I need a little help.

[Songstress2]

Hi. My husband is getting out of the military. They won't let him stay in because he is not world wide assignable. They won't let him extend or anything.

He can do the reserves, but that's not a complete job everyday. Now, we are going to be moving, but at the current moment, we have no idea where. He has put in some application places, but no one has responded yet. I would love some ideas. We need help soon though because he gets out on 8-17 and I am a SAHM. I have recently started selling avon so I haven't begun to make anything really yet and am trying to finish this training for my certificate in wedding/event planning.

I have been so stressed lately that I can't focus on anything. Any ideas on where to look for a job, the best places for raising a family, housing, low COL, anything is apprecaited.

[berlinsmommy]

Move to a college town and use that GI Bill so he can get a degree in something! While he is fresh out of the military and your family income is pretty low, he should qualify or be close to qualifying for in-state residency at many state schools and you should be able to get Pell Grants as well as getting possible scholorships. If he remains a reservist there may be some sort of tuition assistance as well. It will be tough for the few years until his degree is completed, but in the long run that would be by far the best for your family. Depending on where you land, you may also qualify to buy a house with a VA loan. Being a vet right now has a lot of advantages when it comes to education - make the most of them!!!

Edit: Click Here!! to read up on some of the educational benefits offered for vets. Good luck!

[Jiji]

What are your interests? What size town are you looking for? Where is your family and do you want to be close to them? What is your dh's line of work? Could you just "start over" in a town and go from there.

I think if you answered those questions, it may help us narrow down our advice.

As for COL, I would think the South offers the most possibilities. I think that housing is already low and plentiful BEFORE you factor in the housing woes of late. I could name you 10 towns in SC and GA that would be perfect to raise a family, live in close proximity to a decent-sized city AND offer decent job prospects. I see you are in FL so this wouldn't be a bad move.

Have you done a Google search for "Top 10" categories? US News and World Report does one of these once a year and I'm sure they aren't the only ones.

Sorry not to offer substantial advice, but would like to hear more of what you are looking for first.

As for looking for a job, go ahead and put together a good resume and put it up on the free boards like monster.com and careerbuilder.com - I assume those are still the big 2. There are many boards that are industry specific. There is probably one that recruits former military personnel depending on their area of expertise.

[Songstress2]

well...we are basically open for just about anything at this moment! I would love to live back in Jacksonville, FL. He doesn't really want to go back there. He says it's "too big." I don't know why he really cares for real. We don't do a lot. Thinking more along the lines of the schools...I have a 4 years old and a 1...almost 2 year old. So daycare and schools are important to me as well...those actually have higher importance to me than some other stuff. I would love to live in an area where housing is good...and the job market is decent. I think if I have a job and he does...we will be okay...especially since we have been living on his income for so long...but I just want him to be close to where he was a little bit. By the way...he made somewhere around $38,000 a year including BAH and BAS. So I mean I understand not going directly back to that...but I don't want to be so far away that even with me getting a job we are struggling horrendously...because we do have the kids.

Now we want to move to an okay sized city. I love the big city life, he doesn't like the big city life really. He can deal with it, but doesn't exactly like it. He is/wa a storekeeper in the navy which is supply..ordering parts, handing them out, all the technical stuff that goes along with all that. Family is in mainly in Detroit for both of us. But we have family in AL, CA, LA, and OH. I don't really want to move back to Detroit, but I would if he got a job there. I guess we could start over, but i hate that process. We have done it twice...once when we first moved in 2003 and once last year. I don't make friends very easily...so having to make friends all over again would be really bad. Moving back to detroit, that would make my friends as well as his all VERY happy. But we are not trying to move back into the city itself, but the subburbs.

So I don't know if this helps any jiji, but feel free to ask whatever you want. I will try my best to answer.

[Jiji]

There are so many cities that you could live "near" and fulfill both your "close to it" needs and his "away from it" needs. I can personally vouch for living in the suburbs of ATL as alot of us can. The housing market is HOT if you are a buyer (like many areas) although I will say that the rental market is limited in some areas. There are certain areas that are too pricey to even consider. Schools are good here, imo. I know that Cobb (not my county) County schools are considered to be far above average.

Another area that I have family in and know a bit about is the Greenville/Spartanburg corridor. BMW has their plant there, so the area is growing and even attracts a fair amount of halfbacks (the Northern retirees who want to go "halfway", instead of all the way to FL). The housing market (a hobby of mine - I check prices online all the time) is good there and the average house price is much lower than in many cities. GV and SB are about 20 miles apart and the area in between is pretty convenient to either.

Again, having the job before you move would be ideal, but if you do have to start over, would you be available to work as well? You mentioned daycare, so I'm assuming you could. Get his resume out to potential employers and maybe the egg will be waiting for the chicken.

Our family has moved many times, so I definitely have opinions and thoughts, but don't want to see pushy. If you have any other questions or thoughts, let's hear 'em.

[Andra]

There are many civilian jobs that hire mainly Veterans/give preference to former military personnel.

