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

I have been a bilingual Speech-Language Pathology Assistant for two years, working in clients' homes, and I have never had enough work. Almost all of my clients are school kids, but I have almost always had openings after school, and I have almost never worked Saturday. For the first time I will have three morning clients this week and I am supposed to have a fourth soon, but I have been working fewer hours than last year, and there are always cancellations.

Both of my Hondas broke down and I have only had one good paycheck since March. I was dealing with too many problems when my landlord said he was raising my rent. I have not responded yet. Instead I applied to every full-time school opening in the state of Arizona.

Well, not to the ones that paid substantially less than I earn now. I had never seen pay that low, and when I looked for places to live, they charged far more than I can get here. That is a horrible combination!

Only Page responded. It is about four and a half hours from here, only seventeen square miles, eight thousand people, one Walmart and Safeway. No Lowes or Home Depot, just one True Value and one Ace. There is a one-screen movie theater that hopefully has color and sound. The nearest Honda dealership is in Flagstaff, 125 miles away.

However, it is fifteen miles from Lake Powell, 104 miles from Zion National Park, 110 miles from the Grand Canyon, 127.5 miles from Monument Valley, and 151 miles from Bryce Canyon, plus it should pay 30% more than I earned last year, I will not need to pay self-employment tax, will have benefits, and summers off. Also, Mom keeps saying Page has one of the best autism day programs in the state.

My brother is autistic.

My sister is a nurse practitioner and she has been telling me how living at 6,345 feet has been bad for Mom. Page is 4,118. It sounded like Page had more moderate temperature, but it looks like their respective winters are similar, while Page's summer is a little warmer, but it snows in Show Low, but not in Page. I told Mom about the interview, she excitedly told me about the day program, and I said I only found a two-bedroom apartment for rent for more than I felt was reasonable, but a three-bedroom 1,400 square-foot house on a 9,000 square-foot property would have a mortgage payment of about the same.

She excitedly said that they could both come.

This sounds like it would be great for both of them, while I would appreciate the raise, stable hours, and benefits. Also, once I pass the GRE I will finally be able to apply for grad school. I could have from my current job, but the program I want requires applicants to work twenty hours a week doing speech therapy, and parents would have a problem with me leaving every summer, even though I would return a better speech therapist.

If somehow this does not work out, having worked in a school, I should have a far better chance of working in another somewhere more desirable, but hopefully I will finally get into a Master's program, which will make an even bigger difference.

I cannot help but think my landlord will complain that I did not give him more notice, that he would have had an easier time replacing me earlier, but I would have had an easier time finding a job had he told me he was raising my rent before July 14th.

I cannot imagine there are many dating opportunities there.

I have 4 words for you: multiple streams of income

You do not have to work just one job for money. There are SO many opportunities to make money here in the US it is ridiculous. Lots of them can be done with a little bit of time here and there, and next to no capital investment. Google and youtube are your friend. Just find something you think you might enjoy and try it out.

That all being said, I have lived in the middle of nowhere and I loved it. Granted, its not for everyone, but I did enjoy it.

i live in the countryside, 4 miles from the center of our village/town.

and 12 miles from a city.

i love it here. But your distances sound a bit more than mine :)

Me, for one. Here's my brother's house, built in 1867 in an undisclosed location in the mid-Willamette Valley. And the car I traded a set of wheels for. I was there last weekend.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-fr...6-100-1167.jpg

The town was never incorporated (like Paradise, NV) and the population peaked at ~150 early in the last century. It's maybe 3 dozen now.

There were two grocery stores until I was in grade school, when one burnt. The other store, the feed & seed company and the farm implement shop all burned in the last 10-15 years.

Who's going to spring for the 25% down on the mortgage?

I live in a town that is very similar in size, one thing to keep in mind is any special needs may not be met which will require that long drive to the city, for me that is 80 miles one way.

But when you match that with the fact that on a daily basis its only 15 minutes to cross town to get to work even when traffic is slow :thumbup: and riding a bike to work is perfectly doable that can offset the aint nothing here issues.

