Hubby got a job offer in Seattle. Is it enough to survive? (2015, homes)

[misscross]

I figured when you said he got a full time job it must involve something other than residential pools because there are so few here. Maybe commercial ones (indoor pools at gyms, hotels) and certainly if he can expand into landscaping, building decks, doing water features then I think that's a lot better. An acquaintance just spent $25K on some landscaping job involving a water feature.

The area is booming therefore hard to get any sort of landscaper, carpenter, electrician, skilled trades person in construction to do any project! they are too busy! If he can figure out how to take advantage of that then I think things would look much better.

If you work full time who would take care of the 6 kids? Daycare is expensive and what about after school? With that many kids perhaps you can look into doing some sort of home daycare/part- time nanny/after school "shuttle the kids around" job to make some money on the side without having to pay somebody else to look after yours?

[CrazyDonkey]

Or the older watch over the younger. Once I hit nine or so, no one was watching over me and I was watching over my sister.

[Ruth4Truth]

That's a big family to support on $52K. It's a big family to support even if you get a full-time job to bring the income up to, say, 85K. If your kids double up in bedrooms, you might be able to make it work. Edmonds is nice, at least, and has good schools.

[HawaiitoKennesaw]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Or the older watch over the younger. Once I hit nine or so, no one was watching over me and I was watching over my sister.

That is exactly what happens. We always say we have 2 sets of three! We have a 15,14, and 13 yr old. Then the 7, 5, and 4 year old. Only the 4 year old needs to be in preschool (the only one I have to pay for) But I guess you folks have day care instead? The 5 year old will be in Kindergarten and everyone else in school as well.

[analogkid84]

Day care costs could possibly be defrayed a bit if you could land a bookkeeping job from home. I'm not in the profession, but it seems like that kind of occupation would lend itself very nicely to at-home work.

Maybe it has already been mentioned upthread and I missed it but landscaping businesses, when I left there four years ago, were really taking off. This may be an area where your husband could carve out a niche as well. Good luck!

[folkguitarist555]

I would think Phoenix, or Las Vegas, for pool related occupations..for west coast cities that are much more affordable then Seattle. Seattle is getting insanely congested, and expensive as well. If one is not a big earner in western WA, they may be forced to live in thin walled apt complexes in shady neighborhoods. Anything under 1300 $ a month in rent anywhere in Tacoma/Seattle/Everett..will wind up putting one in the semi ghettos areas of the region, more or less.

[GraceKrispy]

Got to the second page and saw you are reconsidering Seattle, maybe heading to Georgia. I was going to comment what a few others have on this part:

QUOTE] Georgia is cheap, Washington is not. Either place is cheaper than Hawaii.
[/quote]

Yeah... not really. We also moved from Hawai'i to Seattle area a few years ago, and were thinking the COL would be a fair amount less. Really, not so much. Some things are cheaper, some much more expensive. It really depends. The electricity is way cheaper, the water way more expensive, for example. Restaurants are similar in price and way more because of tax. Grocery store food can be somewhat cheaper. Rent is pretty similar, if not slightly more where we are.

[noah]

That may be but in many cases earning power is greater in Seattle and that appears to be the case with this family.

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

Got to the second page and saw you are reconsidering Seattle, maybe heading to Georgia. I was going to comment what a few others have on this part:

QUOTE] Georgia is cheap, Washington is not. Either place is cheaper than Hawaii.

Yeah... not really. We also moved from Hawai'i to Seattle area a few years ago, and were thinking the COL would be a fair amount less. Really, not so much. Some things are cheaper, some much more expensive. It really depends. The electricity is way cheaper, the water way more expensive, for example. Restaurants are similar in price and way more because of tax. Grocery store food can be somewhat cheaper. Rent is pretty similar, if not slightly more where we are.[/quote]

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

Got to the second page and saw you are reconsidering Seattle, maybe heading to Georgia. I was going to comment what a few others have on this part:




Yeah... not really. We also moved from Hawai'i to Seattle area a few years ago, and were thinking the COL would be a fair amount less. Really, not so much. Some things are cheaper, some much more expensive. It really depends. The electricity is way cheaper, the water way more expensive, for example. Restaurants are similar in price and way more because of tax. Grocery store food can be somewhat cheaper. Rent is pretty similar, if not slightly more where we are.

That's a helpful comparison. Just wondering--water is cheaper in Hawaii? Islands in the middle of the Pacific have an endless water supply?

[GraceKrispy]

That's a helpful comparison. Just wondering--water is cheaper in Hawaii?

For whatever reason, water was half the price there than it was when we lived here in a house (and around 1/4 as much as it is in our currently apartment that "shares" water bills )