How many of you have lived in the middle of nowhere?

[seifrob]

Originally Posted by Xist

Seifrob, personally this sounds a bit like Cars. Supposedly, Radiator Springs is in Arizona, but I am no Lightning McQueen.

I am not Michael J. Fox or Nicholas Cage, either.

You sorely misunderstood me. Both the movies are saying, that when you accept your position, happiness will come, regardless of place. Everything starts in your head.

With apriori aversion, you start to loath that place and nine months there will be basically lost.

What (not who) in your current location is essential for your happiness, that cannot be adequately substituted in Page?

[freebeard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv_jkju_iZg

[Xist]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Look on the bright side. Your chance of getting shot at is probably quite a bit lower in Page :-)

As for those long, lonely drives across the reservation, why would you want to leave? You're right next tof Glen Canyon NRA, not that far from Grand Canyon & Bryce Canyon National Parks, and much else.

Yes, compared to Afghanistan, it is paradise.

The district website says "Live where others vacation!" I wonder how magical Disney employees find their respective parks.

I imagine I would spend my breaks visiting family, just like I did in the Army.

I tried to work on my Civic instead of driving to Page on Friday.

If I tried to leave town, I would probably spend thirty minutes driving, and thirty minutes waiting for my engine to cool down, unless I hit hills...

I rented this car Friday night: Mitsubishi Mirage Reviews - Mitsubishi Mirage Price, Photos, and Specs - Car and Driver

The girl kept trying to get me to super-size to the Versa. I think that was the last car that I rented, thus far a rather uninspiring thing.

Not that I expect to be singing praises about the Mirage. My Civic is seventeen years older, but has a 28% better power-to-weight ratio, and a smarter transmission--me!

I need to figure out how to shift that ammo box, just flooring it keeps me above 5,000 RPM until I eventually reach the speed limit.

This illegitimate child does not have cruise control.

I found and applied to thirty-five places in fifteen days, which is more than I had ever found. I had a Skype interview with someone in Mom's hometown that advertised for a permanent full-time position, but it was neither permanent nor full-time. She wanted me to take over a smaller caseload than I currently have (which is inadequate), for less pay, so she can consider selling her business. If there were not enough deal-killers, she seemed indifferent about everything but having someone take over for her as soon as possible.

It sounds like she does not like her own company.

I asked far more questions than she did.

She offered me the job and I declined.

I have only had one other response, but I am not sure how many employers recruit over the weekend. I have an interview on Monday with an agency that claims "No two clients are ever further than 15 minutes apart, unless agreed to."

I agreed to all of my clients, whether they were 5 or 45 minutes apart.

I want work.

I feel like I will know whether or not I am supposed to move to Page when I get there.

I should really get to bed first.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Xist

The district website says "Live where others vacation!" I wonder how magical Disney employees find their respective parks.

Tastes differ, but I've never understood the attraction of DisneyLand/World for an adult.

I imagine I would spend my breaks visiting family, just like I did in the Army.

But when you live in an outdoor recreation paradise, you invite family to come visit you. And if they don't - well, you learn something useful thereby :-)

[Xist]

I do not want my mom driving more than she needs to and it would be easier for me to travel to Oregon than for my sister's family to make it to Page.

Curiously, moving to northern Arizona will be easy after driving my sister's stuff and pulling her husband's car to Oregon.

I accepted the job.

[and there was much rejoicing]

Thank you everyone for your feedback!

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Xist

I do not want my mom driving more than she needs to and it would be easier for me to travel to Oregon than for my sister's family to make it to Page.

But Page to Oregon is quite a bit less of a long, boring drive that (IIRC) Phoenix to Oregon. And mostly through higher country, so coolier & scenic.

[Xist]

I hope everyone is having a good day.

James, Page to Oregon is shorter, too. I can find flights out of Page, but not into Tillamook, although they have an airport. I can currently fly for $180 roundtrip from Phoenix, 273 miles south. Las Vegas is also 273 miles, but to the west and slightly south. The cheapest nonstop ticket is $196, but thirty-one minutes less. Five hours of driving to either airport, two hours from Portland to Tillamook, and at least a two-hour flight, plus check-in and everything. Ten hours total? Roughly $35 in gas, plus parking fees. Google says 1,237 miles through Utah and Idaho and 18:43. Roughly $62.50 in gas?

They sent me all of the information. The posted salary schedule is two years old, there is a relocation stipend, and they are considering me a teacher. My first Bachelor's should put me at BS + 45. They may not count my two years of experience because I was not full-time.

"Teachers can apply for partial loan forgiveness after working in a Title I school for 5 years."

Many people tell Student Loans they could not afford their payments and were only paying $50 a month.

Is that a pro-tip or a life-hack?

I am making normal payments and I paid extra when I thought I could spare it. Once I fill out the paperwork they sent me I am taking the relevant information to my bank and asking for a credit limit increase so I can move. My first paycheck will probably not be for a month, but thus far my priorities are:

Paying off my credit card.
Opening a checking account that earns interest: https://www.northpointe.com/banking/...timateaccount/
Paying down my student loans.

