Fleeting thought

sweetwalks

I haven't posted in a while because I have been busy with school work and working. But, I have been tossing around this idea, sort of brought it up to DH, but not sure what will come of it, if anything. 

So, we live a little over an hour away from BM and SS. We currently only have him EOW, he's young and not in school. SS is sick a lot and has gone to a lot of dr. appts; BM and I have been able to develop a relationship of sorts and get along and do things for SS. I have taken him to a few appts for her so she doesn't have to keep missing work. DH just got a new job and can't take time off yet. It's been nice being able to do things for SS.

I'm not working anymore, the job I had was a temporary position. I will graduate in May with an associate degree. Where we live is a good distance from everything and we drive a minimum of 30 minutes if we are lucky for a job, DH currently drives more than that.

We are living in a house that is in the family, we don't have a mortgage payment and I would not be interested in selling this house. Not at all. My grandmother is living with us as well, she's still working because she wants to basically. She doesn't want to live alone or be alone, and I don't want to leave her either.

I've been tossing around the idea of moving closer to a city, closer to SS, etc. I don't know if my grandmother would go, DS is already in a pre-school and making a few friends, I don't want to sell this house, I'm scared to death of having a mortgage, I currently can not find a job here, I'm worried if I'll be able to find a job somewhere else, I like being able to afford to be able to stay at home right now, I also want to work. I need to sit down and make a pros/cons list and figure it out. 

Any input?  

xmaryrickx

What is your AA in? Is it something specific? If you are financially stable without taking grandma into account (so if she is giving you money, don't count it) then why move? If you are able to make ends meet, put away money for retirement and savings, then why give up a good thing. If those things are not happening then perhaps you need to move. Why can't working granny stay in the house? Does it belong to you? Are you legally able to sell it? If so, seeing as there is no mortgage why not sell it and move to someplace with more opportunity?

sweetwalks

I'll bold my answers under each of your questions to make it easier  

xmaryrickx:

What is your AA in? Is it something specific? It's an AAS in Accounting and I'm beginning to worry that it won't be enough to find a decent paying job.  If you are financially stable without taking grandma into account (so if she is giving you money, don't count it) then why move? If you are able to make ends meet, put away money for retirement and savings, then why give up a good thing. If those things are not happening then perhaps you need to move. We pay our bills (without help from grandma) but we don't have money to save, we make ends meet but that's about it. Why can't working granny stay in the house? She could, I didn't mean it like that, it's just I know she doesn't want to stay here alone in a 2200 sq ft house. She made that clear to me a long time ago. She doesn't want us to move, and I'm not sure yet if she would be up for moving with us. Does it belong to you? Are you legally able to sell it? No, the house is not in my name and I can not legally sale it. I only meant that so as to say, I want to keep this house, rent it out if need be so it doesn't sit empty. My grandmother was born in this house when it was only 4 rooms in 1937. I don't want to sell it. Not to mention it sits on 200 acres of family land. If so, seeing as there is no mortgage why not sell it and move to someplace with more opportunity?

I'm considering the possibility of moving only because here, there are no jobs. I could probably find something make $10 an hour, but given the $500 daycare would cost, plus the $200 (maybe more) gas would cost to go back and forth for a month, it's really not bringing anything in to our home. So, right now I am staying at home because it's cheaper for us. I want to work. I need to work, but I can't see (and DH doesn't either, he made the point) working and being away from home for a $100 a month (which is what I was previously making). Also, it would be really nice to be closer to SS and our families. We are thinking somewhere central to both of our families. The only people close now are my aunt and uncle and we aren't that close to them. 

It's just something we are tossing around, I mean obviously there are things that have to happen first, but it's something we are considering if it will greatly benefit our family.  

FormerlyAK

I guess my first question is, what kind of work do you think you will find with only an AA in Accounting if you move closer to a major city? I would think competition for jobs in a bigger city would be fiercer and you'd be competing against people with at least a bachelor's degree because of the currently high unemployment rate. That alone would make me want to stay put.

CurlyQ284

Can you look for jobs that allow telecommuting?

sweetwalks

CurlyQ284:

Can you look for jobs that allow telecommuting?

Yes, I suppose I could. 

sweetwalks

FormerlyAK:

I guess my first question is, what kind of work do you think you will find with only an AA in Accounting if you move closer to a major city? I would think competition for jobs in a bigger city would be fiercer and you'd be competing against people with at least a bachelor's degree because of the currently high unemployment rate. That alone would make me want to stay put.

There really are no options that are under 40 miles away. And that puts me at $250+ in gas a month just going to work and back, not including driving to daycare, weekend errands, etc. And in this area, my degree doesn't pay much at all, if you're lucky to find an opening. 

