Moving again soon
It's official--we're moving to Seattle. We hope to move by the 15th of December. Neither of us has a job yet, though J has had several interviews, and next week he has his second at a company that he'd quite like to work for. So, looking good so far, though there have been no bites yet on my resume.
We got a short-term lease, and prepaid four months' rent and utilities since we weren't employed. We actually offered to do that, thinking it would help, and it seemed to. Hopefully this place in California will rent soon and we won't be stuck paying for two places for very long. My gosh, the money we've been putting out lately--not just moving expenses, but travel. J went up to Seattle a couple of times for interviews*, and we had to go to Texas to visit a terminally ill relative. Most of this has been going on our Amex cards, so it really hurts to pay them when they come due, but at least we won't have additional debt. We haven't yet touched the money we got from our house sale, and I'm really hoping we won't have to.
I've been a bit depressed lately so I haven't been blogging. I haven't really been into my finances at all, to be honest. It's strange--when we owned our own home, when I was working and contributing to a retirement plan, and we were doing everything "right," the more interested I was in finances. Now I kind of feel like, "Why bother?" I know how dangerous that is. I'm hoping once we get settled and working again I can turn things back around.
*We felt our resumes were getting automatically rejected due to the California address, and the fact that many companies stated upfront that they wouldn't pay relocation costs. So, we opened up a Seattle post office box, and the phone really started ringing (especially for J)! That was great news; however, to keep up the "front" that we actually lived in Seattle, J had to make a couple of flights to attend interviews. If you're wanting to move and are having trouble getting a job in your chosen city, this plan works--just be prepared to spend some money.
posted by SMB @ 6:14 PM
6 Comments:
Reading your post was like riding a roller coaster!
Yeah, you have made the decision to move to city which will make you happier.
Boo, you may have to pay rent on two apartments.
Yeah, job prospects are looking good.
Boo, you are feeling a bit out of (financial) control.
Yeah, you have not had to dip into your house money.
Boo, you are feeling a bit depressed.
Well, let me leave you with some encouraging words. I think you are doing the right thing. It may hurt to see all the money going out while not seeing anything coming in, but you have a plan. It is a good, solid, and smart plan. You are finding a new home - something not always so easy to do. Once you settle you will catch up.
You are a smart, savvy, and financially focused individual. Once life settles down a bit you will get back into your financial groove and forward progress will resume - how do I know all this? My crystal ball tells me so :)
Thinking kind and positive thoughts for you and your family,
- Boston Gal
THANK YOU Boston Gal! It has definitely been a trying year. I really appreciate your kind words.
Congrats on the move to Seattle! Hope it won't be too expensive of a move?
You must really like rain if you want to live there. But the Queen Anne area and Capitol Hill are nice. ballard is also a nice neighborhood.
i'm amazed you didn't touch the money from the sale of your house. it must've been quite tempting and a way to pay for all those expenses.
thanks for the tip on getting interviews when you don't live locally. i always wondered how that would work out.
good luck!
Hey! I'm so glad something's shaking loose and moving for you guys... I was just recently contemplating Seattle. If you need some advice about where to live, etc, email me... I have given it a lot of thought. :-)
Hey SMB,
Hopefully Seattle works out for you and J. I bet it's tough moving so soon and having to deal with all the pressures of interviews ON TOP of everything else, but just think how happy you'll be once everything is settled. I'm glad you're posting again. :) G'LUCK!
Good luck with your move and I totally understand about the need for a local address when job hunting - I borrowed a friend's address.
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