dime for every time I've heard "I'll just find any job while I look for my ideal job..." Thing is, in this economy there's really no such thing as "any kind of job." Being overqualified makes you just as unlikely to get hired as being underqualified. The competition for low wage, unskilled jobs isn't necessarily any easier than for "real jobs." It might depend how far up the food chain you are in your current retail positions.

[maciesmom]

I don't think vegas was berating...just being honest. In this economy you can't assume you can walk into a Macy's or whatever and find an "interim" type job to carry you over until your "real" job comes through. You just can't. People sometimes think that because the numbers are better here than wherever they are coming from, means that jobs are plentiful. That really isn't necessarily the case. Nothing wrong with being excited to start your life in a new place but you need to have a realistic expectation of what to plan for. That's all I got out of vegas's post.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by geef

Does it make you feel better to berate young people for being excited, Vegas?

Dude, I am 24 years old. I'm from Denver and I've moved to three different cities in the last few years for school & work, and I'm looking for a job just like everyone else. I'm not here to make people feel excited, I'm here to help people logically think through the facts.

[ecutsor]

I thank you all for your responses and advice. Although what vegas said isn't exactly what I wanted to hear, its the truth. So thank you for that.

We are young and we want to experience life. We'd much rather do it now while we're young. As far as our current jobs go, we both aren't far up the chain in our retail companies. She is a Shift Leader with Starbucks and I'm a Lead at Dick's Sporting Goods. She has her degree in Culinary Arts and would love to find a job in the Food/Hospitality field. I'm still in school getting my degree in Accounting(Distance Learning, so relocating won't affect schooling).

We moved to California with only $3k saved(crazy right?) and managed to make it work. So we're hoping we can do the same with Denver!

[OneMoreMove]

If you are clear on the risk and you still want to take it, go for it! Just be realistic about it.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by ecutsor

I thank you all for your responses and advice. Although what vegas said isn't exactly what I wanted to hear, its the truth. So thank you for that.

We are young and we want to experience life. We'd much rather do it now while we're young. As far as our current jobs go, we both aren't far up the chain in our retail companies. She is a Shift Leader with Starbucks and I'm a Lead at Dick's Sporting Goods. She has her degree in Culinary Arts and would love to find a job in the Food/Hospitality field. I'm still in school getting my degree in Accounting(Distance Learning, so relocating won't affect schooling).

We moved to California with only $3k saved(crazy right?) and managed to make it work. So we're hoping we can do the same with Denver!

The Dick's in Aurora at Arapahoe & Parker had a "Now Hiring" sign last time I was there. Might want to call them up immediately.

I don't know anything about the culinary industry in Denver, but a frequent poster, livecontent, does, so I'd suggest reading some of his past posts on the subject. For you, I'd say your chances of finding work is probably better than most people I see posting here with similar inquiries. You have retail experience, but not too much experience where it's hard to find open positions. Education-wise, might be best to put nothing further than high school on your application. A lot of this can be the luck of the draw-- and I wish you the best.

[emgalvin1]

Hi Erik-

My boyfriend and I were in pretty much the exact same situation when we decided to move to CO from SC 8 months ago.

We saved about $12,000 between us. When we left we had no idea where we were going to live or work. I applied a bunch of places online before leaving had an interview about a week after we got here. It was the only job I interviewed for and I started training three weeks later. My boyfriend found a job within 2 weeks as a bartender.

After all was said and done and we had steady income to cover our expenses and could start saving again we had about $7,000 left. That includes moving expenses too.

If it's what you really want to do, then I say go for it. I mean, worse case scenerio it doesn't work out, but at least you tried. Do a lot of research. Save as much money as you can. Even if you do find a job right away, what happens if one of you gets hurt or can't work? You should at least have 8 months of expenses covered for emergencies. That's how people get in trouble is by getting blind-sided and not being prepared. You have plenty of time if you want to move in 2011, so try to visit as much as possible to get a feel of which part of the city you want to live in and how much it's going to cost you to live there. Try to have a job lined up. More than likely both of your companies will transfer you, but finding out if that's a possibility is definitely step 1. Training is expensive so most of the time stores will be glad to accept someone who is already seasoned. Always have a back-up plan or at least a way to get home if the bottom falls out.

We had never even visited Colorado before moving here and I can without a doubt that it has turned out to be the best decision we've ever made.

It's really up to you, your attitude, and the strength of your determination. If you want to make it work, you will.

Good luck.