My thoughts are, there are a lot of job openings in the bigger cities that are too far away for me to drive. Plus, being closer to both of our families and SS is a huge plus. It's not anything I plan on doing next month, but if a job opening becomes available and I get it, it only makes sense to move. I'm obviously not going to move without a job.  

xmaryrickx

Did you post something about this house on either money matters or family matters on the nest? This sounds very familiar.

sweetwalks

No, never posted about my house. 

 

ETA: This is something that literally just came up. I've always been very set on staying here, where I grew up and raising my son here. If we move, we will do it now before he gets in school. I just remember being far from my dad growing up and hating that I couldn't just go visit him for the evening or go eat dinner on a sibling's birthday if it wasn't his night because it was too far. We really want to do what's best for SS and for all of us.  

CurlyQ284

I guess I am thinking that if you live near a city and dont sell the house (let granny live there) then you will have a mortgage plus a HCOL most likely so you working still doesnt make a big dent financially. If granny comes with you and you sell the house or rent it out, then maybe it would work better. FWIW I live in a city with insane traffic, most people commute over an hour for work every day so an hour isnt a big deal in my brain. I drive one hour each way to go to school 2x a week.

sweetwalks

CurlyQ284:

I guess I am thinking that if you live near a city and dont sell the house (let granny live there) then you will have a mortgage plus a HCOL most likely so you working still doesnt make a big dent financially. If granny comes with you and you sell the house or rent it out, then maybe it would work better. FWIW I live in a city with insane traffic, most people commute over an hour for work every day so an hour isnt a big deal in my brain. I drive one hour each way to go to school 2x a week.

Commuting an hour to work, or an hour anywhere really isn't a big deal to me either. We live about 10 miles from the nearest Wal-mart or grocery store. I'm just thinking if we can be closer to SS and save gas money commuting to work it would make a difference, if I can find a decent job. If grandma comes, we would rent it out, although not ideal, because I don't want it left sitting empty.

Commuting a hour with traffic is understandable to work, but commuting an hour minimum with absolutely NO traffic, and still having to make it back to get DS from daycare is rough. Not to mention, in a few years when he starts school, there is no afterschool program there or a daycare close by that transports, so I have no clue what I would do then. 

Again, it's just something to think about and I wanted a few other opinions. I don't want to live IN the city, just close enough to it that there are better options for jobs without commuting 40+ miles one way. That adds up on a car quickly; especially when its a 20+ mile round trip to the grocery store. LOL. Plus, being closer to SS is definitely a plus.  

socloudy99

sweetwalks:

 

ETA: This is something that literally just came up. I've always been very set on staying here, where I grew up and raising my son here. If we move, we will do it now before he gets in school. I just remember being far from my dad growing up and hating that I couldn't just go visit him for the evening or go eat dinner on a sibling's birthday if it wasn't his night because it was too far. We really want to do what's best for SS and for all of us.  

All the reasons above are great reasons to move. Of course you have to be responsible and take all items into account but it sounds like you are in that stage now. There is nothing wrong with renting for a year closer to SS (with Grandma) and renting out your current home. If it doesn't work out you can go back to the no morgage home at the end of the tennents lease. The kids will have more chance to create a stronger sibling bond if they can participate in more things together. Good Luck! It is something you should look at closer because I do see a lot of positives to moving.

Nineoceans

I bought a house when I was 21 close to my job at the time (stupid.) In the past 5 years I've had two more jobs. Both about 40 mins away one way. An hour or more during bad weather. I kept the house and will keep the house for the next five-seven years because having low cost of living is worth it's weight in gold. Having a stable home, in which my income and earning potential continues to grow and the mortgage stays small has turned out to be a huge benefit. Long story, commuting is not terrible. Its not even terribly expensive and something people do all the time to balance low cost of living with better job opportunities.

sweetwalks

Nineoceans:

I bought a house when I was 21 close to my job at the time (stupid.) In the past 5 years I've had two more jobs. Both about 40 mins away one way. An hour or more during bad weather. I kept the house and will keep the house for the next five-seven years because having low cost of living is worth it's weight in gold. Having a stable home, in which my income and earning potential continues to grow and the mortgage stays small has turned out to be a huge benefit. Long story, commuting is not terrible. Its not even terribly expensive and something people do all the time to balance low cost of living with better job opportunities.

I agree commuting is not terrible & I wouldn't mind commuting an hour with bad traffic/bad weather. But, commuting an hour minimum with great traffic is getting a little old. When I spend 250+ a week in gas just going to work, it doesn't really balance out. Because the job opportunities around here don't allow me to make much and paying for daycare leave me with 100-200 a month.

Grandma is on board with moving (really shocked) if I find a job that's worth it, stable and steady. She also said that she doesn't want to continue working if we move and wants to stay home. This is what I've been hoping she would do!