Have you ever considered or have you actually made a huge move and started over?

**PrairieRose** · 02-12-2006, 04:32 PM

For economic reasons.....Gripey and I have in the past few years been thinking about and talking about making a move and starting over somewhere else. Have you or your family ever done that? I find that I'm somewhat skeptical on several levels to do so. #1 being that I am concerned that if we were to do that we may not ever be able to make what we presently make and have the free time that we now have. I think I could move away from here (even though I've lived here all my life, very small town girl) and start over with no reservations on the other levels but this one really concerns me. Our area is pretty depressed and has been for a few years now and it looks like there may not be much relief in sight.

If you've made a major life change like this, please share your experience good or bad. TIA

**slowtypinwoman** · 02-12-2006, 04:44 PM

We have actually made two such moves.
When we had been married for about a year and a half Mike had gone into the AF. He hated it and quit. We then moved to K.C.
I got a job as a floral mgr. and he work as a data processor. He went back to school to get his teaching cert. We then had Alex.
The next year his cert. was at risk of running out, so he applied anyplace that needed a teacher. He got the job here. This is kind of a deperessed place toobut I like it. We bought a home and have a nice place to raise our child.

I don't know if I could/ would want to make that much of a life change at this time in our lives. (40/41) I don't know how old you and Gripey are. It was however a possitive experience for us and I am glad we ended up here.
HTH

**Englishlady** · 02-12-2006, 05:39 PM

Relative to where we live yes we moved "there" and "back"

We moved for Dh's job, but I kind of instigated it because I wanted to live by the sea

we lived at our new place for 6 years and moved back for a number of reasons.

We didn't and don't consider the move to have been a failure at all, it was mainly his long working hours that got even longer....... I had my car accident and was quite isolated ( I am now, but at least my accent is no longer considered alien

) it was a variety of things.

We are hoping to move when dh retires and fingers crossed that will be when he is 55 and I am 61

( he is my toy-boy

LOL!)in about 14 years time.
The move will be away from here and be back to the sea or in the lake district it will depend on market forces/house prices at the time.
You might like to read this book before making any big decisions:
"Making the big Move, how to transform relocation into a creative life transition" Cathy Goodwin PHD
We also considered a monumental move to Canada/Australia after much research neither worked out...........however that's how I came to read this book

HTH
Karen

**Michelle** · 02-12-2006, 05:42 PM

It's funny you should mention this. We (well mostly I) have been thinking about moving south for a long time. Now that my fil lives there 8 mos out of the year, I think we should consider making the move down there too. My biggest concern is not being able to afford moving back though. My parents moved to PA 14 yrs ago, and they can't afford to move back to MA.

I am curious to see what others have to say too

**baxjul** · 02-12-2006, 05:54 PM

Okay! Last June we moved from Pennsylvania to Florida. We had been talking about it for a while, and with dd starting kindergarden, I said "Let's do it now!". So, on June 13th, dd and I got on a plane for Tampa, said goodbye to daddy, and all of our family and friends, got rid of the house, quit our jobs that we had forever (and made very good money at), and left! We (dd and I) stayed with friends until I found a job, and a house, then DH came with all of our stuff!

It was extremely hard at times! I was very depressed at first, with no job, no money, just me and dd together 24 hours a day! I had a hard time finding daycare, because I had no job, BUT I needed daycare to find a job (make sense?). But, in the end it all worked out for the best, and now I love it here, and I wouldn't trade if for the world!

If you have any questions you can PM me or ask on here!

**Michele Annette** · 02-12-2006, 07:22 PM

Yes, We are in the middle of that now. Staying in Vermont is getting too difficult. We have been here eleven years. Looking for a house for the past five and not moving forward as quickly as we had intended. This time there is no waiting. Go quickly, just like the bandaid. We will make it, I am sure of it now.

I have made three life changing moves in my life. One every twelve years or so. It's very strange when you believe that you will stay in the place you are at the moment...forever.

**QuilterMom** · 02-12-2006, 07:32 PM

I don't have time to elaborate right now unfortunately, but we moved from GA to Maui just a few months after we were married and then from Maui to FL. Hopefully I'll remember to share with you. I'm glad we made both moves and we are looking to uproot and move again, going even further into a certain lifestyle. PM me if I forget to answer you.

**FrugalMomof3** · 02-12-2006, 09:15 PM

Well ladies, I would love to hear everyone's experience on this... I too am comteplating a move but am worried I wouldn't be able to make it.

Your stories will help me with this decision.

**dhmunoz** · 02-12-2006, 09:30 PM

We did.

