March 16, 2010
Now that I’ll be moving out, several things have to happen.
Moving Budget:
I successfully negotiated for a relocation allowance. They will either pay the service provider directly or reimburse me for all reasonable relocation related costs that include direct moving expenses (moving of household goods, storage, travel expenses during the actual relocation, and temporary housing). It’s a shame I can’t apply those funds towards anything else! It’s generous enough that I can afford to use movers instead of packing up a car and driving up the coast, though.
Movers:
They relieve the hours-of-driving headache, replaced by the Why-won’t-you-answer-my-calls? headache. It took a solid week for one of three companies to respond to me. Lame lame lame. An appraisal appointment has been scheduled to determine a quote for my stuff.
Packing:
I’ve begun splitting some boxes into “stays” and “goes.” After all, I’ve got to maintain the illusion I just travel a lot for work and still live at home and wield authority. Thanks to the Staples Rewards rebate offer from earlier this year, I’m set for bankers’ boxes in case I opt out of full-service movers. The concern there is that they likely won’t take responsibility for anything broken or damaged during the move unless they pack it. On the other hand, it’s probably just easier for me to organize and pack everything. Decisions, decisions.
Transportation:
My car’s likely to stay here with my parents. They need, and I need to know they’ve got, a reliable car with all the driving to adult day care and to medical appointments. But in two weeks, I’ve got to be outta here, getting ready to start my new gig. More than ever, I need to conclude my search for the new used car. Mostly because I hate the whole process, though.
In the meantime, 511.org may become my new best friend as I learn to navigate public transportation up north. Sorry Sigalert, we’ll still see each other when Friend calls for the daily traffic update.
Life:
I know it sounded melodramatic when I said I’d be leaving my hometown and friends, but the budget’s tight enough that I don’t think I can afford to travel back all that often. Not so often that I’m going to be able to have sushi nights with Robin, random comic shop stops, go hang out at Surrogate Family’s house. My family’s basic needs are more important than my hanging about with old friends, so if it comes down to a bill or charging a flight, you know what I’m going to choose.
Records:
My medical life has been rather extensive, especially over the past five years, so while I’m still covered by COBRA, I have to sign some records release forms to transfer all of those records to my new doctor whoever that may be. I’m hating that idea because my specialist doctor and my dentist is extremely responsive and helpful and I know how difficult it is to find a good health care practitioner with whom you can form a rapport.
Shopping:
Ugh, more unsubsidized spending. Behind me, the entirety of my professional “wardrobe” hulks in an assorted mass. There’s no beauty in that functional group, and desperately needs a fashionable mind to shape something of it. Honestly, a few minor additions would likely be sufficient to last the next six or more months, but what those will be remain to be seen. I wouldn’t be so anxious about it if the advice recently tendered to always dress better than my staff weren’t so true. Certainly competence and professionalism go a long way, but we all know how crucial first impressions and visual impressions are to forming an opinion. I’m going to need better clothes and even better make up to offset my superficial youthfulness and properly command the attention of an established team.
On the make-up front, I finally bow to my mom’s years of scoldings, “Wear some make-up! At least try!” [insert teenaged groan] To be fair, there were days I wouldn’t have been happy to be seen with me, had I seen me before leaving the house. But I digress. A good friend has been generously sharing her expertise and we created a list of the most basic cosmetics to form my First Time Ever make up kit. [insert more whining] More about that later.
Destination:
Now that I’ve moved past the notion that I could possibly afford my own place, I’ve come to accept that shared housing is in my future. Since living in more suburban neighborhoods doesn’t cut me off entirely from public transit, I’m much more open to that option. Besides, I don’t need to live in the more urban areas for access, I’m too old to party and will be too poor to go out! 😉
Experienced Movers (by which I mean anyone but me):
Have I forgotten anything? Does anyone have moving company recommendations?
March 15, 2010
I got the job.
<-- Congratulatory cake and root beer.
