How do you escape "small town" USA?

[Kaa]

Now, I don't live in Austin, but I've been there, and it's a cool city. BUT, it's also a college town, and you're looking at all the grads competing with you for jobs. Not to mention all the folks like you who desire to move there for the vibe.

What other towns have you looked at for the vibe?

 

[Jonyak]

I think the vinegar part came after the comments about "living in your car" and "here comes the whambulance".

If you want to make big changes in your life, sacrifices will need to be made. if you are not willing to make them, nothing will change.

if you want to change, do it, make it happen. stop complaining about it on the internet and do it.

noone is being mean to you, this is how it works.

 

[powderfinger]

Even if not Austin, I think Id like to be around other people like me. Meaning.... in my travels, Ive met interesting, intelligent, open minded people. I always love getting away from SC, and making new friends elsewhere. And it always sucks when I have to return home to all the close minded, backwoods, ignorant hillbillys back home in SC.

I guess if not Austin, a town LIKE Austin. A town with good music... art... culture. No KKK rallies. No signs in front of chruches warning you about "hell" every block. No rebel flags in people's front yards. THAT is what I want to ESCAPE from.I hate it here. I am intellectually suffocating here in SC.

Its hard for me to move. I CANT save money. I am BORROWING money from my mom and dad to pay my bills. Ive dropped cable and gym and other non essentials, but Im just not able to SAVE.

Ive also got a health issue, which requires meds and reg. doc visits. If I move, I lose my health insurance and ability to afford meds and treatment. IT makes everything harder.

 

[powderfinger]

suicide. only option.

Eat ****. only option.

 

[Kaa]

As I mentioned in a previous post, can your doc prescribe a 6 month supply of meds? Would your insurance cover something like that?

Another idea is to move back in with the parents for a while. Pay them some rent & food money, and save from there.

Also, I would recommend selling your car, and buying a less expensive one. Try to avoid any monthly payment like the plague.

 

[Mushroo]

Assuming you're able to find a great job in Austin and make your move, the best advice I can give you is this: Go on Craigslist (or similar) and find an apartment-to-share with roommates who have similar interests (even if you're making enough to afford your own place). If you are lucky and you have friendly roommates who know the city well, you can go out with them and learn your way around. Also not a bad idea to sign up for a dating website (assuming you are single and interested) as a way to meet new people and discover new restaurants, nightspots, etc.

 

[powderfinger]

As I mentioned in a previous post, can your doc prescribe a 6 month supply of meds? Would your insurance cover something like that?

And then what happens after 6 months???? Hope and pray Ive found a good job with health insurance, and that will cover my meds and also the treatments? I have a medical condition which I CANNOT play roulette with.

Another idea is to move back in with the parents for a while. Pay them some rent & food money, and save from there.

They live 5 hours from me. In an old folks community.

Also, I would recommend selling your car, and buying a less expensive one. Try to avoid any monthly payment like the plague.

How do you know I dont already own a cheap car?

 

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Even if not Austin, I think Id like to be around other people like me. Meaning.... in my travels, Ive met interesting, intelligent, open minded people. I always love getting away from SC, and making new friends elsewhere. And it always sucks when I have to return home to all the close minded, backwoods, ignorant hillbillys back home in SC.

I guess if not Austin, a town LIKE Austin. A town with good music... art... culture. No KKK rallies. No signs in front of chruches warning you about "hell" every block. No rebel flags in people's front yards. THAT is what I want to ESCAPE from.I hate it here. I am intellectually suffocating here in SC.

Its hard for me to move. I CANT save money. I am BORROWING money from my mom and dad to pay my bills. Ive dropped cable and gym and other non essentials, but Im just not able to SAVE.

Ive also got a health issue, which requires meds and reg. doc visits. If I move, I lose my health insurance and ability to afford meds and treatment. IT makes everything harder.

Have you tried setting a hard budget?

It's what I needed to do, I have an account that my wages are paid into. I know how much is coming out for bills, so I leave that (plus a little extra just incase), stick £100 in another bank account for food for the month, then the rest goes into the savings account.

Can't really comment on the health issue (not a problem here), but surely there is some way to take Health Insurance with you? Do jobs in your field generally provide health insurance that would cover your needs?

 

[i_got_a_mohawk]

And then what happens after 6 months???? Hope and pray Ive found a good with health insurance, and that will cover my meds and also the treatments? I have a medical condition which I CANNOT play roulette with.

Try the proactive approach to getting a job. Look up specific companies, contact HR people/higher up managers, even if they don't have jobs advertised.

Show them you have something that makes you stand out, even with the economy being hard now, companies will often find a way to hire someone that they really want to take on.

Try visiting companies too, try and meet the people who have a say in hiring (at least that puts a face to the name on the CV/Resume, puts you a foot forward of the competition who are just names on a piece of paper).

 

[groooooove]

Dude, I appreciate you trying to help me, but YOU ARENT helping me, dude. I want to move to a city with more opportunity, more music, and more culture. Does ANYONE have any suggestions on leaving? And maybe not even to a big city, but a smaller city like mine, but WITH more opporunity.

