[Gaylord_Focker]

Originally Posted by goodlife36

I plan to move without a job. It is not ideal but searching for a job remotely does not always work.

There are no guarantees. Securing employment prior to moving does not mean the employment will work out. People get laid off and sometimes the opportunity not does work out.

No but it guarantees revenue is coming in.

[RamenAddict]

Originally Posted by blueherons

I agree with Dallas.

I don't know what you make but $450 isn't that huge of a car payment.

Get a second part time job and use that money to pay off your car.

The OP has $8K saved. That he is not using to pay off the car. Instead he is just complaining about the car. Why not use THAT money to pay off the car. Again, most car payment plans are 6 years at most and it seems like he has had the car since 2014, so he’s halfway or even 2/3 of the way there by now. Hopefully there should not be much more than $8K left to pay off unless he bought some $50K car. Why not just use that $8K or most of that $8K to pay off the car and start again fresh by putting that $450 a month he doesn’t have to use on car payments back into savings?

[bawac34618]

Originally Posted by RamenAddict

The OP has $8K saved. That he is not using to pay off the car. Instead he is just complaining about the car. Why not use THAT money to pay off the car. Again, most car payment plans are 6 years at most and it seems like he has had the car since 2014, so he’s halfway or even 2/3 of the way there by now. Hopefully there should not be much more than $8K left to pay off unless he bought some $50K car. Why not just use that $8K or most of that $8K to pay off the car and start again fresh by putting that $450 a month he doesn’t have to use on car payments back into savings?

$8k isn't enough to pay off the car as I still owe around $12k on it. As soon as the amount I owe on the car becomes less than what I have in savings, I will pay it off. At that point, I will start accumulating money to save for a move. If all goes as planned, I can pay the car off around the end of 2018 and hopefully have a comfortable amount of savings by 2020 to make a move.

I don't want to throw $8k at the car now as I'd still have that $450/month payment without having an emergency cushion.

[popwar]

Why not trade it in for something cheaper then trade that cheaper car in for something better after you get situated , after you move? I understand it would cost more in the long run but if you want to move soon as possible.

[XRiteMA98]

Originally Posted by ss20ts

Find a job. See if you can afford that car with the new job. If you can't, trade it in for something you can afford. Move to wherever you find a job. I wouldn't move anywhere without a job. Absolutely not if you have debt that you already can't afford.

My thought exactly. Look for a full time job and when you have that offer that allows you to pay the car just move.

[goodlife36]

Originally Posted by Gaylord_Focker

No but it guarantees revenue is coming in.

No, it really does not. Employers today are fickle. There are an increasingly number of employers laying off in less than a year of employment.

Securing employment is ideal and it is the goal. However, it does not mean they will keep you. On the flip side, you may hate it. I have experienced both.

Cash is king. My recommendation is to save as much as you can to be able to weather the storm and eliminate debt.

If I were in the OP shoes, I would just move to another neighborhood and restrict interaction with the people who cause me stress. I would not give up a good job.

It is funny, you would think bad experiences would make me more cautious.

[RamenAddict]

Originally Posted by bawac34618

$8k isn't enough to pay off the car as I still owe around $12k on it. As soon as the amount I owe on the car becomes less than what I have in savings, I will pay it off. At that point, I will start accumulating money to save for a move. If all goes as planned, I can pay the car off around the end of 2018 and hopefully have a comfortable amount of savings by 2020 to make a move.

I don't want to throw $8k at the car now as I'd still have that $450/month payment without having an emergency cushion.

No one says you have to put it all to the car, but most people just put a little extra toward a payment each month instead of putting everything in savings because then less interest compounds over time. By sticking all your extra money into savings, more interest is compounding on your debt and you are saving less than you would by sticking say half of it to the car and half of it in savings.