I’m kind of sad that I didn’t make it out to the East Coast like I’d originally hoped to when starting this journey because I’ve got so many awesome friends and blogger friends out there (so many, can’t link to all!), I’d yearned to take on the East Coast, and I’m a little envious of the crowd that populates the DC Blogger Happy Hour. But those are maybe not the best criteria on which to be gauging a relocation for a job, especially considering the HCOL and lack of jobs that were as interested in me.
And that’s not in the least meant to be a slight against my West Coast blogger friends (again, too many to list) because they are darn awesome too! We’re just so much more spread out over here that Happy Hours don’t actually happen.
Oh, “what about the job” you ask? Right, the job. I’ve been hired to a full time position for a non-profit in the colder, more northerly half of California. It’s going to kick my butt while giving me a chance to really learn and show what I’ve learned in more adverse conditions. I’ll officially be in charge of people and telling them how to do their jobs better. [It’s in the job description. Really. Don’t worry, I don’t plan to be obnoxious about it.]
More importantly(?), years after I defiantly made up my mind to do so, I’m finally moving out.
In light of recent developments with the family, I can’t cut the money cord so this poses some new budgetary challenges. I’ll be salaried for the first time so that’s made budgeting easier but affording life harder.
I’ve powwowed with Excel and calculated to a fare-thee-well my family’s expenses, my projected expenses against my probable take-home pay. It’s not unemployment but it’s no great shakes after all’s said and done. My savings will be a long time regenerating, and I’m definitely living on a broke student budget for at least another year. At that point, if I’ve done my job, they’ll be throwing the money at me. 😉 Just kiddin’, there are no guarantees there. I’ll also need to spend some or the better part of my 3 weeks of vacation doing freelance work.
The interview was a heck of a thing but not nearly as bad as what I’d braced myself for, only 6.5 hours, not 8.5!) I did negotiate though I’m not surprised that I didn’t get everything I wanted. I did my research, took into consideration the market and the fact that I didn’t have competing offers versus continued unemployment, presented a case in a friendly but firm voice, and let the die fall where they might.
They fell on the patch of felt marked, “this is our best offer,” and I took it.
I’m pretty nervous excited terrified nervous. I have mood swings.
I have two weeks to put my life in boxes and ship it out, I have two weeks to fully automate my family’s financials, I have two weeks to see and hug everyone one last time before I fill out a change of address and walk out of the town I grew up in.
The logistics are frustrating but I’ll get a handle on them. (It only took a week to get any moving company to return my calls! Hello! Are we or are we not in a recession? Isn’t cash-money what you want?)
I’m still working on that other part where I’m really truly moving out, except not really telling my family it’s a real move because I can’t trust my brother to act right if he knows I’m absent. I’m all kinds of conflicted about that. I need to be able to come home to a non-wrecked home and a set of live (and as healthy as possible under the circumstances) parents. I don’t see that happening should the sibling realize that he essentially has no parole officer.
But I’ve got a job. I’ve got a job.
P.S. Days of the week, like Mondays, are going to have to mean something again!
January 29, 2009
Kelly at Almost Frugal posed the question: How much extra are you willing to spend?
In this case, she’s looking for a new bed for her daughter. Her mother suggested that she just consider how much EXTRA she’s willing to spend over a baseline price for the item. The theory behind this is that she’s going to pay the baseline price anyway, the only consideration is how much a premium she’s willing to pay on top of that.
That’s very interesting: I’ve always taken total price into consideration, and didn’t actively separate the purchase price from the premium.
In coming weeks, this purchasing perspective will be very applicable to my personal shopping needs. If a new apartment is in the works (I hope I hope!), I’m going to need some basic furniture and tools. Mostly kitchen stuff, and a basic tool kit.
Major factors include distance (how far will I lug stuff) and space (do I have room for stuff). The most significant issue, of course, is cost. Since I don’t anticipate any crazy signing bonus, not a normal thing in my industry anyway, what I’ve got in the moving account is what I got. (A whopping $1498, if you’re curious.)