2017 start in Page
2018 start grad school
2019 work and study
2020 work and study
2021 graduate and do my Clinical Fellow Year
2022 work at a school as an SLP.

I do not see any reason to still have student loans in five years. For grad school? I still have the GI Bill. If it does not cover everything I should be able to pay for it myself.

Have a great day!

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Xist

Many people tell Student Loans they could not afford their payments and were only paying $50 a month.

Is that a pro-tip or a life-hack?

Life-unhack. Extending out the amount of time it takes to pay off a loan just increases the total amount spent on interest. It makes sense that someone owning a debt obligation would allow a lower repayment amount and longer repayment term. It increases the likelihood that they will receive a payment since the monthly amount is reduced, and it increases the amount of interest (profit) they collect.

I am making normal payments and I paid extra when I thought I could spare it. Once I fill out the paperwork they sent me I am taking the relevant information to my bank and asking for a credit limit increase so I can move. My first paycheck will probably not be for a month, but thus far my priorities are:

Paying off my credit card.
Opening a checking account that earns interest: https://www.northpointe.com/banking/...timateaccount/
Paying down my student loans.

Good plan!

A few comments:

1. It makes no financial sense to have ANY money in a savings account until all interest-bearing credit card debt is paid off. As long as the interest rate on your checking/savings account is less than the interest rate of the credit card, you are losing money holding it in savings. The exception to this is if you are tempted to spend more when you have more available credit. Another consideration is to apply for a new CC that has 0% APR for balance transfers for the first year (be careful of transfer fees). If you move to a 0% card, then it makes sense to save money in an interest-bearing account and then either pay off the CC at the end of the 0% term, or transfer the debt again to another 0% card.

2. If you have an auto loan or mortgage, it can make sense to get a cash-out refinance (resets the number of months needed to repay the loan). Take that cash and pay down the higher interest credit cards and school loans. Mortgage and HELOC interest payments are tax deductible, and unlike student loans, are forgiven if filing for bankruptcy.

3. Check out a site like https://www.depositaccounts.com/chec...-accounts.html to find the highest interest rewards checking account.

Many true protips can be found at:

https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/

[Xist]

People used to insist that I needed to start saving. Every time I tried to explain interest they insisted I needed to listen to them.

Time and again I ask why I am expected to listen to people giving advice without listening to my needs.

I get paid in two days. I need to tell Student Loans and the IRS I cannot pay this month.

Wish me luck.

It is going to be tight until that first paycheck.

Northpointe has the highest interest rate on that list. The next bank has a $20,000 limit instead of $10,000.

Rich people problems.

There are always people who shuffle credit cards. I think keeping the same one for several years looks good on my credit history. The other thing is that I may not need additional student loans, but once I am back in school, I will be full-time summers and half-time the rest of the year, so my subsidized loans will not bear interest.

Whenever I can make additional payments I always make them on the unsubsidized loan with the highest interest.

In theory, I could borrow as much as possible, not pay interest on it, and earn interest instead, but that is not my way of the ninja.

Have a great day!

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Xist

Northpointe has the highest interest rate on that list. The next bank has a $20,000 limit instead of $10,000.

Rich people problems.

One of the benefits of being married is that I opened an account for my wife in addition to the account I have (which she is authorized to use). This effectively doubles the amount of money that can earn the high interest.

When you run into this rich person problem in the future, just realize you can always open another account somewhere else, so you're always earning the highest interest.

There are always people who shuffle credit cards. I think keeping the same one for several years looks good on my credit history. The other thing is that I may not need additional student loans, but once I am back in school, I will be full-time summers and half-time the rest of the year, so my subsidized loans will not bear interest.

Whenever I can make additional payments I always make them on the unsubsidized loan with the highest interest.

In theory, I could borrow as much as possible, not pay interest on it, and earn interest instead, but that is not my way of the ninja.

Have a great day!

Shuffling credit cards takes good organizational skill and attention, so it's probably not good for most people to attempt. Miss a payment or forget to transfer the debt to another credit card when the 0% promotion ends, and it can quickly cascade into a mess.

That said, you can shuffle credit cards without closing the old accounts. In fact, having credit cards with low utilization improves your credit score because it shows you have x amount of available credit, but are only using y % of it.

I took out the maximum amount of subsidized loans when I was a student, invested the money, and paid it back just before entering the repayment period. This is dangerous for most people because they see all the money in their bank account, and all of a sudden it becomes easier for them to justify pizza for dinner and new shoes.

In summary, my financial strategy is superior, but only for those who have the type of personality that hates spending money. I don't budget, and that's because I'm frugal and always know that I'm bringing more in than I'm spending.

Concerning money owed to the IRS, I've heard that they can be flexible on both the payment amounts, and even the amount owed (principal).