I asked about this about a year ago... We were buying a new house at the time and were debating on staying in our current area (around 200k people) or moving to my wife's hometown (around 2,000 people).
We decided to stay put and bought a newer and bigger house here.
We like it but I think we're just merely content here. The house is nice but it's in a subdivision and the area is growing and very busy.
So, we're contemplating moving to my wife's hometown which is around an hour away. Here's the specifics.
We would live in a house for free. It is her grandma's house that her dad inherited. It's out in the country, roughly 3,000 square feet, built in the early 1970s (so it's built very well) -- it needs some upgrades but it would be a great house for us. This town, while small, is absolutely beautiful. We have two little boys and our third on the way. We would have family there. There is a ton for us to do there in the way of skiing, hunting, fishing, camping... We have a cabin in the mountains there as well. It's an hour away from civilization so to speak, but it's a great little community with traditional American values.
More than anything else, it is my wife's dream to live and raise our children there. She had an amazing childhood and the thought of making our home there is enough to make tears of joy stream down her face. I really like it there too and believe wholeheartedly that I will grow to love it.
Now let me talk about logistics.
I would stay at my current job for now, which is 1.5 hours away. During my work week, I would stay at an RV Park. Sounds horrible, right? I would demote from my current job class (Sergeant) and become an officer again. This opens up my opportunities to bid onto 12 hour shifts. I would make around the same amount of money. I would only work 14 days per month. I've done the math and I would see my family much more on these shifts, despite staying there during the week. Also, I would use less leave during vacations due to having many, many more days off during the year.
Eventually, I would look for work in the area we live in. So the RV Park set up would likely be temporary.
Another bonus is that staying in the RV will afford me the time I need to finish college. I could easily knock my degree out in a year.
And... No mortgage means we would save a ton of money. We are a single income family with an $1,100 mortgage. We do OK but with two little ones (soon to be three), there is never much room for extras.
Finally (and thank you if you're still with me), this brings me to our house. Selling it a mere year or so after we bought it would be tough. I would like to hire a rental agency and rent it out (we could probably charge $1,400 to $1,600 per month). It would turn into an investment property. I've talked to some guys I work with and the agencies do a great job of managing properties. It would also serve as a contingency in the event that we wanted to move back.
Thoughts? I have pondered this quite a bit. I have made pros and cons list and the small community wins in a landslide. And since my Dad died, my perspective on life has completely changed. I'm not wrapped up in my job and the promotions I once thought I wanted. It just doesn't seem important. My commute now is roughly an hour to and from work a day, five days per week... My family time is pretty limited on my current schedule and with my seniority, I am looking at a long time before I get a good schedule (currently work Graveyard with Monday and Tuesday night off). Working the 12s would eventually give me Friday, Saturday, Sunday and every other Monday off.
I need some OS wisdom.
We decided to stay put and bought a newer and bigger house here.
We like it but I think we're just merely content here. The house is nice but it's in a subdivision and the area is growing and very busy.
So, we're contemplating moving to my wife's hometown which is around an hour away. Here's the specifics.
We would live in a house for free. It is her grandma's house that her dad inherited. It's out in the country, roughly 3,000 square feet, built in the early 1970s (so it's built very well) -- it needs some upgrades but it would be a great house for us. This town, while small, is absolutely beautiful. We have two little boys and our third on the way. We would have family there. There is a ton for us to do there in the way of skiing, hunting, fishing, camping... We have a cabin in the mountains there as well. It's an hour away from civilization so to speak, but it's a great little community with traditional American values.
More than anything else, it is my wife's dream to live and raise our children there. She had an amazing childhood and the thought of making our home there is enough to make tears of joy stream down her face. I really like it there too and believe wholeheartedly that I will grow to love it.
Now let me talk about logistics.
I would stay at my current job for now, which is 1.5 hours away. During my work week, I would stay at an RV Park. Sounds horrible, right? I would demote from my current job class (Sergeant) and become an officer again. This opens up my opportunities to bid onto 12 hour shifts. I would make around the same amount of money. I would only work 14 days per month. I've done the math and I would see my family much more on these shifts, despite staying there during the week. Also, I would use less leave during vacations due to having many, many more days off during the year.
Eventually, I would look for work in the area we live in. So the RV Park set up would likely be temporary.
Another bonus is that staying in the RV will afford me the time I need to finish college. I could easily knock my degree out in a year.
And... No mortgage means we would save a ton of money. We are a single income family with an $1,100 mortgage. We do OK but with two little ones (soon to be three), there is never much room for extras.
Finally (and thank you if you're still with me), this brings me to our house. Selling it a mere year or so after we bought it would be tough. I would like to hire a rental agency and rent it out (we could probably charge $1,400 to $1,600 per month). It would turn into an investment property. I've talked to some guys I work with and the agencies do a great job of managing properties. It would also serve as a contingency in the event that we wanted to move back.
Thoughts? I have pondered this quite a bit. I have made pros and cons list and the small community wins in a landslide. And since my Dad died, my perspective on life has completely changed. I'm not wrapped up in my job and the promotions I once thought I wanted. It just doesn't seem important. My commute now is roughly an hour to and from work a day, five days per week... My family time is pretty limited on my current schedule and with my seniority, I am looking at a long time before I get a good schedule (currently work Graveyard with Monday and Tuesday night off). Working the 12s would eventually give me Friday, Saturday, Sunday and every other Monday off.
I need some OS wisdom.
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