Good Amount To Have Saved Up Before MOving Without A Job? (Miami: apartment, rent) - Fort Lauderdale area - Florida (FL) -Broward County - City-Data Forum

CTGirlNoMore · 05-09-2011, 05:14 AM

Okay, I know everyone is tired of people moving without jobs and of threads like this, but I need to ask. I DID try searching before posting and all I found was a thread in the Miami fourm.

Without having to worry about housing, what would be a good amount to have saved up before moving without a job? I know the best answer is "as much as possible" and I know all about it being best to have a job lined up first, but that is not looking possible right now.

So, without housing to have to worry about, what is recommended based on what you know about the Ft. Lauderdale area?

I ask for honest opinions/answers. I'd appreciate no negative posts about more people moving without jobs and no rudeness about people who move thinking it's easy and find out it's not.

Momma_bear · 05-09-2011, 07:10 AM

It really depends on what your current expenses are and how long you can stay with someone without worrying about housing. I would say to have at least a year's worth of expenses saved. Jobs are not plentiful and this is not a high paying area.

Three Wolves In Snow · 05-09-2011, 07:17 AM

If you don't have to worry about housing, I'd say you've got a big chunk of the whole thing taken care of already. You should always know you have a place to stay no matter what happens so that should definitely alleviate a lot of stress from you.

It can be difficult to find a job, FL has a very high unemployment rate...I think around 12%...but it is NOT impossible to find a job. You may have to take what you can get at the beginning while you search for something better.

Anyway, to answer the question, typically 6 months to a year of living expenses. It is possible to do it with 6 months worth...I mean, if you can't find a job in 6 months...well...you should be able to do it. Will it be the job you want? Maybe not but you should be able to find something in 6 months.

You may have to find two...although, again, if you have your housing under control, you should be alright, really.

I'm doing the same and I've gotten the same warnings and I KNOW why people say it. But, sometimes, it's not easy to find a job if you are not there.

I'm actually moving out of state and I have some money saved up as well plus have someone who will have my back, as they said, until I get back on my feet.

I'll be paying rent and everything...so I need a job asap...take what you can find, keep looking for something better. Don't ever think you are "too good" for a certain job. Does it bring you money? Then you are not "too good" for it. I don't say this directly to you, OP, I just know there are a lot of people with this mindset.

It is possible. If you want something bad enough, you will make it. Knowing you have a place to live, frankly, to me, is well over half the battle already accomplished.

I wish you the best of luck!

CTGirlNoMore · 05-09-2011, 07:18 AM

Gah! Sorry, I meant to say that my expenses would be car insurance, cell phone, groceries, car gas, health insurance. It's just in the owrks of it *possibly* happening, but I could probably stay there until I found a job and could get my own apartment. Utilities, I would offer to pay (electric basically, it's a condo, not a house so no maintenance/taxes/etc. as that in the HOA) but it's a possibilty I wouldn't have to. Basic cable included, so I wouldn't have to pay that.

Of course I am not factoring having to get my car registered, which I have to check out the DMV website to get an idea of the cost, but obviously it's not a monthly expense.

CTGirlNoMore · 05-09-2011, 07:21 AM

Oh and while I know everyone says this, I am not against getting any kind of job. I am not fixated on Monday-Friday 9 to 5, office only, etc. So I realize (while everyone is looking for these jobs too, yes I know that) that I am more open than others. That and I am single so no family to support.

CTGirlNoMore · 05-09-2011, 07:24 AM

Thanks GatorMama and good luck to you too! I see you are headed past my way. ME is beautiful and I love it there, but my bones and ven my skin can't handle the winters anymore.

TeamStarks · 05-09-2011, 08:11 AM

We had $30k for a family of 4 and it wasn't enough. You have a lot less in expenses than we did. The job issue is the biggest factor.

My husband found work right away but he was seriously under employed and was making only 1/3 of what we needed to live on. It took him a year to find work at his level (and he is still a bit short on salary compared to what he was making in Nevada). I will never move without a job again.