It’s a balancing act: take enough stuff – avoid shelling out cash for new stuff, pay to haul stuff.
Take too much stuff – no room for it, costs money to lug it to destination.
Take too little stuff – minimize moving expenses and buy at the other end.
With that in mind, I’m debating what to keep and what to leave behind.
A few months ago, my assumption was that when I moved, my parents would be moved out into a smaller, cheaper apartment. Reduce cost and required upkeep: less stress all around. Turns out, around here? No such thing as a cheaper apartment.
Get this: we’re paying as much for our rent (3 bdrm, 2 bath house) as some folks pay for a 2 bdrm apartment. Can you believe that!? We have the amenities of a single family home (in home laundry, no share-the-wall neighbors) with the associated utility costs. Most importantly, though, we have the freedom to keep our pets. My sole surviving dog of our former 3-pack is a large breed, and no apartment within 30 miles will allow her breed or size. Not even for a premium. And there is NO WAY I will turn out my dog. None, nada, nope, never.
After parking, laundry, fees, and pets are considered, it doesn’t look like we’d be saving more than a few hundred per month, if that. That means that staying put is an option, and that means that I could keep some of my heavier (really old) stuff in my room. Renting out one room to help with cost is a possibility, but I could also still keep my room and have a home base.
The desk: is a 12 year old heavy particle board executive desk. (Yes, I was a spoiled brat and *needed* the 6 foot wide desk with a hutch. We paid way too much for it. But I’ve used every inch of it and work at it every single night.) Doubtful that I would take it with, it’s survived a couple moves but it’s way too heavy for me to haul up and down stairs. I’d like to be as minimalist as possible in case I have to move all by myself.
The bed: is a 13 year old twin day bed. Same old frame and mattress. I’d like to take it with because it can be set pretty high off the ground to create extra storage space vertically. For once in my life I’d love a double, but it’s not a need.
The bookshelf: it’s comin’ with me! I use a deconstructible (uh, is that a word? I’m not a wordsmith today) steel framed bookshelf. Nothing fancy. Just four shelves in black, and I like being able to hook things into the zigzags of the shelves.
A storage bench: this comes with me too. I got this storage bench from Ikea, unfortunately in white, but it’s great because it’s got foam padding on top and storage inside. A decent bed in a pinch. Maybe I’ll just use that as a bed until I get a good deal on a real one?
Chair: I don’t even know how old this desk chair is, but the hydraulics still work, it’s got enough padding on the back to serve. It’ll go with.
Lamps: My friend gave me his extra floor lamp a couple years ago and it’s still working well, as is the ten dollar Target desk lamp that sits by my bed. Both go with.
Misc (Clothes, shoes, and books): I think the books will be the heaviest since I have so many paperbacks and trade paperbacks (comics). They’re my indulgence! I have pared down the paperbacks, pulled out about 150 of them and a good friend who shares a PaperBackSwap account with me listed them for swap. It’s awesome, I supply the books, he supplies the labor, we share the benefits of getting cheap books.
Some basic clothes will stay here, but all the comfy and professional clothes go with me. I’ve already spent a lot of time paring down here too, but I could use another concentrated go at it.
Same with the shoes: some will stay here, but I’d like to make sure we’re down to the essentials only. The definition of essentials will depend on where I go.
Kitchen: there’s nothing in this kitchen I would take from my parents, other than a few favorite glasses/mugs. Maybe the Brita. My parents don’t like it anyway. For that, I’ve got about $80 left on a Bed, Bath and Beyond gift card and some coupons. A pot, a pan, a few dishes and utensils from Ikea should do the trick.
I wonder if it’s too early to set my baseline prices for a bed and desk substitute?
I’m not sure if I’d be willing to yard sale a bed, but a desk would be fine. Perhaps I can hold out on shopping until yard sale season?
April 25, 2008
The catchall drawer. Does anyone remember it? The one drawer in the house that seems to suck everything into its depths, and some things never emerge again? All the drawers in my desk are starting to go that way, but the middle drawer is the worst.
