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How does one go about moving across country?

Moving across country?

  • So i am thinking about moving across the country (from pa to az), and i am fairly young, 21 to be exact. what things will i need to consider and how much money would be needed to save for this kind of move. i do have some relatives out there that will let me stay while i get on my feet, but i dont wanna go there and realize i dont have enough money. what is the minimum wage out there and the quality of jobs for some one with no degree, vs the cost of living? maybe i should jus stay where i am but i hate the winter. pls help

  • Answer:

    Minimum wage, as far as I know, is 5 and change here. Some fast food places pay 6 starting, but getting enough hours to make ends meet, that's a challenge. The deli counter at Fry's Grocery pays my sister $8.20, and if they keep overworking her like they have so far, there's going to be an opening at the store by I-17 and Bell this week. I don't think they give full-time hours, though, and you need a food handler's card (give the county 15 bucks, take/pass a test, get your card) to work there, I think. And when chicken is on sale 3.99 for 8 drumsticks, customers order a lot of chicken, and blame you for not having enough made, as if there weren't just 47 other customers all ordering 16 pieces. Housing is not cheap here. In our complex, which is not a very upscale place, but is safe and quiet, the one-bedroom units go for $600 a month. We pay roughly 820 for two bed, two bath, 1000 square feet, which includes our water bill, and pet fees. And a LOT of apartment complexes, even really trashy ones, are being turned into condos, so if that happens to you, you either have to buy or move out. We've prevented that by signing a lease that has in there, if the complex gets turned into condos, we can stay till the end of our lease. So I can guarantee that we've got a home for the next 13 months, but after that, who knows. Most places won't rent to you unless your gross, before-tax income is three times what rent is. I wouldn't rent unless my net, after-tax income was three times what rent is. Jobs are a little tough to come by. It is most certainly not easy to find a job and pay bills without a degree. Not because you need the degree, but to get your foot in the door at a company that pays a livable wage. You probably need to count on a roommate, or suck it up, go to school, take out loans, and get a degree. You need about $2000 a month to make ends meet for 1-2 people, it seems. A second person doesn't run up the bills much more, but it sure helps with the income and bills. IF you have a lot of experience with waiting tables and serving food, there are many resorts and upscale restaurants that may be willing to hire. But that's a job where you have to get here, apply, and hope for the best. If you really intend to come without securing a job first, then contact Kelly or Manpower, both temp services, and see if they can do application things and give you an idea of what kinds of jobs they can find for you, before you come. To figure out your expenses, start by pricing a rental truck. Some companies match, so if some cut-rate company gives you a good deal, but you'd rather be with a more trusted one, call the more trusted one and see if they'll match the lower price. Then, use maps.google.com to plot your course. Take the mileage it gives you. Add 300 miles. Divide by 10, because you'll get about 10 miles to the gallon. Multiply that by 3. That figure is about how much you'll need for gas. Then plan your stops along the way. Figure on driving about 500 miles a day, about 12 hours. Figure out what cities you're going to stop in, and find motels there. Figure their fees out, and add them up. Throw in an extra day's motel fee, because chances are you'll get delayed and need it. Do NOT make reservations except for the first night, because you just never know what the day will bring. You can make your reservation by cell or pay phone, a couple hours before stopping for the night. The trick to getting motel rooms cheap along the way is to get up early, and go to bed early. Check out at 6am, check in at 7pm, sleep early. You'll show up to town before everybody else who needs a room for the night. Don't forget food. You're going to have to eat on the way. That'll set you back 5-6 bucks a meal, plus water and snacks. Buy your drinking water by the gallon; it's cheaper that way. You can pour it into a smaller bottle when you stop. Now take all that money and add about $300 extra, just in case. Then figure your first month's living expenses (rent, about 150 for electric, 30 for water/sewer/trash, 150 for car insurance, 50 for phone, 50 for broadband net access if you want it, 50-100 for cable if you want it, 250 for food and bath/household needs, and 2 full tanks of gas at about $3 a gallon). That's about how much you need to have, even when staying with relatives. Get a job before you get your own place. Let your relatives help you pick an apartment. They live here, they know where the safer areas of town are. And if you end up staying with them longer than a couple weeks while getting a job and getting established in it, offer your relatives a little pay for their trouble, a hundred or two. You're going to be using their house, their utilities, and their food, after all. Also, our tap water is heavily chlorinated. If you usually drink tap water, and it tastes just like bottled water to you, you're probably not going to be able to stand our tap water. So in that case, you'll need to spring for a small water dispenser (Walmart sells them for around 10 bucks), which can be refilled for a quarter a gallon at water stores or machines outside grocery stores. Budget for that, too, so you don't end up getting an IV for dehydration. We have some great nurses in our ER's but they'd rather not have to treat you if they don't have to. Do yourself a favor. Sell your rain/snow gear and big heavy winter coats before you move; they're worth more back east. Bring a sweatshirt jacket or similar light coat, some thin gloves, and an umbrella. You can buy a new heavy coat in a few years, when you finally get cold in winter again. One last thing. Do NOT believe for a moment that you can take the bus to work, to save on gas, insurance, or anything like that. The only way that works is if you work downtown, or if you live and work on the same bus line, and don't have to change buses. In those two cases it works beautifully, but if you'd have to take two buses to get somewhere, it's almost guaranteed you're going to have a one-hour wait in between buses. Bus system is Valley Metro (www.valleymetro.org), and schedules are online. Bikes are equally a no-no to trust for transportation, unless you have airless tires. If you want to know more, ask your relatives, or feel free to contact me.