Three Wolves In Snow · 05-09-2011, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTGirlNoMore

Gah! Sorry, I meant to say that my expenses would be car insurance, cell phone, groceries, car gas, health insurance. It's just in the owrks of it *possibly* happening, but I could probably stay there until I found a job and could get my own apartment. Utilities, I would offer to pay (electric basically, it's a condo, not a house so no maintenance/taxes/etc. as that in the HOA) but it's a possibilty I wouldn't have to. Basic cable included, so I wouldn't have to pay that.

Of course I am not factoring having to get my car registered, which I have to check out the DMV website to get an idea of the cost, but obviously it's not a monthly expense.

Ok, with car insurance...I don't know how much it is in CT but you may be in for a sticker shock.

What I pay here, in Miami, for minimum, state required, insurance, is MORE than what I paid for FULL coverage, everything included, in Seattle. So, be prepared for that.

Also, in the state of FL, you must have a FL insurance agent. You cannot have insurance if the agent is based in another state. If you have one of the big names, you probably don't have to worry but contact them and let them know you are moving to FL. If you have a small company, not national, you'll need to contact a FL insurance agent. You will not get registered otherwise.

Cell phone should stay the same if you stay on the same plan. Just have them switch the number to a Ft. Lauderdale area phone number.

Groceries...some prices are...fascinating...to say the least while other prices aren't so bad. But you can control how much you spend there.

Be prepared to pay for a/c all year long. It really depends on the size of the place you're staying to how much you'll pay.

IF I were to make a basic estimate, knowing it could be higher or lower, I would say, with all that you included, your monthly estimate, (also, depends what kind of car you have and how much you drive), could be....

Cell: $50 or whatever you pay.
Utilities: If you help, $50 or more for your half.
Gas: It's $3.89 or so around here.
Insurance: Anywhere from $75 (be careful with some of those smaller insurance places), to $200.
Groceries: Could be $100-200
Health Insurance: See if you can get it through an employer.

ROUGH estimate only. Could be worse, could be better...it depends on how you live and your age and how much you use. Take those numbers, multiply by 6 or 12 and you'll get a basic idea of how much you should have, at the very least, AFTER moving expenses.

southphillyitaliana · 05-09-2011, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTGirlNoMore

Okay, I know everyone is tired of people moving without jobs and of threads like this, but I need to ask. I DID try searching before posting and all I found was a thread in the Miami fourm.

Without having to worry about housing, what would be a good amount to have saved up before moving without a job? I know the best answer is "as much as possible" and I know all about it being best to have a job lined up first, but that is not looking possible right now.

So, without housing to have to worry about, what is recommended based on what you know about the Ft. Lauderdale area?

I ask for honest opinions/answers. I'd appreciate no negative posts about more people moving without jobs and no rudeness about people who move thinking it's easy and find out it's not.

I am doing the same thing. Speaking from experience, I would not move on less than $20,000. My personal goal is $22.5k before I move to Ft. Lauderdale. I am calculating rent at $1000 p/mo, food $300, transit $100, utilities $200, misc $200 - all for one year. At the moment, I am $22.5k short of my goal

but I figure by the time I save it up maybe the economy will be better. Seriously, prepare for EVERYTHING before you move - I didn't do that once and I got stuck and almost homeless. It pays to wait.

Nolefan34 · 05-09-2011, 08:07 PM

$20,000 would be the bare minimum, and even that is pushing it. That gives you approximately $1666/month to spend. If you have NO housing costs, and you're ONLY going to be year 1 year without working, then you can get by on that. Car expenses, food, and entertainment will be your primary expenses. Car insurance and food is extremely expensive here. Try to shop at Costco or Wal-Mart. I love Publix, but it is outrageously expensive. I stopped shopping there several months ago and was amazed at what I saved in just a few months.

The question I would have is- WHY? in the world would you want to do this?