I was born, bred and brought up in a small town of 6,000 people. Dating was never a problem Met and married my wife there. Okay, we were not as remote from other centres of population as Page. Nearest city was about 25 miles away. Local dealership was Ford and there were more Fords in our streets than was the norm. It is just the way it works. I loved it. I could drive between any two points in 5 minutes, irrespective of traffic. Now I live in a town of 50,000 inhabitants. Traffic is busy from 8 am to 6 pm. Okay we have more shops, but the quality of life is nowhere as good.
My suggestion. Suck it and see.

I just have to stay that you seem to have no effing clue what the middle of nowhere is. I mean, eight thousand people? A Safeway, a WalMart, hardware stores. Heck, I bet it even has traffic lights :-)

Now if you want some places on the edge of nowhere, try Ravendale, California, population 36. Or Jarbidge, Nevada, 20 miles from a paved road.

8000 people sounds large enough to me. I lived in small town (2500 souls) and I wish I never left.

Do they have a dentist? Local hospital? Car repair shop? School? Churche? Boy scout club? Kindergarden?

Hey, who needs WalMart, when you have Abdul's hardware store, Mrs. Mervinsky Buttons&fabric, Soltys Brothers Butchery and delicatessen, local grocery, and two (!) coffe and ice cream shops (I already forgot owners names) on town square less than five minutes apart by walk.

What makes quality of life? possibility to buy the same goods in more shops?
Go for it and give it a try. Dating will come.
And FedEx and Netflix operates nation-wide.

P.S: see this movies: Doc Hollywood, The Family man

The only question I saw was the title... was there something specific you were wanting to know about small towns?

I grew up about 30 miles outside of a small town like you describe, and later moved to about 8 miles from that small town. My sister and I were once in the newspaper due to our long bus ride when I was in 1st grade, 2 hours each way. Rural living is typically slower paced and more relaxed than the big city and I still remember it fondly.

Zion is the best.

The dating pool is no longer a problem because of the internet. I've gone on dates in Atlanta, Phoenix, Colorado Springs, and Portland with people I've met on OKC.

I met my wife on OKC.

Go where you stand the best chance of career success and happiness, and find a woman online and take her on a date to Zion. If she doesn't like it, dump her.

This is just one of Xist's periodic updates on his lamentable existence career arc.

When I was in high school my mother drove the school bus so we would ride the entire route to be able to socialize, and then sweep it out each evening.

I was riding when the gas tank fell out of the back and the bus rolled to a stop. Good times.

I grew up in the middle of nowhere, 15 minutes from the nearest town of about 10k people, 30 minutes from 3 different towns of around 35k to 55k population. Simple life can be nice, enjoy life instead of being caught up in it.

That said, there are ample opportunities if you're willing to stick your neck out. I know a guy who rebuilds large capacity gas meters for us, he could increase his price by 50% and we would probably still pay it because it's so much cheaper than the factory. Find a niche where people are willing to spend money and operate in that realm. Lawn care, auto detailing, etc. Learn a skill and exploit it.

I just have to say you have no effing clue what the middle of nowhere is:

Light years from the nearest carbon-based life form.

Did they leave his ship? Not having remote control seems like a galactic oversight. Batman has remote control!

I kind of feel bad creating threads and not checking on them, but the car repair one was the most important, and I have not seen responses.

Every time I think I have found all of the job openings I find another. Page may be a great opportunity, but all things being equal, I would rather not move, and Mom keeps telling me there are huge lonely drives across reservations without cell phone coverage.

I endured twelve months in Afghanistan. I will do nine in Page if I do not find something closer.

I will try to respond to everyone's replies, when I have time.

This thread:

Twelve replies, 364 views

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...00h-32198.html

Six replies, 993 views
(should be in Hybrids - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com)

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ore-35298.html

Thirteen replies, 653 views
(should be in DIY / How-to - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com)

This sounds like Rule 7: Survival of the Fittest Topic.

Best topics get most posts.

But you know this is a pretty good topic. I'm kind-of wishing to get some more money coming in on the side somehow, so I'll be watching this one for decent ideas.

Right now I do the Uber//Lyft thing and work my warehouse job, but in a few weeks derby season will end after our final game and I'll have more free time to do other stuff. In the past I've done yard work or low-skilled carpentry or sold stained glass art but my life circumstances have changed a lot since those days and I need new directions.

@Xist:
Your avatar made me think you were really old but now I suspect you're a millennial and younger than me.