USAJOBS - Veteran's Employment Resource Center

[cbobylev]

Hi,

It's hard to make that kind of decision...especially with little ones. Have you considered Houston? I know its big but it has a lot to offer. There are very nice communities around here. Most people live in suburbs. The are tons of homes on the market so you could get a really good deal. Also the are more jobs down here than in the North. Great schools... ect. You mentioned you were a sahm... if you are considering homeschooling Texas is a very homeschool friendly state. We also have great couponing classes, groups, clubs.... Anyway its an option.

[Songstress2]

Thanks so much. I myself LOVE ATL. My mom used to live in Smyrna and in Lithonia. So I love it,but he absolutely can't stand Atlanta. I don't understand why, but he can't stand it. Once before he said something about it being too big and too much going on. My sister was in the CobbCounty school disrtict. And she is VERY smart. I have to admit that she knows a LOT of information that I don't and I went to school in the Detroit Public School System. I had not really considered TX, but I guess we could. I am so tired of moving. I want to get in a house! He said that he is not ready for a house yet...but I am tired of moving and the kids need stability. My son is 4 and he has moved 5 times, this one making 6. My daughter isn't even 2 yet and this one for her will be number 3. I in the past 12 years have moved a good 10 maybe 11 times. I am tired of packing!!!!!!!!! So tired of it! But I guess if I have to, then I can again. But it's so annoying. I want to get a job. I love being at home with the kids, but i am like really tired on it now. And my daughter needs interaction with other kids for real. She only gets it on Sunday at church now. Where exactly is greenville? I'm not really exactly sure where they are. I would love to look into them. i am going to begin mentioning more of these places to my hubby...especially ATL. I love it there and Jacksonville. So I am about to be looking hard in a few places! Especially since he did say that whereever he can get a job, he is gonna go! (lol) Please keep the ideas rolling!

Jiji, I'm not sure if you would mind, but since you guys have moved, I would your opinion! I'm new to the civilian life again adn I need a lot of help. You won't be being pushy or anything...just giving your opinion. Also....thanks for the link. I don't know if he has it...I will pass it along!

[abond0017]

I think I would have to second the idea of living in Houston....we just moved from there not too long ago after living there for 3 yrs and loved it.

I am really sorry for you...my dh is navy too and its kind of wierd but he is in school right now to become a supply guy...I would hate to think they would can him.

We loved Houston...it has a lot of very nice affordable suburbs around the city that are all within a decent drive (when not in traffic) if you need your city fix but are still far enough away that he wont feel overwhelmed.
We only went into the downtown area maybe 8 times total while we were living there so you can avoid it all together if you need to.

There are some award winning schools there (look up cy-fair schools) and I knew of many kids that were home schooled. There are also ALOT of nice daycares/montessories.

If you are looking to buy a house...well there are plenty in Houston and Houston is notorious for its affordable housing. However their housing market is an anomoly and is not being affected like all of the others, so the single family housing prices are still rising meaning you cant take advantage of the housing slump like in other cities, but I think it is still a much more affordable market even still in comparison with tose other cities. Also, if you dont want to buy, there are plenty of apartments.

In the suburbs a bit closer to the city, there is public transportation if you like that.
Houston and the surrounding area is continuously growing so I wouldnt think there would be any issues with getting a job in the city or the burbs.

I didnt venture much into the east side of the city but as for the western/northwest side the neighborhoods of cypress (this is where I lived), katy, klein, sugarland, spring, tomball, and hempstead all seemed like good places to live. Some are much more rural/country than the others and some may have their bad parts but overall are very decent.

Sorry so long whinded but I hope I helped some. If you have any questions about houston feel free to pm me.

[Jiji]

FYI, Greenville is in NW SC. It's 90 minutes from Columbia and maybe the same from Asheville. It's not too big and not too small, kwim?

Do you know why your dh has an aversion to ATL other than "it's too big"? The town we live in is less than 1,000 and we are 45 miles from Turner Field (downtown). It's the best of both worlds.

I think the most important thing is to focus on finding a job UNLESS you have a pretty big nest egg that you can rely on. Most people don't, but I'm assuming.

I don't know anything about Houston and the reason I mentioned my areas is that I know them and they wouldn't be such a far move for you. There are hundreds of smaller towns in Metro ATL that your family could be happy living in or near.

We've moved a great deal too, but I've enjoyed each place we've lived with the exception of one 6 month stretch in the armpit of h*ll. ;) I only had to pack up one time, so I probably can't feel your pain. I think the more ready for this one you are, the less likely you'll face another one anytime soon. Take this with a grain of salt, but your kids are too young to be bothered by this. My dd is a teenage and this is her 6th different school. She will be the first to tell you it wasn't a big deal. As long as your children have Mama and Daddy and a roof over their heads, they have stability. YOU may need stability, but we all do. Plan well on this one and we'll pray it will be the last involuntary one you have to make.

If you want any more opinions, pm me and we'll REALLY talk!!