[Imat]

Thank you Needing More...
I really appreciate a balanced perspective. And it's good to see that where you shop matters as much as what you buy.
We are vegetarian and hope to get alot of good veggies and fruits for the growing boys.
your house sounds lovely! If only I know the area we were going to...

Tell me - can you get internet, phone and no cable?

Is an SUV a good idea for the snow? Or is a FWD minivan enough?

Thanks again!!

[Coldjensens]

We are looking for a minivan or an AWD vehicle for our girls to drive. We found that older GMC Safari vans are AWD and thus great in the snow. They are fairly cheap used (under $4000). The downside that i see is relatively poor mileage (under 20 mpg) and a bad safety rating in severe crashes. You can also find cheap 4 wheel drive SUV gas hogs. No one seems to want them anymore.

If you arrive on time, grow your own veggies. They can be expensive, especially if you buy organic.

Yes. you cna get internet and phone through cable and not cable TV, but the cost savings is next to nothing. You may as well get cable. The history channel can be great to have.

[JimmyInGreatLakes]

At $3000/month with three kids, you will pay nothing in federal taxes (I think the threshhold for a family of five is in the mid-40,000's) so the only income tax you will be hit with will be the 4.4% state tax. And that is only on the income left after deductions so your total effective income tax rate should be well below 4.0%.

[needing more]

Originally Posted by Imat

Thank you Needing More...
I really appreciate a balanced perspective. And it's good to see that where you shop matters as much as what you buy.
We are vegetarian and hope to get alot of good veggies and fruits for the growing boys.
your house sounds lovely! If only I know the area we were going to...

Tell me - can you get internet, phone and no cable?

Is an SUV a good idea for the snow? Or is a FWD minivan enough?

Thanks again!!

You can get internet or phone or cable in whatever combination you want thru comcast (who I use) or AT&T too.

An SUV is good for snow as long as you can afford the higher MPG in gas.. Gas right now here is $2.09 a gal. Last summer is was over $4 a gal.... Most used SUVs get between 13-19 mpg.. If you dont live rural a minivan would probably work just fine too. Around us we can get up to 10" of snow overnight.

You mentioned possibly moving to Niles area.. That SW extreme corner of MI has been hit hard by the economy. But there is a strong Seventh Day Adventest church there. I also have a christian friend of mine that lives there and does day-care out of her house.. They also get a TON of snow over there.. not so much snow on the east side of the state though.

Growing a garden will help with the food costs. MI is good for a garden. Start seeds inside in late fab.. planting outside my early-mid may. Much cheaper since 1 avocado costs $1 here!! MI is good for blueberries, rasp.berries, potatoes, corn, cherries, apples.... Lots of farmers markets you could probably sell your food to, to make a little extra. We have a food health food store here in BC. Theres a wholefoods in Det. burbs and Ann Arbor area too... but they are expensive..

Direct message me if you need anymore info.. I've been here my whole life and seems like our families are very similar I'll help you out best I can.

[Cliffie]

Rents vary a lot in this state. You can go all the way from paying $1,000 rent for a one-bedroom matchbox and havign to have 2 extra jobs to cover food and electric to living like czars on the $3,000 you describe. Rents are generally cheaper closer in to Detroit, but ridiculously high in Ann Arbor and Livingston County.

[bluebird39]

I'm not too familiar with all of the places you mentioned, but in rural areas, like where I live, many people can still only get dial up internet. We can get DSL, but not cable.

Also, we spend between 125-150 a week for food, for a family of 4. That includes school lunches and the occasional pizza. We live in the woods, and gardening has been an effort in frustration, so we go to the local growers markets and u-pick farms to save money. So if you don't get here in time to grow a garden, there's those options too. MI really does have a nice variety of fresh veggies and fruits in the summer/fall.

Good luck.

[Wulf67]

Originally Posted by GalFriday

$1500 mortgage or rent and insurance and taxes
$200 gas
$100 electric
$100 cable/internet
$50 water
$500 food
$300 car payment
$100 insurance
$100 extra stuff

That's $2950.

That'll work if nothing goes wrong. How about saving money for when something goes wrong? Oh wait, that's what credit cards are for. What about house maintenance, vacations, car maintenance and repair. I don't think you'll make it on $3000 a month with a large family.

[Imat]

Originally Posted by bluebird39

I'm not too familiar with all of the places you mentioned, but in rural areas, like where I live, many people can still only get dial up internet. We can get DSL, but not cable.

Also, we spend between 125-150 a week for food, for a family of 4. That includes school lunches and the occasional pizza. We live in the woods, and gardening has been an effort in frustration, so we go to the local growers markets and u-pick farms to save money. So if you don't get here in time to grow a garden, there's those options too. MI really does have a nice variety of fresh veggies and fruits in the summer/fall.

Good luck.

Thank you Blubird39,

I have not heard of these u-pick farms... are they all over the state? Can you really save there and get a good variety?

It's a real new one to me.

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by Imat

Thank you Blubird39,

I have not heard of these u-pick farms... are they all over the state? Can you really save there and get a good variety?

It's a real new one to me.

More variety than you can even guess. Greening of the Great Lakes - Agriculture is an interesting article about the diversity of Michigan products.

Along the West side of the state there are thriving orchards that take a lot of people by surprise. Along with the wine industry the State has. I have Concord grapes that grow all over my fence in the backyard, and am planting several apple and peach trees this year as well along the back of the yard.

You can not only save money at most stands, but get a LOT fresher and better produce than you ever could from a grocery store. U-pick places are even better if you don't mind a bit of work to get your fruit and veggies.
Here are a couple websites that can get you going in the right direction for finding the pick-your-own farms and orchards.
Michigan Farm Fun
Where to find pick your own farms and orchards in Michigan for fruit, vegetables, pumpkins and Christmas trees.
Southwestern Michigan Farms and Markets

None of these are complete lists either. There are plenty more smaller operations that will let you pick yourself or operate small stands for just that farms products that are not on those lists. No matter where you go, just ask; people are quite proud of the products grown and produced by themselves and neighbors. And they should be!

[needing more]

Originally Posted by Bydand

More variety than you can even guess. Greening of the Great Lakes - Agriculture is an interesting article about the diversity of Michigan products.

Along the West side of the state there are thriving orchards that take a lot of people by surprise. Along with the wine industry the State has. I have Concord grapes that grow all over my fence in the backyard, and am planting several apple and peach trees this year as well along the back of the yard.

You can not only save money at most stands, but get a LOT fresher and better produce than you ever could from a grocery store. U-pick places are even better if you don't mind a bit of work to get your fruit and veggies.
Here are a couple websites that can get you going in the right direction for finding the pick-your-own farms and orchards.
Michigan Farm Fun
Where to find pick your own farms and orchards in Michigan for fruit, vegetables, pumpkins and Christmas trees.
Southwestern Michigan Farms and Markets

None of these are complete lists either. There are plenty more smaller operations that will let you pick yourself or operate small stands for just that farms products that are not on those lists. No matter where you go, just ask; people are quite proud of the products grown and produced by themselves and neighbors. And they should be!

Wow. Thanks for the great info!!
There are a TON of stands by Allegan, Holland and the west coast. Cherries and very good wines up in Traverse City areas.. Lots of corn in the late summer everywhere and you can almost find berries on any country road.. I have some in my side yard. I also have an apple tree, pear tree, 3 kinds of berries, concord grapes and going to plant a 20x20 garden this year.... So I think you might be able to find a house with some things in place for you already..

When will they know where the church will be? That will play a HUGE role in prices and what kind of environment you'll be in.