In September 2001, we moved from Northern California to Nebraska. Both DH and I were born in California and all of our relatives are there. The cost of living where we were was getting unreasonably high, and DH had a good job but we still weren't making it....in July 2001 our landlord informed us that the rent for our duplex would be increasing from $725 to $850 in Nov. 2001, with another increase to $875 the following February. Well....we were struggling with just the $725, not to mention the high cost of PG&E and our other utilities. I work from home and even with the 2 incomes combined we were barely scratching by but if we had stayed we wouldn't be. So, to make a VERY long and drawn-out story short, we came out here in August 2001 to visit some friends that had moved out here from Sacramento--and we decided to go back home, give our notice, and move back out here. It's been quite the adventure....I won't say that it's been easy, because it hasn't. We don't have any family out here, and my oldest son had some pretty severe behavioral problems after the move. But overall, we are better off. DH now makes twice what he made in California, and our rent here is only $500. Utilities are less, crime rate is WAYYYY less, schools are better, and we have made a lot of wonderful friends. The crime rate where we were in California was really high--terrible! Drive-by shootings, murders, gang-related happenings were all too regular. We don't see any of that here.

We do miss family a lot at times...and it's hard not being able to take the kids to grandma's etc, but we try to go out and visit when we can and they have come to visit us here.

We have occasionally thought about moving back, but the positives here outweigh the positives of going back so it is entirely possible that we will stay here.

**Jenna** · 02-13-2006, 04:58 AM

I packed everything up and moved to San Diego early this year.

My biggest issue: thought I'd be able to stay with my same company & transfer to the location of my choice. Turns out - my ideal location wasn't available... so I was job hunting and out of work for about 6 weeks.

My e-fund and loan from parents kept me afloat.

I can recommend a good trucking co. should you decide to have someone else move your stuff... one of those "you load and we drive" companies.

**FreesiaE** · 02-13-2006, 09:08 AM

I am so glad someone brought this up. The DH and I were talking about this last night. We probably will never do it, but I am interested in what others have to say. It's not that we "have to" move sort of situation, but sometimes we feel that there is more of this great nation we would like to experience KWIM?

**PrairieRose** · 02-13-2006, 10:07 AM

Some great stories and food for thought ladies. Our situation is one where we don't "have" to do this. We've always made a great living doing what we're doing and love the community we live in but times are a lot tougher here in the ag biz. that we are in. We're wondering how long to hang in here....... and I would love to experience life somewhere else as well.

**webjoba** · 02-13-2006, 11:06 AM

I've done it quite a lot. I am a bit of a nomad.

I was born in England and lived in London, Nothampton, Coventry, Bourne End, Marlow, High Wycombe and probably a few I am forgetting.

I moved to Ireland for 4 years, South of France for 2 years back to England for about 4 years and then 6 years ago sold my apartment, quit my job and moved to the US to study. I ended up staying here and I am trying to decide whether to stay or move again. I can't help myself.

The pros - you get to experience many different lifestyles and points of view, plenty to see and do, no time to get bored.

The cons - hard to make lasting friends, not frugal to be spending money on the many moves, miss my family and friends in England a lot too.

Do I regret it - no. I think at the end of my life I would not want to be thinking "I wonder how life would have been if I had moved".

Of course the US is such a big country just traveling on vacations could keep you busy for the longest time - so much to see.

Good luck with your decision Lisa. Your avatar shows me you love nature - me too - it would be hard for me to leave Maine.

**santoria** · 02-13-2006, 02:51 PM

We were planning on a move like that to a completely new province. but then I got pregnant again and all was sidelined.

if you do it good luck!

**my4littlebuffaloes** · 02-13-2006, 05:34 PM

We are considering a move like this. We are currently in CO and looking at moving to OH in 1.5-2.5 years, depending on when and if dh gets a job. It appears that in his field the pay is around the same, but housing is a good bit less than here. So maybe we would actually have a chance to get ahead if we moved.

We are concerned that if we move and it doesn't work out, for whatever reason, we will not be able to afford to come back here. We will be very far from our parents. Although my sister's family will be close to us. That is why we are wanting to move to OH. We have wanted to move for a long long time, but didn't really know where and didn't have family anywhere but here and in NE. My sister is moving next summer and we are wanting to move closer to them. We do a lot together even though we live 6 hours apart. We are very close to them. So far there are 9 kids between us, from 8 on down. It would so great for the kids to grow up with each other down the street. We really want to move, but are a little scared.

I will be finding that book that Shell recommended and read that. Hopefully it will help!

Jennifer