[GiantRutgersfan]

I am looking to move to the Tampa bay area.

A little background about myself: 24 years old, 2010 college graduate majoring in Economics, solid work history (worked in a bank, and currently I manage a warehouse for a small business).

Grades in college were not that great, so I dont have a high GPA I can add to my resume. But I have good references from my past employers.



My plan is to move down to the area once I gather up $5000 in the bank. Do you think this is a solid plan? I would like to start a career, but I am willing to take whatever job is offered to me initially, even if it is $9 an hour landscaping or something.

Any advice, tips, etc? I would love to hear from anyone who moved down in a similar situation as me.

[annerk]

As long as you are willing to rent a room or share a cheap apartment with someone, it's viable. Keep in mind that it's going to cost you almost $500 just to register your car here.

[muggums]

We are trying to relocate ourselves, so I can't tell you from actual experience, but on CD I have been told to save enough for 6 months without a job. Along with that I would save enough for a Uhaul, utility deposits, and car registration.

[Maggi07]

I'm not sure that's enough. It cost us $8,000 just to relocate, not including car registration (which tacked on another $1,000). We do have kids, so obviously it's going to cost us significantly more, but if you are coming down without a job lined up, I would think more like $10,000 would be better, or more if you can do it.

[Mike1306]

When I moved here I had about $200 in my pocket and the clothes on my back.
This is not recommended for everyone.

[Jlopes26]

I moved down here recently with some money saved w/o jobs lined up but didn't count on it. My first week i got a job and it's worked out for me. You could get a apt for 600 or so in some areas. The expenses of registering your car, the actual move depending what your taking can cost.. But like anything else you will put out for money in the beginning thene ase into what you will be spending regurarly...

[JustinsMama]

It cost us $8,000 just to relocate, not including car registration (which tacked on another $1,000).

What? Was this because you didn't have jobs? More details are needed. Surely it didn't cost $8,000 just to pack up and move...

[annerk]

Originally Posted by magijasakymaro

I'm not sure that's enough. It cost us $8,000 just to relocate, not including car registration (which tacked on another $1,000). We do have kids, so obviously it's going to cost us significantly more, but if you are coming down without a job lined up, I would think more like $10,000 would be better, or more if you can do it.

In your case, yes. But for a single guy willing to do manual labor for minimum wage who can split rent on a $1000 a month house with two other people, $5K can stretch for a year as long as you've got a few hundred a month coming in on top of it and live frugally. I'm getting the impression that he woldn't be renting a truck but packing his stuff in his car and sleeping on an air mattress until he got settled.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by JustinsMama

What? Was this because you didn't have jobs? More details are needed. Surely it didn't cost $8,000 just to pack up and move...

If you paid a moving company it could cost over three times that depending on the distance. It cost us about $5K and we did it ourselves. That was just truck rental, fuel, tolls, bubble wrap (no boxes, got them for free) etc.

[Maggi07]

Originally Posted by JustinsMama

What? Was this because you didn't have jobs? More details are needed. Surely it didn't cost $8,000 just to pack up and move...

Well, yes, it did. But, I'm also counting our first and last month's rent on the house here, which definitely should be taken into consideration for anyone who is moving. Obviously it's going to be a lot more for a family than it is for a single guy. We're renting a decent sized house and had to move a house full of furniture. We did hire movers, but because of enormous errors on their part, ended up paying them less than we would have payed had we rented a U-Haul and done it all ourselves.

My dh does have a job (and so do I, but mine's portable). We never would have moved with kids otherwise. But there were a couple weeks in there with no income while we were in transition, which I added in to the $8,000.

But still, I can't imagine $5,000 would go very far. I know it's been a long time since I've been single and childless, but I still don't think that's enough. If he had a job, sure, but as we all know, there are no guarantees of landing any job at the moment.

My neighbor's son from up north moved down to Cocoa Beach a year ago with minimal money and no plan at 24. He ended up living illegally in a storage unit, unable to find work and close to a year later his mom had to come and get him because he couldn't even afford to get home.

ETA: To the OP: I definitely do not want to discourage you from moving to FL! I'm just thinking it sounds like saving more money first might be a possibility for you and if you can do that, I really think you should.