Income $$ it took for you to consider coming back? Husband was approached with offer (Boston: rental, insurance)

[Sweetbottoms]

Gonna ask a weird question but what did it take money wise for those who moved to MA when offered a job. Currently living in NC and formerly lived in NH (yes I know we lived there and it was culture shock but I was 25 at the time and nearly 40 now with a child so I don't need to hear "didn't you already hate it" and such from anyone so desiring to comment.. different lifetime, different needs , different careers and MUCH lower salary.)


Hubs has a job offer with a large finance company located in Waltham. He was approached last week by them. I've never been there to that exact town (he has) but the offer is just barely under 6 figures with yearly bonuses between $15,000- $20,000. I'm worried about cost of living on one income at that price range. Thoughts? We are NOT extravagant and only have 1 car payment and 1 we own. We take vacations once every 2-3 years and prefer local entertainment such as museums and festivals.We'd be coming from a very cheap place being its NC. We never really thought we'd seriously entertain an offer up there but ..yah know... money talks I guess..


Anyways we homeschool so schools aren't really an issue but I know nicer schools usually means more family friendly and nicer towns. Safety is of top top priority. Decent commute for him (takes him an hour to go 7 miles to work here right now 1 way for comparison)... any towns around Waltham that would fit that? We'd have to rent for the first year or two. Ideally I'd love to rent a house or nice townhouse? 2/2 minimum but ideally 3/2.


We have all our family in N. Andover and Ipswich so I'm familiar with those areas but not what kind of commute that would be.. this is all early stages and nothing could come of it honestly but we figured we'd do our research for now.

[G-fused]

Are you asking what towns you should consider for living?

Household income of 110k/yr is doable.

[Sweetbottoms]

Originally Posted by G-fused

Are you asking what towns you should consider for living?

Household income of 110k/yr is doable.

yes I'd love to hear some opinions on towns to consider for a family. Ideally I like places with hospitals as I do have chronic health and heart problems and the ability to run out to a Target or food store with ease. Not opposed to shopping local also. 24 hour pharmacy (or one in the next town) for that unexpected fever at 2 am and such.. something that doesn't have me driving 25 mins one way to get milk lol.

[GeePee]

If you don't need fancy things, and it sounds like you don't you'll be just fine. Anywhere near Waltham will be accessible to hospitals and grocery. Natick still seems like a good buy these days. I'm sure others can chime in with more specifics on metro west. But your salary is doable if you aren't flashy or need to compete with neighbors.

Good luck

[chicagoliz]

It seems like you should be fine on that salary but only you know what your other spending needs are. Since your husband is commuting to Waltham, there are quite a few towns that should be options for you.

For us, it wasn't so much a question of a raise in salary but the prospects for long term career advancement. My husband's industry is very strong up here and there are a lot of jobs here -- more than in the area we moved from and more than in most other metro areas.

[Sweetbottoms]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

It seems like you should be fine on that salary but only you know what your other spending needs are. Since your husband is commuting to Waltham, there are quite a few towns that should be options for you.

For us, it wasn't so much a question of a raise in salary but the prospects for long term career advancement. My husband's industry is very strong up here and there are a lot of jobs here -- more than in the area we moved from and more than in most other metro areas.

Same in my husbands career. Finance does well there and a lot of companies to choose from. Of course NYC would be top pick but don't have much desire to live there.

[gf2020]

I'm not aware of "a large finance company located in Waltham." There are several small to mid-sized investment advisers, however. Waltham does give you a lot of different options for commuting. Do some research on what it will cost to replicate your housing and lifestyle in Greater Boston versus North Carolina. I suspect it will be a lot closer to $150K than $115K. North Andover and Ipswich would be terrible commutes to Waltham. You should look at a town like Maynard, Billerica or Wilmington, for a decent compromise.

With any potential job change, your husband needs to do his due diligence. Further, he should negotiate his best deal before walking in the door. That means compensation, benefits, company paid relocation, etc. Once he is working there nothing is guaranteed.

[Sweetbottoms]

Originally Posted by gf2020

I'm not aware of "a large finance company located in Waltham." There are several small to mid-sized investment advisers, however. Waltham does give you a lot of different options for commuting. Do some research on what it will cost to replicate your housing and lifestyle in Greater Boston versus North Carolina. I suspect it will be a lot closer to $150K than $115K. North Andover and Ipswich would be terrible commutes to Waltham. You should look at a town like Maynard, Billerica or Wilmington, for a decent compromise.

With any potential job change, your husband needs to do his due diligence. Further, he should negotiate his best deal before walking in the door. That means compensation, benefits, company paid relocation, etc. Once he is working there nothing is guaranteed.

Thanks. We just went through this last year when we moved to Charlotte and several times before so we are getting better and better with choosing our companies wisely. Thankfully the insurance and such is always top priority and we've always had fantastic coverage in all areas. No issues there. I will check out some of those other places though. Thanks!

[mmyk72]

Doable but dont expect the same level of comfort. What I mean is you may come from a relatively new 2500+ sq ft home to a 2-3 bedroom rental that hasn't been updated since 80's or a 1200 sq ft 1950 single family. If you get over this and have realistic expectations, you can have a lifestyle just like in NC.

[Sweetbottoms]

Originally Posted by mmyk72

Doable but dont expect the same level of comfort. What I mean is you may come from a relatively new 2500+ sq ft home to a 2-3 bedroom rental that hasn't been updated since 80's or a 1200 sq ft 1950 single family. If you get over this and have realistic expectations, you can have a lifestyle just like in NC.

Thats fine with me. Smaller = less to heat and less to clean!