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I moved FROM Phoenix to PA (Pitt.) last year. Best move of my life. I was born in AZ and was getting sick of everything out there (heat, the people, winter visitors, etc) so I cashed in on the housing boom, sold my house and moved out here to PA. The cost of living has increased significantly since the real estate market shot up last year. As far as jobs go, it's tough to score a good one anywhere without a degree (I don't have one either and am 30). Contract companies (head hunters) are good to work with. They have contacts that can hook you up, otherwise think about doing some inbound/outbound tele-sales jobs. There's decent money in that. If you just hate the winters out here, why not just go visit your relatives in AZ for the winter? Good luck!

matt w

If I'm not mistaken AZ is a "right to work" state, which means they can offer you anything. I would go light and buy what you need there, but plan for it. I moved from CA to NY and after three years I'm still paying to ship things like computers and stuff here! Intrest killed me! It cost me $1,500 to move my important stuff, and If I had a garage sale, sold it all and bought new here I would have saved a bundle! It also depends on how you move. I took the bus when Greyhound had their $50 anywhere special. Today its $250. Air is cheapest, probably 185 if you travel in mid week one way. I came with $5,000 and was able to live for 9 months without a job, but I reach bare minimum after only 5 months. I had no one to live with initally so I had to get into an apartment and that cost me $500 a month. If you move do it around back to school time, that's the best time to get a job, at least a seasonal one. That means Sept/Oct. It's also cooler in AZ at that time! AZ is very, very hot and you will run your AC day and night between May and October. AZ is a true western state and it will be a lot different. Every pick up truck has a gun rack with lots of rifles and shot guns. Most people wear Cowboy hats (it's very hot and sunny there) and boots. A lot of "good ol boys" out there. Everyone wears Tourqouse The don't like Ferners Remember you will need to buy a bed, bedding, dresser, kitchen stuff, bathroom stuff (no one figures in the price of mop, broom, toilet brush, soaps, trash bags), food and will need transportation. It is very hot out there. I repeat very hot. You feel it even inside. I beats on the roof. You go to the store, buy a 24 pack of Bud, take it home, drink most of it after you get in and then go back to buy some more! Everyone has "mysters" on their porches and desk to cool the area down 10 degrees. A hose with lots of hole that sprays water out to cool the place down. Storms come in like rolling thunder. At 11 it's sunny and bright. At 1 pm there's a thunderstorm with floods in the valleys and streams by 2 pm and at 3 pm it's sunny and bright again. NEVER get caught in the lowlands during a storm! Avoid stream beds during a storm as they become 10 foot deep rivers in less than 1 hour. If you go to the woods and storm clouds appear, move to the highest ground you can find. It's not all that expensive out there. You can buy a house for $150,000 the subs. A condo is still around $120,000. There are a lot of jobs in places like Phoenix, but to live cheaply or safer you may need a car and live in an outlying area like Peoria. Figure you need, minimum, $2,000 to get an apartment, things and food ONCE you get a job. That means staying with realtives and keeping your spending sparce until you get a job and then move close to that job or get transportation. I would say, realistically, $5,000 is a better plan. Until you get work, be frugle. You can always take your relatives out to Applebees a month after you get your job to thank them!

