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Old 07-25-2009, 01:44 AM
 
Location: Southwest Washington
2,316 posts, read 7,790,985 times
Reputation: 1746

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Quote:
Originally Posted by meltinjohn View Post
$10K sounds about right. That would give you about 4-6 months to look around. Save the last $1k to get back home if all else fails.

****! I knew it had to be a lot and that would only give you 4-6 months of time huh?
Well think about it. Rent is going to be at the very least $700 per month with utilities on top of your moving expenses to actually get here, plus first and last months' rent and deposit, plus you have your food and personal expenses of $200-400 per month, any household items you might need might be another $100, phone bill of $60, $86 per month for public transit or $250+ for a car or both, possible parking fees depending on where you live of $75 per month...

So before moving expenses and before any first, last, and deposit... This conservative budget adds up to $7,476 for one person for 6 months while only using public transit.

And you would probably want to have a monetary safety net too just in case something went wrong.

So $10,000 might be a little low actually for someone looking to make a blind, cross-country move right now.
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Old 07-26-2009, 10:39 AM
 
46 posts, read 115,965 times
Reputation: 24
I'm moving to Portland at the end of August. I have no job lined up. I'm planning on finding a room to rent in a house, looking to pay around 400-500 a month. I'm not worried about not being able to find a job for a couple months. I have $30 k in the bank. I need a vacation from working and stress anyway. I don't think I have a problem with relaxing and not worrying if I don't find a job right away. I have a feeling that I'll be able to network myself into a job after some time though. It's easy for me to meet people.
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Old 08-14-2009, 01:09 PM
 
151 posts, read 232,105 times
Reputation: 332
Portland is cheap compared to many places, but jobs DO pay substantially less here. It all washes out. As soon as you run throw your savings, it won't seem cheap here any longer. That may be just a few months after you move here.

The local paper here had a recent story saying that basically 1 in 4 working-age people here are either unemployed, have given up looking for work, or are underemployed doing something they don't want to be doing. 24% of people.

Not to scare people away, but just be prudent.
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Old 08-14-2009, 01:26 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,319,152 times
Reputation: 35862
Please read Angelbug's post The real misery rate: 24 percent.

Do not move here without a job or enough to live on for at least a couple of years.
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Old 08-16-2009, 01:44 PM
 
46 posts, read 115,965 times
Reputation: 24
What I would like to know is why you are SO militant about telling people about how horrible the job market is? It's like you are just using that information to try and keep people from moving to Portland.
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Old 08-16-2009, 08:54 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,319,152 times
Reputation: 35862
Quote:
Originally Posted by Disembodied View Post
What I would like to know is why you are SO militant about telling people about how horrible the job market is? It's like you are just using that information to try and keep people from moving to Portland.
No not at all. That's just plain silly. If you are addressing me I will tell you my reason for posting these reasons not to be moving here at this time. I don't give a flying fig if people move here. I am planning to move to another city in the future anyway so why would I care whether or not others move here? I absolutely appreciate anyone telling me about the job situation in the towns I am investigating. I simply want to warn people what they will be up against if they move here.

People have no idea how bad the job situation is. But I am not going over that since it has been posted time and time again. It's like gambling when the odds are like 100 to 1 and not in your favor that you will get a job that will sustain you.

Well you just come on along. And please post your job-hunting progress on this forum when you do. I would like to see someone succeed where so many others have failed.
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Old 08-17-2009, 09:59 AM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
7,084 posts, read 12,015,436 times
Reputation: 4125
Quote:
Originally Posted by Disembodied View Post
What I would like to know is why you are SO militant about telling people about how horrible the job market is? It's like you are just using that information to try and keep people from moving to Portland.
God forbid some one is trying to be nice and warn people before a huge expensive move, draining of savings by moving here, and not being able to find a job like the other 207,000 people out of work.

I really don't see the point of warning people anymore myself, it's a waste of breath that's never headed and people just get snippy. People can take the risk and end up in the soup line, move back with relatives/friends, or actually find something...I just don't don't care.
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Old 08-17-2009, 12:11 PM
 
Location: Portland Metro
2,318 posts, read 4,603,571 times
Reputation: 2773
Quote:
Originally Posted by Disembodied View Post
What I would like to know is why you are SO militant about telling people about how horrible the job market is? It's like you are just using that information to try and keep people from moving to Portland.
Bottom line: it's a risk to move to Portland with the employment climate the way it is right now. I have a friend who works in HR for a manufacturing company, and she's getting resumes from people with PhDs applying for $10 an hour jobs. The competition is fierce.

Seems to me the people that move to NW Oregon and leave within a couple of years either do it because 1) they couldn't find suitable work in their field for a decent wage; or 2) the weather.
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Old 08-18-2009, 07:51 AM
 
18 posts, read 51,815 times
Reputation: 16
Default Scare tactics...

