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Old 12-23-2016, 04:18 PM
 
2,516 posts, read 5,688,606 times
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You have a couple of things working for you and against you. Being young, you haven't gotten accustomed to a certain way of life. That's good, should help you not live above your means with no income. So don't let the old timers in this forum screaming "Don't move without a 6 figure income and a job lined up and all bills paid and a stock portfolio worth 7 figures" get to you to much. Moving at 25 vs 55 is a lot different and harder for the latter.

But, this is your first move, so a budget move is not a good idea. It's a bad idea. Me? I can get away with moving across the country on a budget because I know what I'm doing and have so much experience doing it. Tacoma? Washington? As the Washingtonite said, it's a rich mans playground. It's expensive. I wouldn't move to Oregon or Washington without a career and a nest egg of at least 12K. And that's me, I love both those states. Unfortunately, everyone does too and for a few years now. Everyone moves in, the cost goes up. And i'm a guy who has no debt and has moved 6 times in the past 9 years on a budget less than 4K, 2 of those under 3K, one of those just shy of 2k. But I'm a research nut. And I'm frugal and very resourceful. And I am damn good in job interviews. And the methods I used for some of those won't work in places like Washington, NY, Oregon, CA, and other high COL areas.

My advice?
If you really want Washington, whether it's Tacoma or Seattle or wherever, save. Save. Save. Save. You can make it happen. But you're not ready and I know it's hard to stay put in a place you hate, been there, done that, 3 times it was hard to wake up. I hated those cities so much. I wanted out so bad. But I stuck it out till I had the funds. If considering another place, figure out what is most important to you, and go from there. Remember, there is no utopia and the most desirable cities are expensive because they are the most desirable cities, so you're going to probably have to settle on a place with some more obvious flaws, especially if you can't wait a few years until you have a career. And make no mistake, no matter how much you hate MN, you will get homesick. 9 moves, I always get at least a little "homesick" for the last city, whether I hated it or not. It's just human nature. Something to remember and something I bring up since you've never made a move alone. It's not instant happiness. So don't force this. Get that savings up, do your homework, plan, prepare.


So, how to move? Start with the sticky at the top of this forum. Lots of details, although the math is a bit old and some of it for bigger moves. Either way, it'll help you think about things you probably haven't considered. You need to calculate travel expenses,how much to get there? How much you have to live on before you find work. How long you can afford to stay in whatever temporary places you have targeted. An emergency fund to get you back "home". Find temporary places to stay. Hostels, A hotel for a week, like a In-Town Suites, etc. During the day, you job hunt, in the evening, you look for a room to rent. Month to month preferably, 6 months tops. Depending on the city, this can be a hassle. With no experience, you need to learn to spot fraudulent listings and learn to spot scams. You need to take essentially any job you can physically do just to get money flowing in and to stop the syphoning of savings if you are not moving with enough money to survive 6 months without a job. I tend to target server jobs. These offer flexible schedules for me to continue my job hunt in my career field (IT Professional) but bring in fast money and I know I'll never starve. And since they are typically high turnover, they are usually easy to get. Before you move brush up on interviewing skills too. Research and get good at them. Go on interviews in your home town for practice. This can save your butt or help you get a good job.

The first move is always the hardest one. Keep that in mind. The bigger the savings, the greater the chances for success, and the less likely a blunder or emergency rail roads your move.
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Old 12-29-2016, 03:43 PM
 
Location: A Yankee in northeast TN
16,076 posts, read 21,154,079 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisTK View Post
So any advice, at all, on how to get started?

I also really don't want to stay at a hotel or anything, that's way too expensive and if I were to go there I'd want to be out by two weeks, due to cost.

The only thing I can think of is airbnb, but thats about as far as I know in terms of where I can stay to get started.
If you can be flexible about some things....
1. Find a big box company that has a presence in the area you want to move to. McDonalds, Walmart, Starbucks, Fedex, etc.
2. Take a job with them in your hometown, even if it's min wage. Work your tail off to climb as far as you can as fast as you can in a six to nine month period, try for a low level supervisory or support type position. Live at home and save, save, save.
(If you feel ambitious you could also take a few core classes at a community college, making sure they will transfer and you will get credit for them in the new city you want to move to.)
3. After you prove yourself to be a great employee, ask for a transfer with the big box company to the area you want to move to. The downside is that you will have to wait for openings, the available openings may not match exactly where you want to go, and possibly those openings may need you to be ready to move at the drop of the hat.
4. If you accept a transfer look for an extended stay hotel or a furnished executive apt. They typically have better rates when renting by the month and not as expensive as it sounds. IMO the extra it will cost you up front for a one or two month stay will more than pay for itself in giving you time to look for a better long term living situation, especially if you think you might want to go the roommate route. I went with short term corporate housing, the rates were about the same as an extended stay hotel, but it was in an apartment and a lot nicer/quieter than a hotel suite.
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Old 12-29-2016, 07:02 PM
 
13,754 posts, read 13,326,193 times
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DO NOT MOVE if you don't have a job. sheesh. What exactly are you going to do? Wait tables? If so, fine, but apply, do phone interviews etc. See if you can use your cousin's address for applications. And, in the mean time, have enough saved up to hold you over for a bit.
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Old 12-30-2016, 01:09 PM
 
1,517 posts, read 1,666,367 times
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Look into hostel living. They are much cheaper than hotels, but the living quarters are similar to college dorms.

hostels.com
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Old 01-15-2017, 09:58 AM
 
258 posts, read 234,485 times
Reputation: 647
Quote:
Originally Posted by hunterseat View Post
DO NOT MOVE if you don't have a job. sheesh. What exactly are you going to do? Wait tables? If so, fine, but apply, do phone interviews etc. See if you can use your cousin's address for applications. And, in the mean time, have enough saved up to hold you over for a bit.
Lots of people wait tables. Good people. It isn't the job that makes you a better person, it's the person inside.
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Old 01-19-2017, 10:27 AM
 
91 posts, read 154,593 times
Reputation: 125
A lot of people have moved with little savings, and have turned out just fine. Be prepared for let downs, and come ups. I was watching a show last night called Black Ink, and one of the artists said she came here from Korea with $80, didn't know a soul, and didn't speak English. She took whatever jobs she could (waitress, restaurants, fast food,) until she was on the come up. It's doable. Have faith, but look before you leap. Good luck!
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