Help! Feeling torn about life-altering decision.

[ClickyClack]

I don't know what part of WA you're in, but compare the cost of living where you're at, and where you're moving to. I know that some parts of WA are awfully expensive....

[skalenfehl]

We already live very frugally. Our house is very small (less than 1000sq/ft), we only have one car, I buy most of our clothes at thrift stores, and our only debt is our house. Our luxuries are a zoo membership, dance lessons for me and DD, my licensing fee I need to teach aerobics (I barely break even doing this, but I LOVE doing it), and a Netflix subscription. None of those things are very expensive, but we'd likely have to cut them out, at least for a while, plus tighten the purse strings a bit more on things like groceries and road trips that use up gas. (BUT this move would make it absolutely necessary to buy a second car).

Crunching the numbers makes it look like we'd have *just* enough to cover our expenses, and that's only with rough estimates, assuming our utility and grocery bills aren't higher there (UT) than they are here (WA). We'd be lucky to break even while still waiting for our house here in WA to sell, and who knows if we'd be able to find a mortgage for as cheap. We paid 120k for our house. How likely are we to find a reasonable home in the Salt Lake area for that much?

Wow, good on ya! You're doing it right. :)

I wouldn't buy a home in the Salt Lake area. You'll be gouged. There are plenty of cities/suburbs within driving distance. I live in Brigham City and as a contractor, I've driven farther than SLC for jobs. The commute is relatively painless along the I-15 artery if you time it right. It's a buyer's market and there are soooo many people dying to sell their homes, even on a short sale. If you and your family take this decision to the Lord, I have absolutely no doubt that He'll lead you to exactly what you need, where you need it.

[Jenamarie]

We've prayed about it, and both of us feel that this isn't the job to take. Every time we ran the numbers things just came up too tight. I know they're "luxuries", but I'd hate to have to pull my DD from ballet lessons, or give up my own dancing. And we found a COL comparison website, and things are cheaper here than in WA, particularly utilities (mainly because having no AC in the summer is completely do-able, and it rarely gets below freezing in winter.) Even to just rent a home within 30-45 minutes of the new job would cost us over $300 more than what we're paying right now for a mortgage, unless we want to live somewhere not-so-safe. And the state income tax took whatever wiggle room we might've had.

Along with the prompting that this isn't the job to take though, has been the feeling that something better is just in the offing. There's a job in Reno that he's applied for with a company he'd love to get into, and that would put us closer to *both* sides of the family (although not in the same neighborhood of either, like this one would). Or it might be something completely different, it might be that He has plans to move family closer to US instead. Who knows.

Right now we're just praying that as we close this door, the Lord will show us that window.

Edited September 7, 2012 by Jenamarie

[annewandering]

I think you made a wise decision after doing all the right things. Prayer, investigation and discussion. No doubt the future will bring you new chances and changes.

Glad you got it sorted out. :)