Comments on: Considering Montana

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:42:27 +0000

Ben’s comment pretty much sums up the situation. I’ve looked through various job sites and found nothing. The same goes for the classifieds in the local papers. I found very little in the way of employment up there.

I’d still like to go, but I think the first order of business is going to be to plan a vacation to visit and see what we think.

Coordinating various things like finding a job, selling a house, and buying a house will be tricky and all the pieces will have to fall into place perfectly.

With the housing market the way it is right now, we can’t afford to sell at the moment. One of the houses on our road was foreclosed on, and resold. The entire neighborhood’s values were hurt by it.

By: The Brother

The Brother — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:01:08 +0000

So a month has gone by. Did the moment pass, or are you still considering Montana? If you are, have you found any intersting property for sale up there?

If you buy a plot of land with a barn I fully expect you guys to buy an alpaca. You don’t have to be alpaca farmers like you had considered before, but you will have to have at least one running around being soft and spitting at things. Or maybe a sheep with creepy eyes. Or BOTH!

Okay, now I’m all excited about your farm animals. Now you HAVE to move to Montana! I mean, er, if you really want to…

By: Granny and Grandpa

Granny and Grandpa — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:34:23 +0000

Hey, Matthew. We are just looking over all your “stuff” on your site. Montana doesn’t sound too great to us!!! Southern Ohio has “out of the way places” to be out in nature, that’s what Grandpa said. Your mom and dad would really miss your visits over at their place. See ya!

By: Ben

Ben — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 03:55:48 +0000

What exactly would you both do out there? Your an IT guy and Becky is a great administrative assitant. I imagine there is very low demand (relative to about anywhere else) for both of those skill sets in Montana. Maybe you could be a ranch-hand or a park ranger.

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 01:40:31 +0000

I was thinking the same thing. Taking a vacation out there would be a great way to scout around and figure out where we would want to be, in the event that we did decide to pick up and go.

I was telling Becky tonight that the only way that it would be really feasible to do it would be to sell the house, and a bunch of our stuff. Pare things down to what we would need in an apartment. Sign a month to month lease on an apartment here, and look for work out there. When we find work, finding an apartment there should be pretty easy. Once we’re there, we could take the appropriate amount of time to find just the right house.

All in all, it would be quite a sacrifice to make everything work as smoothly as possible.

It would definitely be a monumental change. That’s for sure!

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 01:03:04 +0000

I think Vaughn is right. Take a trip out there and scout things out. If you like what you see, go for it. Don’t worry about what other people have to do to visit you, this is about living the lives you and Becky want to live. It also doesn’t have to be forever. You two can leave for a couple of years and see what happens, Ohio will still be here if you decide to come back. As somebody who got at least a little bit away from home, it is worth it to try something different. I just hope your experience is better than ours. Akron isn’t the utopia you hope it would be.

By: Morning Toast

Morning Toast — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:33:51 +0000

75% is pretty serious!

I love the Northern US too but the conditions would have to be perfect for me to move there. Perfect meaning a solid job and close enough access to normal life (ie, stores and gasoline) that it wouldn’t be too inconvenient. Far enough to not be bothered but not so far that you’re alone.

If I was you, take a vacation to Montana. Rent a cabin or something and give it a go. For some odd reason you might find it just a little *too* outdoors. Depends how happy you both are being even farther from everything.

Of course, with land up there you could have goats.

By: The Brother

The Brother — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:01:37 +0000

Getting the timing right would definitely be tricky. It’s hard to find just the right moment to completely uproot yourself and transfer your entire life into a mysterious new world. But with so many companies slashing their workforce lately, a lot of people these days are doing exactly that. Hell, I try to do it at least once a year, if not every six months.

Have you started looking at real estate options up there? Ask Mom to take a look through the listings. She loves that stuff! I met a girl who lives in a canvas tent in East Bufu, Canada even when it’s -40°. She heats the tent with a woodburning stove. That could be an interesting option for you guys until you find jobs, plus it would keep you busy hiking around in the forest looking for firewood.

Is the government still giving subsidies to anyone who moves to Montana? I know they used to do that.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:16:25 +0000

Yes, I suppose that is true. It would be an inconvenience. They would be welcome to move out there too, of course.

I’d say I’m only half serious, but I suppose that isn’t exactly true. Maybe 75% serious.

Yeah, we are seriously considering it. I’d like to talk to some people who have picked up and relocated on their own like this (not being transferred to a new office by their employer). I think getting the timing right would be really tricky.

By: The Brother

The Brother — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:07:33 +0000

So are you just pondering the idea again, or are you actually giving serious consideration to moving out to the boonies this time?

While I’m sure it’s amazing up there, I hope you realize what an inconvenience that would be for me. The commute between your place and Mom and Dad’s would become a real bitch when I come home to visit. Just tossing that out there…