So many people are telling our friend here that you need AT LEAST $10,000 to move here...you need a job BEFOREHAND...you need a network of friends BEFOREHAND...you need to live near public transportation because the traffic can be terrible plus you may not be able to afford to keep your vehicle...you need to prepare for the depressing winters...GOSH!...everybody lighten up...I wrote "From Grants Pass to Portland" and there are NO jobs anywhere!!!

Millions of Americans across our country have literally stopped looking for work! I "cut corners" by cooking instead of going out. THAT saves a ton of money. My vehicle is paid for. I have NO credit card debt. To survive economically, we ALL need to individually sacrifice. For example, I don't have a cell phone. People look at me like I'm some "old school" alien. Cell phones ARE expensive! I don't have video games. I rarely buy music CD's. I'm a value shopper. I shop at Wal-Mart. I shop at Costco.

I had to make a choice between going to the coast for a week...or buying a 32" Panasonic flat screen TV. I thought "long term" and bought the TV.
I had to make a choice between going to the Cascades for a week...or buying a Sealy Posturepedic Queen size mattress and box spring. I thought "long term" and bought myself a new bed.

My point is that it is TOUGH all over! Landlords know that! These days, everything is negotiable! I KNOW you can find a nice one-bedroom apartment in Portland for $625/month! In today's economy, CASH IS KING!

I'm not wealthy, but I have NO debt. I live within my means. The question is..."Do you want to eat well?...or sleep well?"

You'll be fine. I wish you nothing but the best.

Ronnie
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Old 08-18-2009, 03:01 PM
 
Location: Portland Metro
2,318 posts, read 4,603,571 times
Reputation: 2773
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Ronnie James View Post
So many people are telling our friend here that you need AT LEAST $10,000 to move here...you need a job BEFOREHAND...you need a network of friends BEFOREHAND...you need to live near public transportation because the traffic can be terrible plus you may not be able to afford to keep your vehicle...you need to prepare for the depressing winters...GOSH!...everybody lighten up...I wrote "From Grants Pass to Portland" and there are NO jobs anywhere!!!

Millions of Americans across our country have literally stopped looking for work! I "cut corners" by cooking instead of going out. THAT saves a ton of money. My vehicle is paid for. I have NO credit card debt. To survive economically, we ALL need to individually sacrifice. For example, I don't have a cell phone. People look at me like I'm some "old school" alien. Cell phones ARE expensive! I don't have video games. I rarely buy music CD's. I'm a value shopper. I shop at Wal-Mart. I shop at Costco.

I had to make a choice between going to the coast for a week...or buying a 32" Panasonic flat screen TV. I thought "long term" and bought the TV.
I had to make a choice between going to the Cascades for a week...or buying a Sealy Posturepedic Queen size mattress and box spring. I thought "long term" and bought myself a new bed.

My point is that it is TOUGH all over! Landlords know that! These days, everything is negotiable! I KNOW you can find a nice one-bedroom apartment in Portland for $625/month! In today's economy, CASH IS KING!

I'm not wealthy, but I have NO debt. I live within my means. The question is..."Do you want to eat well?...or sleep well?"

You'll be fine. I wish you nothing but the best.

Ronnie
Ronnie--God bless you for tightening your belt and thinking long term. More people need to do that. And there is kind of a mantra on these boards that you need a sizeable nest egg and a job lined up before you make the move.

Everyone thinks they are the exception to the rule when really only a small percentage are. There are established, skilled people in nearly every profession that have been out of work for months. I myself was out of work for 4 months before I found a new job. That 4 months really ate into my savings because I still had a mortgage, utilities, food, and gas to pay for.

Yes, people can live cheaply. I think a single person who finds housing with other people could probably live on about $1000 a month if they don't have credit card bills or a car payment. Rent and utilities about $550 and cell phone about $70 leaves you with $370 a month for food and entertainment. So if you are one of those unique individuals who doesn't have a car payment or credit card bills, and you arrive in Portland with $5k in the bank, you may be able to last 5 months without a job, but you'd be living a pretty spartan lifestyle. People can live on less than $100 a week for food and entertainment--as long as they define food and entertainment as ramen noodles and TV! OK, I'm exaggerating, but only a little. Notch back your housing costs and you have more money for other things, but you're sacrificing the quality of your homelife, which is a personal choice.

People are finding jobs, but there's so much competition that employers have even more of an upper hand than usual. So an applicant really has to set himself or herself apart from the rest somehow. A smart newcomer who needs to find a job quickly should take some time to read the job ads on Craigslist, Monster, or some other job site to see what the climate is for their particular field before moving out.
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