Digging out the contents revealed: about nine hundred fifty pens; twenty highlighters; twenty pencils, wooden or mechanical; fifteen Sharpies of various shapes, sizes and colors; solid and liquid white-out; staples; tiny little folding papers to make those puff-up stars; two jade bracelets; a Masterlock the combination of which has been lost for all time; a tiny magnifying glass in a leather case; my Discover-to-go card that expired in June 2006; a half dozen sheets of really cute but juvenile stickers; 7 AAA batteries, two of which were dead, two which are questionable; two old pagers; old house keys to my best friend’s house, but for the door that her brother broke about 7 years ago; and a one legged compass. That’s just for an example!
Whew! I can’t believe that all of that could fit into one drawer, two inches deep! Granted, it’s about two feet across, but my goodness! That’s way too much stuff. I checked every pen, pencil and highlighter and threw away about a hundred, divvied the pens up into “good-keep” and “good-give away” piles, and now have a sack of perfectly good pens that I don’t want. I’ll take them to work, there’s always a need for pens there.
I can’t bring myself to throw away that lock. I know I’ll never remember or figure out the combination, but it’s such a good solid lock, I just can’t do it.
Likewise with the pagers. I know no one uses pagers anymore except the doctors I work with, but I’m pretty sure not a one of them will want my teeny tiny light blue pager. It’s really cute, it fits in the palm of my hand! It’s only 1.5″ x 2″, and still has the original silver chain/clip, and matching light blue belt clip. The only reason I stopped using it was because I finally got a cell phone back in 2001. Huh, I wonder if that’s why I had that box of AAA batteries? It does use a AAA battery …..
April 24, 2008
My desk is about 15 years old, and it’s kind of falling apart. It’s a pretty decent size, something like 5′ across, and 3′ deep, with an equally large hutch sitting on top. I use every inch of space on my desk and hutch, but often get annoyed by the clutter. I spent over an hour clearing off just the top of the hutch. Things like old business cards, phone cards, eons-old lip balms, old medications from when I was trying different drug regimens for my various ailments, photos, Lone Wolf and Cub, envelopes, notebooks, pens, pencils and mailing supplies had all accumulated into an army perched atop my desk.
Bit by bit, things were tossed out, or cleaned up and replaced. I’d call it a 75% success. I might be able to get rid of a few more things, but only if I get even more organized. It could happen!
April 22, 2008
I know I haven’t said much about the impending move since my final decision earlier this month. Rest assured, I have not changed my mind. It’s simply been a very busy time getting used to the idea, dealing with work drama, not so incidentally trying to figure out if I’m going to have a job for much longer, etc. Lots of things going on all at once, lots to think about. But, I have not forgotten, nor changed my mind. More than ever, I understand the need to move out is valid, and my real problem is restraining myself from going buck-wild quitting my job, packing up the car and moving cross country in the middle of the night so no one can find me again. Yeah. Once you open the spigot, watch out!!
Anyway, I know that I need to save up money for first/last months’ rent, the security deposit, start up costs for utilities, and miscellaneous moving costs. The one thing I absolutely do not want to do is have to pay for storage because I have too much crap. Between that, and my need not to kill myself moving too much crap, I’ve begun taking one small area of my room a day, one day a week, and clearing it all out. Junk goes into the garbage, salvageable things that I don’t need or use regularly get donated. Items in really good or new shape (haven’t run into much of that yet) will either be eBayed or Craigslisted. That’s the plan, Stan.
My first step was the closet: the shelves, not the clothes on the bar. The upper shelves are set up with cubes for easier storage. And, of course, more convenient stashing of clutter. I worked my way through the excess Comfortable Clothing up there, jammies, sweats, old ratty jersey sweaters. How many sets of pajamas does one person need? Even better, I don’t even wear pajama sets anymore, a loose-fitting t-shirt and pajama pants or shorts are as fancy as I get. The cubes are still a little full because I was just getting started and haven’t gotten really ruthless yet, but I’ll come back to it again later.
