Moving was a BIG mistake

Well, I can tell you a bit about Oklahoma.

Here is a site where you can compare where you are now to other places you could move to. It will calculate whether you need an increase in income to move there or if you can maintain your standard of living and an approximate amount of any decrease in costs, if there are any. It even gives you average prices on staple foods. Here's the link: http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/savings/moving-cost-of-living-calculator.aspx

Oklahoma weather: I personally hate it. They get everything here. Two weeks ago it was in the seventies, then it dropped to single digits and we had an ice storm followed by a snow storm. It's back up into the seventies again. This is their winter. However, it appears that these ice/snow storms only happen once or twice per winter. The summers are hot but the humidity is not as unbearable as I've experienced in states like Ohio.
There are severe storms and the nickname "tornado alley" is an appropriate one. There are mild to moderate earthquakes. There can be flooding.

Where we live has been here since the seventies though and it's still standing. While I detest living here and have difficulty relating to the mindset of a lot of people here (and the excitement of city living left me years ago) I love our church and as far as weather concerns, none of them have personally affected us apart from not being able to drive a couple days out of the year. We live beside a military base and I love that part of it too. Unlike the places in California and Oregon that I've been in, there's a sense of patriotism and respect for the military that I found lacking in other states.

If you're anywhere near another state, check out that cost of living calculator and see how much you might save by sliding over the border. Oregon doesn't have sales tax. That was nice when I lived there. But they also didn't have buses or taxis. However, they're quickly nearing California's sad state of financial affairs so any assistance out there will be about as nonexistant as it is in Cali.

Hope something works out for you. Keep praying! And when you do find a way to move if that's what happens, check out hostels if you don't mind being around some rather interesting people in order to save money on lodging during your travels. Desperate times call for desperate measures...

And don't think of yourself as poor right now or having it rough. Call it being a minimalist. Makes it easier to deal with. Seriously! After a while you might even start believing it, then it becomes even easier and almost fun to be forced to do insane things for small pleasures. Like making tomato soup out of ketchup packets and hot tap water in the bathroom of McDonald's. God still reigns and any troubles now will be made just one day. Cling to that. It's kinda all we have sometimes.

 

Well, come on down to New Zealand, where you get taxed about 50% of your income , petrol is $2.00/litre. I am growing my own food, and now go to a farm to purchase milk at the farmgate....rather the dairy getting the money rather than the 3 times dearer in town.

The upside is that I live in a beautiful spot on the planet, a great little town, genial climate, and I am more happy and content than I have ever been in my life.

Trust in the Lord, I felt called to come here and it was a huge leap of faith but it was the best thing to have happened to me.

 

Come and listen to a story/'bout a man named Jed
The poor mountianeer barely kept his family fed

And then one day he was shootin' at some food
and up from the ground come a bubblin' crude

Oil that is----Black Gold---Texas Tea!!!!!!!


It bites just as bad here in the Heart of Dixie!!!!! My prayer is for you, Jon Marc!!!!:saint:

 

Moving is expensive even if you move yourself and especially so if you use a mover.

I have been given the following advice about moving. Sell all your furniture and buy either new or used furniture at your new home. The money you receive for your old furniture and the money saved by not using a mover or having to move yourself will buy you what you need.

Check out the article at the following link:

http://frugalzeitgeist.com/cheapest-places-to-live-in-america/

 

Wow - sounds just like my feelings about Ireland, including petrol at over US$7.00 per US gallon

 

Too bad you are not in Ontario, Canada. We have housing geared to income called low rental apartments. Indeed we have all four seasons, but one adapts to that.

Fuel is expensive, but one can readily control that. Most stores are within walking distance. If past debts are a problem, there is an organization that groups these debts into one monthly payment within one's ability to pay.

So much for our form of socialism; it works.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Jim, we have low-income housing projects here as well, many of them in fact.

Jon-Marc, have you called the Department of Health and Human Resources to see if you qualify for food stamps, medicaid, etc? Check to see if there are senior citizen programs there where you live as well. I know that here we have food banks, senior citizen programs, and other organizations that help. You might also want to see if there are any missions or shelters in your area as they may know of other resources for you.

 

Cost of living is always high where there are good jobs. What kind of work do your friends do?

 

Yep, low income housing exists but with funding the way it is there's a very long wait and priority is given to emergency situations, and those are further categorized by the urgency of the emergency.
http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/affordablehousing/
There's the info on it. You can look up states and counties and see the requirements to be on it, call, and they'll let you know if they're even taking applications. If my understanding is correct, some states have quit bothering to even take applications and can't tell you when they'll start again.

There's a gap between being destitute and being able to manage. Once you're in that gap you're invisible and nobody sees you so you gotta climb out on your own unless ya got a rich uncle or something. Stinks, but it is what it is. And a whole lotta people are falling into it right now.

On the other hand, there's a whole lotta programs out there that will help if you're a crack addict...
Not saying to go on crack. LOL Just saying it's kinda ironic.