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Old 12-14-2015, 05:34 AM
 
7,296 posts, read 11,833,709 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coney View Post
It's just not practical even in Jersey City. Someone suggested Catholic schools which will be an additional cost and we don't know if the parents will be ok with that ( I know Catholic Schools will accept students from other religions). They will be living paycheck to paycheck and there won't be much opportunity for saving. They have to downsize from a house to a 2 bedroom apartment with 2 kids who probably used to have their own bedrooms. The wife is not going to be happy. She's probably used to driving the kids to school or having them picked up by bus. Unless it's a matter of long-term unemployment, I'd start looking for another job or try the NYC job solo for a year. It doesn't sound like they like urban living.
Nobody with a family to raise likes urban living and the associated costs BUT people do it esp if they have to. NYC will give the OP the kind of career lift he will never get in the Midwest so there is a benefit to giving up some comforts. Outside of big metro areas white collar people are screwed once their employers retrench. 75k is not that impossible to manage even if paying for parochial schools then public schools are always an option. People have done whatever it takes for financial survival or modest success. It won't be great neck but still acceptable.
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Old 12-14-2015, 08:58 AM
 
2,691 posts, read 4,320,115 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Forest_Hills_Daddy View Post
Nobody with a family to raise likes urban living and the associated costs BUT people do it esp if they have to. NYC will give the OP the kind of career lift he will never get in the Midwest so there is a benefit to giving up some comforts. Outside of big metro areas white collar people are screwed once their employers retrench. 75k is not that impossible to manage even if paying for parochial schools then public schools are always an option. People have done whatever it takes for financial survival or modest success. It won't be great neck but still acceptable.
Yeah but not everyone wants to be a big shot in a big city with a "career that comes first" type of lifestyle. The OP has indicated that his family is most important so the NYC job and lifestyle might not be the best fit.
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Old 12-14-2015, 10:52 AM
 
6,680 posts, read 8,209,092 times
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Originally Posted by Citizenrich View Post
I drown baby kittens in the pools of your bitter tears, you unaware, insecure drama queen.
The funny thing with the internet is when social paths try to disguise themselves as just a normal person.
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Old 12-14-2015, 10:54 AM
 
46 posts, read 35,960 times
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This city will not be your cup of tea even if you make 250k/year. Since you are used to living in a large house. Will your wife be ok with going to the laundromat every 2-3 days? Nearly no units in nyc are suitable for a washing machine. If you are single and looking for an adventure 75k will be ok, but it wont be great even if youre single. The decision is easy, turn it down. Dont make life miserable for your kids, they are probably used to a big house by now.
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Old 12-14-2015, 11:31 AM
 
7,296 posts, read 11,833,709 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jad2k View Post
Yeah but not everyone wants to be a big shot in a big city with a "career that comes first" type of lifestyle. The OP has indicated that his family is most important so the NYC job and lifestyle might not be the best fit.
It's not lost upon the OP what happens if his employer there starts to retrench. I've had a lot of client contacts who had to pack up and move states after they became redundant. At that point it no longer matters what is important and OP can still have reasonable family time in NYC area if commute is less than 45 mins.
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Old 12-14-2015, 12:25 PM
 
14,394 posts, read 11,169,836 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Forest_Hills_Daddy View Post
Nobody with a family to raise likes urban living and the associated costs BUT people do it esp if they have to. NYC will give the OP the kind of career lift he will never get in the Midwest so there is a benefit to giving up some comforts. Outside of big metro areas white collar people are screwed once their employers retrench. 75k is not that impossible to manage even if paying for parochial schools then public schools are always an option. People have done whatever it takes for financial survival or modest success. It won't be great neck but still acceptable.
It's likely true, but before making the jump I'd want to have some concrete proof of it. In some fields like advertising or finance it's a no-brainer as NYC is the center of the world for these things. Others may not be as clear cut. If OP has a couple of colleagues who have done this move and then either jumped jobs in NYC to a more livable salary or returned to the Midwest with an increase that would be some justification.
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Old 12-14-2015, 01:34 PM
 
462 posts, read 547,901 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tulkas Vala View Post
So my employer, in their infinite wisdom, is moving me and my family to NYC. The office is in lower Manhattan and they are paying me ~$75k/year. My wife doesn't work, and I have two children under 5. The wife is pretty upset about it and I'm trying to decide if this is even realistic. I'm sure you guys get this all the time on this forum, but I need some honest insight from people living in that area before I decide whether to accept the transfer or just quit my job.

Some other details: we are coming from central Indiana where we lived in a 10 year old house with 1,800 square feet in a really nice neighborhood for ~$145k (to give some background about what we are used to). Neither of us have ever been to NYC, we have no family anywhere close, and we don't like big cities. The most important things for us are having as much time together as possible (so keeping commutes as short as possible), getting the kids into good schools, and having a yard for our kids to play in. The idea of having to pack the kids up and go to a park somewhere for the them to play is not acceptable to us. I am not sure I could get approved for much more than $200k mortgage, but renting feels like throwing money away so I would much prefer to buy. I have some savings and investments I could draw from, but I really don't want to throw those away if I can avoid it.

Oh, and we have to move there by the end of February.

Does this seem like it is survivable for us? Do small-town Midwesterners normally end up doing OK in that area or am I in for a nightmare? Where would you suggest we start looking for homes that might suit our needs, and are there any surprises we need to be aware of (unusual taxes or other things newbies might not be prepared for)?

Thanks in advance for any help.

-Tulkas
I would pass on it unless they can up the salary. At that salary either your wife has to find work or you will have to settle for a very small apartment or move far away from the city to possibly get a townhouse. You might find an 1,500 sq ft townhouse in Staten Island for about $300k. Your commute to downtown would be around an hour and it is the most suburban and affordable area that is reasonably close to downtown. NYC taxes are very high and the cost of living is far, far higher than Indiana, so unless they are willing to come close to doubling your salary or give you a big moving bonus I would pass or look for another job.

Another issue is you don't like big cities. So even if you somehow inherited a million dollars tomorrow in exchange for moving to NYC, you still wouldn't be happy. If you didn't have children I would say take the plunge and see what happens, make it an adventure, but since you have children it would be logistically difficult to move back and forth (having small children myself I realize how difficult it would be). It just looks like a bad fit for you all around.
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Old 12-14-2015, 01:37 PM
 
462 posts, read 547,901 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by edubz View Post
There is no way the OP is going to get a yard, good schools and a reasonable commute on SI in his budget. Maybe a condo or co-op will be possible.
Townhouse might be possible, nothing fancy but I've seen townhouses in the $300-$350k area.
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Old 12-14-2015, 02:09 PM
 
6,680 posts, read 8,209,092 times
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I hope the OP comes back and updates us with what he decides.
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Old 12-14-2015, 02:11 PM
 
Location: on the Hudson
175 posts, read 420,365 times
Reputation: 118
In addition to the financial and housing aspects that other posters have covered, the culture shock that OP and his wife would be facing is a strong argument against the move. They’ve never even been to NYC before, and they’re moving from Indiana! Even a suburban neighborhood in New Jersey will be different from what they’re used to, much less an apartment in the Bronx.

It’d be one thing if they were deliberately choosing to experience something new, but making the change just because they’ve been forced into it seems like a recipe for unhappiness. IMO, the OP is better off looking for other opportunities in the Midwest where the lifestyle and cost of living will be comparable to what he and his family are used to.
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