HOW DO YOU CONDUCT A MOVE WITH NO CONNECTIONS OR RESOURCES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you need to somehow find a job in a new place. screw the little cities, theyre boring and lifeless. come to new york.

 

[Kaa]

Well, my first guess that you don't have a cheap car is that you have a payment for it.

When I say cheaper, I mean "no payment".

As to the meds, once again, don't overreact. It was a SUGGESTION designed to help you. So, in that vein, how much would the meds run you out of pocket? Would you be able to pay for them until benefits kicked in?

 

[Mushroo]

Have you googled "texas health insurance?" If you are not covered through your job you can always purchase your own health insurance and indeed you must budget for this when planning your move if you plan to move there without a job.

 

[Rusty Chainsaw]

And then what happens after 6 months???? Hope and pray Ive found a good job with health insurance, and that will cover my meds and also the treatments? I have a medical condition which I CANNOT play roulette with.

Ever thought of going abroad for a while? International experience looks great on a resume (putting you in a much better position for getting a job in Austin upon your return), plus you won't have to worry about being able to afford your medicine because pretty much all other countries have universal healthcare, and prescriptions are usually heavily subsidised or sometimes even free, depending on where you go.

There's various international "work experience" schemes you could check out - for instance, look into the BUNAC programme. Means saving for an air ticket, but, if you're going to move, why not think big? Pack a bag with some clothes, a laptop, a few keepsakes and your bass, and get on a plane. Sounds scary, but could be the biggest adventure of your life.

 

[MJ5150]

I CANT save money. I am BORROWING money from my mom and dad to pay my bills. Ive dropped cable and gym and other non essentials, but Im just not able to SAVE.

This is why myself and a few others mention the hard reality of maybe having to live in your car if you decided to move. Nothing permanent, but until you find a more permanent domicile. You appear hell bent on getting away from SC, even saying you are being intellectually suffocated, so making hard choices are going to be part of the process if you decide to move.

I'm not trying to be a stuck up jerk, and I am not attempting to insult you. Just trying to mention some of the realities that may face you as you venture off into your new life.

What I don't get is, let's say a company in Austin calls you today and offers you a job. Since you don't have any money and can't save any money, how are you going to get to Austin, get all settled in, and find a place to live?

-Mike

 

[macaroni tony]

And then what happens after 6 months????

This whole thing is an "And then what happens?" You can't expect to have all of the bases covered if you intend to move. You just can't. If you don't get a job that covers the meds, pay for them yourself. If you don't have enough to pay for them yourself, mow another lawn, or spend another day at home depot, or wait some more tables, or spend another day playing music at the pier with an upside down hat on the floor, or etcetcetc...

All anyone can provide (yourself included) is an idea to get you from one place to another, and hopefully a little money to last you until you find a gig

 

[Pilgrim]

And then what happens after 6 months???? Hope and pray Ive found a good job with health insurance, and that will cover my meds and also the treatments? I have a medical condition which I CANNOT play roulette with.

They live 5 hours from me. In an old folks community.

How do you know I dont already own a cheap car?

You're really good at inventing reasons that you CANNOT do what you claim you want to do. This has become very tiresome.

Stop whining, stop inventing reasons you can't do something, and start working on solutions. Work your butt off to find solutions. Work like crazy to find that next position, using all the resources available to you, and get it done. It's clear to me that you are in a cycle of self-defeat.

 

[powderfinger]

This whole thing is an "And then what happens?" You can't expect to have all of the bases covered if you intend to move. You just can't. If you don't get a job that covers the meds, pay for them yourself. If you don't have enough to pay for them yourself, mow another lawn, or spend another day at home depot, or wait some more tables, or spend another day playing music at the pier with an upside down hat on the floor, or etcetcetc...

All anyone can provide (yourself included) is an idea to get you from one place to another, and hopefully a little money to last you until you find a gig

I tend to like to cover the bases that involve... you know, STAYING ALIVE!

 

[Mushroo]

It sounds like you are scraping by and borrowing money to meet your current expenses with your current income. You need a better job NOW if you want to someday achieve your dreams. What about getting a job locally with a national/international corporation that also has offices in Austin (or some other city you like)? Once you have some experience working there, and have saved up enough to cover your moving expenses, you can transfer within the company.

For that matter, what about finding a job locally that requires travel to interesting places? You can visit different cities, experience the culture, make connections, imagine yourself living there, etc.

 

[powderfinger]

It sounds like you are scraping by and borrowing money to meet your current expenses with your current income. You need a better job NOW if you want to someday achieve your dreams. What about getting a job locally with a national/international corporation that also has offices in Austin (or some other city you like)? Once you have some experience working there, and have saved up enough to cover your moving expenses, you can transfer within the company.

For that matter, what about finding a job locally that requires travel to interesting places? You can visit different cities, experience the culture, make connections, imagine yourself living there, etc.

There's not a whole lot in my town, honestly. Its a very poor town. I think the average income here (for the 65% who arent living off the government) is only like 25,000 per year. Its a small, poor town which probably in the 40s and 50s was a fine place to live, but now its basically like what Detroit has become. Just a ghost town of an old elegant southern town.

 

[macaroni tony]

I tend to like to cover the bases that involve... you know, STAYING ALIVE!

Then you have to stay where you are.