Single mom looking @ MT, help please! (Billings, Great Falls: low income, real estate, rentals)

[Todd Ryder]

Stick with Eastern Montana. Anything West or near the Rocky Mountain Front is probably too expensive for you, given your description of your economic situation. Try Billings. See if you can save enough money there to move somewhere that a human being might actually want to live (anti-corporate, pro-anarchist) like Missoula, BigFork, Swan River Valley, Beartooths, etc. But it ain't getting any easier. We are rapidly becoming poisoned by the (dollar bill) printing press that is Wall Street.
Best of Luck!

[dc53]

If you are having to watch your money, is rent of $600-800 too much? I have a young friend going to college in Billings, and all she and her husband could find (no kids) was either apartment/house in that range. You must go back to school, or you will always be in this situation. I am an RN and can go anywhere in the US and get a decent job (Montana and Wyoming are low on the payscale- I had to take about a 50% pay cut to come out here)

[lewisia rediviva]

Although many parts of the state are tough in terms of wages and housing costs, nursing is one job that you can get at least around Missoula that will pay enough to survive. Don't expect to live in luxury, but the nurses I know and I do know a handful, some single moms, do pretty well on average. There is a really good network of nurses at ST Pat's that help each other out with childcare etc the cost of housing in Missoula is also less than Bozeman. I would consider finishing up at UM and trying to get a job in Missoula, it won't be as easy as say Washington or Oregon, but everyone is in the same boat and eager to help out.

[WriterofWords]

I've gotten some good information off these postings,, I'm also a single mom looking at relocating and watching funds. Luckily I have a Masters and am working on an Ed.D. I'm a licensed teacher considered highly qualified by NCLB. Good luck to you and like so many before me have said: Finish your degree, and do it while you're still so young. It will make all the difference in the world to you and your kids.

[2charlie]

Northeastern montana has very cheap housing. The hospital in Plentywood has some decent links and descriptions of the area:
Sheridan Memorial Hospital Association

[blackdogs-mt]

Montana is a wonderful place to raise kids. No matter where you decide to move to in Montana, here is a link to help with child care costs, it is available to working one or two parent homes on a sliding co pay scale. I am a childcare provider in Northwestern MT and this is a good place to start to find some help with child care costs, or after shool costs. Department of Health and Human Services - Redirect Page

good luck.

[aweltzbarker]

My husband and I are considering moving to Montana. We have two boys that are the ages of 6 and 8. We are from Alabama and have lived here all of our lives. We are looking for a change and thought that Montana might be a good option for us. I really want to know where a good area is to live and raise a family. I've read recent posts, but everyone goes back and forth. I want a great school for my kids and an area that is not that expensive! I'm not talking about a rundown town, but just a good small town outside of a fairly large city where we can make decent money. I will be graduating in December and will consider moving sometime next summer. If anyone has any suggestions, please respond back. I want to know the cost of living, the wages, and the rental expenses for the town that you refer. Also, is the college in Missoula a good one. I will be getting my Associate's degree, but plan on continuing my education by getting my Bachelor's degree. My husband is currently a truck driver. Would he have a problem getting a job? I might have posted this in the wrong section. I just registered and do not know where to post new threads!

[Debee]

Unless hes going to long haul the truck driving job market is not great here.He could drive dump truck or something along that line for about 12 dollars and hour maybe And then those are pretty much seasonal.

[WriterofWords]

Thanks for the updates, I'm looking forward to taking a driving vacation (even with gas!) the end of Sept. I didn't get a chance to do it while school was out for us and we just returned to work today. I'm a bit tired of year round school,,,, my son is on a traditional schedule and still has a month off!
Kat

[snugglebump]

I'm trying to get to Montana too and find someplace cheap to rent that has a nearby college/university. I can't believe how expensive Missoula and Kalispell are and though Great Falls is where I want to end up, at least to do a couple years of school there, it's a problem finding a rental there. I'm thinking of renting in a smaller area maybe say in Pablo or Ronan or in that area then I can find a place to rent in Great Falls later. This is so stressful trying to find a place to move to when you're in another state. I know that Seattle is too high to live in anymore, the crime is so bad here now, the city does nothing to bad Landlords, one of the main reasons i'm moving to my Moms homestate of Montana. I think going to school in Montana will be a much better option for me with the lower cost of living say in Great Falls and I hear your schools are awesome! My Mom always talks about her education and how well the teachers taught her and her schoolmates. I wish we had moved to her home state when I was still a teenager. But, at least i'm getting to move there now, in my early 30's. I really won't mind going back to Washington state for graduate school but I think for now, getting my BA in Montana will be way more easier. The students I know are flunking out here because they have to work full time and go to school and the rents are sooo high here. I just know I don't want to live like that anymore. I just hope I can find something in such a short time. I have to be out of this place by August. Good luck to you moving, hope you have better luck than me! LoL! (still cant find em darn happy facies to insert here arg)