Daox, I have seen SLPA jobs that start above $40k at a school, with benefits and summers off. SLP jobs start at $60k.

I can make that work.

Freebeard, how is the fire department?

The VA is supposed to take care of the down payment, but it would still be a while before I could purchase a house. At least nine months?

TheEnemy, I read someting about people in Downtown Page having, on average, a commute shorter than 99% of Americans.

I imagine that the rest of the town still has a shorter commute. How long can it be within seventeen square miles?

JockoT, they have Ford and Toyota dealerships. Were I to stay I just might go Toyota.

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.

Darcane, I really just wanted to hear everyone's experience in a small town. I always enjoy visiting Mom, but it is a larger town, among several other towns, closer to a larger town.

Redpoint, a Bishop once told us young men that, before we married anyone, we took them hiking, got them bumped, bruised, cold, dripped on, etc., and if they spoke a word of complaint, dump them.

I once went hiking with a girlfriend and her family. It was cold and damp and I loved it.

That still does not make sense to me.

Oh well.

Freebeard, this is at least the second time you have posted about me using the forums to talk about my life. I do not know if everyone else makes decisions on their own, actually has friends to discuss things, or what, but I have never made friends easily.

I do not know if it would be easier or more difficult among 7,300 people.

Unfortunately, my memory only seems to go back two days, which is horrible, although TheEnemy did respond to my heater core thread. Thanks TheEnemy!

Natalya, that is Billy Crystal's character Miracle Max. He used the phrase "Mostly dead" and I made a meme about how I feel after running.

Here is his scene in "The Princess Bride:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9tAKLTktY0

I am thirty-eight.

Volunteers. They have a 20x40 cinder-block building (now, not earlier), but I've never seen the truck[s].

You quite properly keep it to The Lounge. I was trying to help with darcane's question; no disrespect intended.

My situation is similar, just closer to twice your age. And I also don't resemble my avatar.

I don't get any second opinions — sometimes it's along time before the little light-bulb goes on over my head.

OH I LOVE THAT MOVIE

I didn't recognize him in the photo, the ecomodder max avatar size is so small.

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.

I had a look at Page on Google maps and it is full of tourist hotels, so it is obviously attractive to many.

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?

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.

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

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 :-)

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!

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.

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!

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.

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/

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!

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.

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).

This is why most "get out of debt" plans have building a ~$1000 emergency fund as one of the first steps. Paying extra on loans is great for the long term, but if something comes up before they're paid off, it doesn't really help you. It's kind of a penny-smart, dollar-foolish sort of thing. Giving yourself that buffer to not have to use credit cards or payday loans (or starve) if an unexpected expense comes up can save you a lot more than what you saved on interest by putting everything you had into the loan.

Depending on who you talk to, paying down credit cards can be seen as the equivalent of building an emergency fund in your savings or checking account. Putting extra money into paying a credit card down saves you interest and builds a buffer you can borrow against if needed, unlike most other loans. Of course, an emergency fund is preferred, because then you don't need to go back into debt, and some people need to completely cut off adding to their debt to keep from returning to their old spending habits. I personally have a credit card mainly for the cash back rewards, but I also consider it to be an emergency fund in addition to what I have saved up in my savings account (I pay it off monthly, so I've never paid interest).

I recommend taking financial advice from several authors and combining it into something that works for you. Dave Ramsey is a good place for beginners to start, especially for getting out of debt, because he has a step by step plan that's pretty easy to follow (I think some of his later steps are out of order or unnecessary). The budget program YNAB has good tips that can be used with their software or other budgeting strategies (I use YNAB4/YNAB Classic instead of the newer subscription version). Mr. Money Mustache can be a little hardcore for some, but he has plenty of good advice that is helpful even if you don't take it to the extreme like he usually does.

Extreme budgeting!

I do not know about the other checking accounts, but Northpointe requires fifteen debit transactions. If I am working on a project, I may do that in one day, but juggling multiple accounts kind of seems like a dangerous game, needing to remember to make sure you get your transactions with enough time to make them up.

Store employee: "Ah, Xist, end of the month is it?"
Me: [scans fifteen cans of peas in separate transactions]

I like to have money in the bank and available credit. Some emergencies require cash, others credit, and still others debit.

It is a strange world.