Earl D

hmm, prolly ecpect to make min. wage if you are lucky, not many jobs out there. Cost of living is high now, commuting to woprk every day, rent, everything is so high. Just because you hate winter, doenst mean you should pack up and leave. I too get sick of winter, but aI look forward to still doing things, snowmobling, hunting, ice fishing. It doest last that long. it could be very hard for you to get established and have a fruitful life, moving away...wait awhile

Hugh G. Reckshyn

I moved from TN to AZ in 2000. I had about $3000 cash and $9,000 on credit cards. My 1st job paid $6.00 per hour. 1 month later I got a job at a school & the pay, hours & benefits went way up. You're lucky you have family to help out. I was alone. Good luck!

awnery

Everybody wants to move to Arizona or California because of the climate. Their big mistake is they move with no job and little money, and end up homeless and living off the working taxpayers. If you can't be "on your feet" when you move here, stay where you are. Too bad about the weather.

_me_

I moved from Florida to Arizona almost 2 years ago. I had a college degree and a job lined up. I was going to be making pretty good money. I had a $2,500 moving allowance and I had $2,000 of my own saved up. The move itself (uhaul, gas, lodging, food, security deposits, first and last, utilities, food for my new place) cost me roughly $6,000. Eventhough I thought I would be making good money out here, I did not even think to take into consideration the state tax here, the cost of gas, the overall cost of living, etc. It has turned out that I had more money in my pocket in Florida than I do in Arizona eventhough I am making about $15,000 more annually. The housing market out here is ridiculously overpriced. Gas is expensive. Public Transprtation sucks. There are plenty of jobs, but probably none you would really want. I would suggest to anyone who wants to move anywhere to get a decent job lined up before moving. Not to discourage you more, but the summers are a living a HELL out here. And depending on where you would live, it can be a not so friendly area. Not a bad area, just not very welcoming. Being from the east coast myself I have noticed a huge difference between the east and here. Many aren't as polite, respectful, or friendly. But if none of that concerns you that much then move to AZ and you too can live in 115+ weather with absolutely no rain.

footballlovin_girl

I moved from TX, to Portland OR. I think it depends why your moving. It is an intense thing to do. Do you want to just load up your car and go , or do you want to rent a truck? Moving is spendy, but you can cut costs by packing food with you instead of eating at restaurants, and figuring out what you can leave behind and whats really nessarrey. For me moving was a big risk, I;'d never been to Or, but my best friend had a place and needed a roommate. I sold most of my belongings minus sentimental stuff and my mom and I loaded up our cars and her and my Lil sis helped me come to Portland. Since I've been here my life has changed alot. It hasn't been a cake walk, but i have made new friends and had opportunities that I couldn't have ever dreamed of back in TX. Its been a wild ride, but I am a better, stronger, more confident person for the healthy risk I took. Listen to your heart and mind do what you feel and think is right and the best of luck to you whatever you do.

poppypetals

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