Single Mom, Possibly Relocation. I have a few questions. (fit in, sales)

[artseediva]

I have recently come up on an opportunity that would possibly bring me to your fine area of the country. I have been browsing this forum for a bit, but I wanted to throw out a few questions of my own specific to us.

I'm a single, almost 30, mother to a child who is currently homeschooled. Virtually schooled to be specific. He's 8 and has Asperger's, so public school at THIS moment isn't an option-- but not ruled out for a later grade. I will need to be able to secure childcare for him. One option that I would be open to considering would be some sort of homeschool based 'school' that he can attend or a small charter school.

I'm not sure of a budget, but I know with confidence it won't be anything large enough to live a life of luxury. (The average nationally for the position is 34k, so I'd probably fall under it based on the COL in SLC)-- I just want to be safe and have the basic necessities (internet, childcare, food, a comfortable neighborhood of folks)

I'm quite "artsy" and have worked as a graphic designer on an off, but the job in question is in retail management. I enjoy activities that come with a sort of "hipster" (lack of a better word) community but I also understand that with some cities my wallet tells me that I don't need to live in it to enjoy it. I am also a HUGE thrift shopper and will be relying on that and yard sales to stock our house.

We are non-LDS (that seems to be something I see mentioned on here a lot) but I am a Christian and respect all different cultures and beliefs. I want to be able to find a Church family to fit in with, but also want to be able to make a few friends and those don't necessarily work hand in hand. This is nerve-wrecking for me since I know NOBODY there, but there's a point in our lives where we have to fly the coop and do for ourselves. I can't very well expect my son to become independent and fearless of living life if I don't lead by example.

I do have some other locations on my radar as well but I wanted to hear from the people of SLC if we sound like we could fit. I'll add here that I've lived in South Georgia my entire life, minus 4 years spent in Orlando and one in Texas. This would be the first time I've had to deal with snow at all (except that one freak time in Texas where it dumped a few inches on us) I'm accustomed to southern hospitality, but from what I read this won't be a big deal out there. I never have too big of an issue with folks though. I am pretty socially awkward and keep to myself (but want to change that.)

Summary of questions:

How hard is reliable, honest childcare? Is there a going rate there? This is probably my top question right now.

Free activities? Are they easy to come by?

Speaking of activities, are there plenty of opportunities to learn the area's activities for both myself and my son? (I.E. Snowboarding, etc)

How bad is the commute from one side of the valley to the other in the event I didn't live right by work?

What about non-traditional schooling? Is there a movement of this sort of thing there?

Thrift stores. Is this something I can find in abundance out there?

How hard is it to learn how to function in the winter? This may sound silly to you guys, but our town would shut down for a flurry.

[MisfitBanana]

Utah is the third worst state for pay disparity between men and women. Most jobs here are in the $12 dollar range (with a Bachelor's Degree), so really do your research before moving here. If the national average for that job is $34,000, then with COL, yes, it would be less, but with COL and being a woman, it will most likely be even less than that.

I think childcare is fairly expensive, especially if it's someone you'll have in your house for 8-9 hours a day (if you'll be working full time). (For a babysitter, I would expect to pay a minimum of $10.00 an hour, although that's probably wishful thinking.) If you decide to enroll your child in school, then after-care (if it's available at the school) is pretty cheap, though. Like, $5 a day, or something.

There are lots of free outdoor activities, but the ski/snowboard resorts are expensive.

There are lots of people who home school. It might be possible for you to find a co-op home school group, although you would still have to make other arrangements for child care when they weren't meeting, and I think as part of a group, you'd be expected to lead the home school group one day a week, or similar.

The commute isn't bad here, but then again, I come from CA (I've lived in UT now for six years). I'm not sure what it's like in GA, but I'll put it this way - there's almost never stop-and-go traffic. The only time I've seen anything I'd consider to be traffic is when there's been an accident that blocks some lanes.

There are a good amount of thrift stores. Look at Deseret Industries - they have some pretty low prices.

Not being Mormon can or can not be a problem - some neighborhoods are more welcoming than others. I've had no problems with my neighbors where I live, but my cousin (who has lived in SLC her entire life) just moved to a new neighborhood (about two blocks away from her old neighborhood) and both neighbors on either side of her told her that their kids couldn't play with hers, because my cousin isn't Mormon. The main issue you'll probably have is this: Mormons have a lot of weekly activities. Church, youth activities, visiting home teaching, holiday activities, service projects, dances, and in the summer, they have camp. This means that Mormon families are really busy, and are far more likely to become friends with other Mormons (who they see at all these weekly activities). Therefore, it can be really hard for Mormons (especially when the kids reach the age of 12 and start participating in more activities) to find time to hang out with non-Mormons. Basically, they're busy and it makes sense for them to form close relationships with the other people that participate in church activities. So when your son gets older, he may find that some of the people he became friends with early on, slowly drift away from him. I know my daughter who is Mormon has slowly drifted away from her non-Mormon friends over the last couple of years.

SLC doesn't shut down because of some snow. We had some big storms last year, and my daughter's school didn't even call a snow day. You don't need AWD or 4WD, though. Just make sure you have a FWD (RWD could be difficult), and make sure you've got good tires. Carry some sand in your trunk (in case you get stuck), and it's not a bad idea to have chains, although frankly, I get a lot of snow at my house, and I still don't own chains (although there's been a few times when I wished I did). The first winter will be the roughest, when you feel the most cold. But then you'll most likely acclimate to it, and the cold won't seem like a big deal.

One thing - when I was getting ready to move here, my Aunt (a lifelong SLC resident) warned me that SLC's COL wasn't as low as it seems. I was coming from Oakland, CA, and I thought she was crazy. Well, I've since learned that she knew what she was talking about - I'd have more money if I had stayed in CA. In CA, I'd have no hope of ever owning a house, but outside of that, the COL versus what I'd be paid there would leave me with far more disposable income each month. Like I said, SLC has a slew of jobs, but they don't pay well, and the benefits aren't that great either.

If you move here, I highly suggest living in the city proper. Being a hipster, and arty, and thrift shopping, as well as being non-Mormon - all of it will be easier in SLC. There are more non-Mormons here, and with the University here, there are a fair amount of hipsters, organic-types, thrift store junkies - that type of thing. The Avenues, or for cheaper options, maybe 15th and 15th, or possibly Sugarhouse could be good fits. Other people could probably give you better ideas, though.

Anyhow, really do your research. Since you know no one, you will really be on your own. And the low COL can make it seem better than it is, unless you truly can get a job that pays well with good benefits (like health care). There are lots of threads here about non-Mormons moving here, so make sure to read them. You probably won't get any advice in here that isn't already in other threads.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

You will like Deseret Industries, UT's version of Salvation Army and nuumerous locations. Lots of garage sales, too. Check out Unhinged on 2100 South near 1100 East - your kind of store (but pricey)!