I estimated how much I need to pay in taxes for the past twelve months, which was where I realized how little I had earned. Now that I am filling out a forty-five-page New Hire packet I have received two e-mails about full-time jobs.

One was only a couple of days a week, but full days. In theory I could have shifted clients to Saturday and still seen everyone.

In theory, no thanks.

I have not asked which modifiers apply to my starting pay, but at a minimum I will earn 2/3s more in nine months than I did in the last twelve.

I will figure out something.

Using the same tax estimator, not taking into account the new and exciting tax brackets I will be entering for both state and federal, I could hypothetically earn $150 in interest by putting the money for taxes into that 5% checking account.

Student loans were offering me $5,000 per semester. In theory I could accrue another $30,000 and then supposedly it would be forgiven.

It is difficult to say goodbye. These are good kids from good families, and they can use good people trying to help them.

I recently started purchasing $0.50 Amazon credits using my debit card. Done 12 times to meet my requirement, I add $6 per month to my Amazon account.

My sister always rents Penske because U-Haul once gave away their reservation.

https://cdn.meme.am/cache/instances/...6/52900426.jpg

I drove the truck to her house and she drove it to Portland because there is not a location closer. The nearest Penske to Page is St. George, UT, which does not help me. The location in Flagstaff does not really help me, either. Strangely, it actually costs more to drive round-trip because of mileage, and it does not offer me a car trailer.

However, if I give it two ZIP codes here in-town, it will offer me a rental, including car trailer, for less than half of the quote one-way to St. George. So, I can drive the truck and trailer 273 miles up, drop off my stuff and car, drive them back down empty, leave it at the next-closest location, get a ride, and drive my Accord up.

I wonder if that will actually work.

Page school district pays new hires for four days five days before school starts and deducts it from the twenty-two regularly-scheduled paychecks.

Saving and having money in a savings account aren't necessarily the same thing. Putting money in mutual funds is saving, as is contributing to a 401k/IRA. Paying off high-interest debt is also a form of saving - at least as long as it doesn't encourage you to go out and borrow more :-)

Parking more than a couple of months expenses in a savings account is usually a bad idea.

I was trying to figure out the most economical way to get myself, my stuff, and my cars to Page. Somehow I thought Penske required me to give information. I thought I unchecked the box each time, but I must have missed it, someone called me. I asked about not being able to rent a tow dolly for a round-trip rental. He said they do not rent tow dollies for in-town moves. I told him I was not moving in-town, I was moving five hours away, but there was not a location there, so I would bring it back, and he insisted that was an in-town move. I explained that it was across the state, but argued that it was still in-town. I told him I looked forward to renting from U-Haul and he said "No problem," but did not get off the phone.

U-Haul charges twice as much.

So, it looks like I will follow through with my original plan of renting from the nearest location and dropping off at the closest place to it. I just wonder if Penske will say "You were rude to our representative and told him to do push-ups!"

I love push-ups!

I really need to do them more often...

"...now drop and give me twenty!"

Pity, I tried to find a clip of that and got "Clip removed at the request of the copyright holder." and a song by Twisted Sister.

I am not hearing anything about push-ups~

You're being filter-bubbled!

It's buried in the middle of the confrontation on the ROTC parade field. Try the first two:

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...r+animal+house

Twisted Sister had a MGTOW anthem? Who knew?

How is this for multiple streams of income?

I was on the phone with the awesome mom of my favorite client, telling her I could not find a school job down here, when a school job down here called. If they hired me I could stay and could keep some clients, but I would need to continue seeing about half of them to make as much as I will in Page. No problem, eight-hour work day, and two clients after school each day, with a great deal of driving. That should still leave me Saturdays to take care of other things, like getting into grad school.

Or I walk to and from the school in Page and have twice as much time to get into grad school...

Was the timing of that phone call ironic? They are not interviewing until next week, but they start in four days! They still have not found an SLP. Anyone can earn a Bachelor's in Speech (and Hearing Sciences) (and become an SLPA), but most graduates struggle to get into a Master's program. There are over 200 in the U.S., but the ones I know only accept 30 each year, but they have 300 applicants, and they only choose the best. I probably saw 100 openings for Arizona school SLPs when I looked two weeks ago.

I am not moving to Page for the money, but I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to earn it.