Moving back to Seattle. What should I expect ($$$)? (Starbuck: sales, apartment)

[blueshogun96]

Hey everyone, long time reader, first time poster!

Recently, I've been trying to move away from the mid west (nothern Indiana). I used to live in the Seattle area back between 1985-93 (back when I was still living with mom and dad), and I haven't been to the city since 2004. Quite frankly I'm aware that this city is expensive and the recession is hitting everywhere including Seattle (but not nearly as bad as where I am now; NW Indiana has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and the city I'm suck in is high up in the 300 highest unemployment rates for cities). My income is very low where I live and good jobs are painfully hard to come by. I only make between $10-$12K a year.

My questions are rather simple, how much should you reccomend I save before I move? I don't really have many belongings (some clothes, video games, computers, books, and a few other things) and I don't currently own a car. Should I get my stuff shipped there (freight or plane)? How easy/hard is it to get a job down there? Is it possible to get hired prior to moving to the area? Let's say I did have a car, how much would it cost to ship a car by freight?

I've found an ideal apartment close to the Sea-Tac airport with 100% positive reviews from both current and former tennants on apartmentratings.com. I've talked to the landlord over the phone and she was beyond courteous and helpful so I feel very comfortable moving there. The rent is about $650 a month, and I'm very frugal so I don't really require much as long as I have reliable bus transportation and high-speed internet. Let's say I have $3500, how long would that last me? Or would $5000 be your bare minimum? It's hard to get good advice around here because no one around here (NW Indiana) really knows about this stuff.

The main reason I want to move back here, besides the fact that Indiana sucks, I have plans to start a business and because of my business field of choice, it can't succeed in Indiana.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[mitsuturbo]

I moved back after being away for a few years, and brought my woman, kid, 2 cars, stuff, and about 2000 dollars. I paid 3 months rent before i even packed up our cars to drive back up here, and i had interviews lined up before arriving. (so my investment to return to seattle was about $6000) I had a full time job in a little over a month, and had done a short term project in the interim (a win2k to vista migration) which helped me get/stay on my feet here.

I suggest you look at your job market on craigslist, as often the postings show hourly wage and requirements. In my experience, CL ads can reflect what is going to be available to you pretty well. FYI.. minimum wage here is 8.55/hr.. so making 18k a year is going to be the minimum you'll make with a full time job. Someone told me recently that their daughter got hired at 9.50/hr to work at Subway, making sandwiches. Groceries cost a bit more, but do not have sales tax applied (except soft drinks). There's no state income tax. If you decide to make a purchase on anything here, you can go ahead and just add 10% to the price, because sales tax is 9.6%. (this goes for food in restaurants, electronics, clothing, tobacco, alcohol, et-cetera) People say taxes are high here, but really they're not bad. I lived in CA, CO, and UT.. all of which took significantly more of my income in taxes.

[blueshogun96]

Alright, this is good to know! Sorry it took me so long to reply, my Wifi isn't working for me anymore. It would be great to find a good IT job out there such as a job with Microsoft, but right now I'm looking for jobs on craigslist.com for a job in any field I can get my hands on because in these days I can't be picky! There's a subway where I live that's hiring. I wonder if their jobs are are transferable...

Anyway, is it really possible to live off of 8.55/hr there? My job doesn't pay that much (about 7.50/hr) and that's barely liveable. I'm really hoping I can find a decent job out there. It doesn't have to be the greatest job in the world, but just something to get me by for a while. I appreciate your input on the subject. Any more ideas are more than welcome. Thanks.

Shogun.

[cpastars]

You can do it, but you have to plan. Save up 3 months rent, calculate food per month and stuff like like new interview clothes, emergency cash, etc. Then make your full-time job looking for a full-time job.

The bad economy hit Seattle later than the rest of the country, but it is in full swing now. Microsoft, Starbucks, Boeing...layoffs in the thousands. Just play it smart and do some planning. Good luck my friend!

[aseattlite]

Be warned that Seattle got hit as hard by the recession as most of the country. Many people got laid off and most hourly employees I know got their hours cut a lot. Many companies are also either in a hiring freeze or at least are being much more cautious with their hiring.

So expect more competition for fewer jobs and less income when you land one due to working part-time.

If I was in your shoes, I'd make my moving plan as cautious as I can in this economy.

[Sonnenwende]

If I was in your shoes, I'd make my moving plan as cautious as I can in this economy.

Like when he is making $12k a year and has little in the way of possessions, he has so much to lose.

I'd go ahead and do it. I doubt it could be worse than it is now.