Considering Moving to Anch/Eagle River Area in the fall...

Long story short, Rach and I are having no luck job hunting in the fairbanks area. She is unemployed currently, I am working part time. Even with the rental income we have from the cabin, we are unable to afford the house in the winters. Not to mention the 3k property tax to the borough is 1/4 of my yearly income at my current job. (busting my ass 60 hours a week there, I barely break 14k annually)

We are considering selling the house and property extremely cheap, paying off the taxes, pay misc stuff (septic pumping, etc) and take the remainder and move to somewhere with better job opportunities.

We want to stay in state, but could you some help planning all this out. It would be us, our stuff, and cats. It has been years since I have lived in the Anchorage area (5 years or so) so I don't know which areas are good or bad now.

I'll be checking the paper/craigslist when the time gets closer to try to set up interviews a week or so prior to moving down. (figure I'd probably just fly down, interview for a day then fly back)

The big thing behind this is the potential closing of the bases, general economy in fbx, bills, etc. We were doing roughly $1500 in electric and heat a month currently, on our combined $900 max. (now that it is spring, we are doing way better) If it were just the house, we'd consider shutting it down for the winters and getting an apartment. To be brutally honest, if retail sales continue as they are, I'd probably be unemployed after christmas next year.

Until we make a decision, I am going to continue applying for state and local jobs. If I can land a state job, we might be able to swing it, even if we live in the rental for the winters.

How do you possibly work a part time job "busting your ass 60 hours a week" and make 14k?

Plus finding a rental that takes pets maybe harder than you expect

Yea.. even at only $8 an hour, and without factoring in time and a half, thats $25,000

How old are you? Do you not have any skills?

If your not to old join the military

That was way above full time at my current job. I was using it to illustrate what appears to be my income cap.

As for pets, I can find a rental that will take them. Its not that hard in the anchorage area. Ridiculously hard in the fbx area though.



In the summer, I get 40+ a week april-october. Oct-Nov 30/35 Dec-Apr 15 or so. Its basically on a really crappy curve. I am honestly trying my hardest to get the hell out of retail, but have had no luck so far. Since I've gotten back in state, I've had 10-12 interviews in everything from medical, police, clerical, etc fields. Hell, I'm an on call clerk for the borough, but have had no calls yet. Applying for the state jobs that are open here in the next day or so. But if I don't come up with anything, we're probably going to leave town. Personally, I would rather go to washington to be with my family (grandpa isn't doing well) but Rach wants to stay in AK, or at least try to.



25, 7 years retail, 2 years management, i/OS and P/OS trained, 4 years clerical work, did light mechanical, etc. I am skilled but have no college to back it up. Currently cannot afford college, and doubtful that will change anytime soon.




Would need several waivers and would have to become single. Considering they are cutting back anyhow, odds of getting in are 0 (+/- 2%)

I truly wish you the best and hope that something good happens for you soon.

What I dont understand was just a few days ago you were looking to blow money because you were "way ahead on the bills" but you make it sound as though you are destitute. Your post are alomst Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde from not being able to scrape two nickles together to what big ticket item should I buy next.


Keep applying, someone is going to eventually give you that shot. Apply at fast food, pizza delievery, newspaper delievery (some of them make pretty good money), state jobs, craigslist jobs, fed jobs, etc. Right now you have a sure thing in you have a house, you have transportation and you have a part time job. Dont toss any of them away until you know you have something lined up that is a for sure. Not so easy to live in a plywood shack anywhere in Alaska.

This time of year, we start getting ahead on bills so we can spend a few bucks here and there on toys. We've traditionally used the tax returns on gifts, etc for the rest of the year and a few bucks on ourselves. We've had to go on unemployment for a few winters running to get through dec-jan. Those are the most brutal months for us.

We're not making any decisions currently, just trying to figure out what our plan should be. I am applying for everything that I can at the moment that would not be a pay cut for me (total income, not hourly) As for the house, we'd need to sink several thousand into it to make it passable for winter. (needs a lot of insulation work, etc) If we can swing it, I'd be ok with living in the cabin for the winter, but it really depends on work. Figure the house is 10k owed in back taxes to the borough from Rach's mom not paying for several years. Basically, it is at the point of if we don't pay the property taxes by sept 31, the house gets possessed anyhow. So between taxes and insulation work, thats pretty much a years pay that I'd have to come up with to get the house ok for the winter. Unless something comes up, rent from the cabin should cover property taxes, hopefully.

So, to sum up the house, its in a spot. We just think it would be best to sell the property cheap if possible and get it cleared out of Rach's name, etc. Figure even if we get 50k after taxes, etc that is still 50k towards the rest of our lives. The property isn't sustainable on our current income level. If the income level increases significantly, we'll reassess.

Not sure about the condo and townhouse developments, I think you'll be looking at bare minimum 220k for a small house on a postage stamp in ER. Theres many houses for sale around me that are imaginative for 240-260k in Chugiak. Small homes with some land. Been on the market for a while...

I am willing to get photos of anything you need in the area. Probably be pretty easy too. My mom is shopping right now.

If we move, it will be to a cabin or apartment. Honestly, we aren't financially stable enough to buy a new car, let alone a house. Rach inheriting this one showed us that.

ER/Chuguak finding a "cabin" will be tough . my 2 bedroom apartment with no pets allowed is $1000 a month . that gets me free heat , elec and well /septic though

town houses in mouldoon / 20th run 144k ish, 1100 sqft, 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, TINY yard(15 yards, by 10 yards ish), chances of shitty neighbors 50/50(just be the shitty neighbors that way you can screw them over first!!! ) . sucks dude. I would recomend finding a job before moving.

If we end up moving, I'll be coming down for a day or two way in advance to interview for jobs, etc. No move unless jobs are already found.

Not a rant about you, but I've had my fill of trying to give jobs to guys on a silver platter.

I tried to get an old coworker as well as a good friend of a friend a job paying $25/hr for 84 hour weeks for a 2/2 schedule out of Anchorage. One guy had the qualifications, the other did not but what the hell, I had the say for hiring or not hiring him. He was a sharp guy, and OJT for two weeks, and he could have done it.

Pisses me off. They were both partially employed too, but I couldn't get them to fill out a damned application and they did not return my emails.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't push his head in and drown him.

The sad thing is that I would kill for a job like that.

Monday, 4 more applications to the state go out. Hopefully I'll get a bite.

This can be a cost saving measure because you don't have to buy a lawn mower. Our first house had a 'yard' this size and my wife used to crawl around the yard with a pair of scissors to cut the grass. I offered to buy a weed wacker but she said she didn't mind the scissor thing. I think the neigbors were under the impression that I forced her to do it with scissors. One of them gave us his old lawn mower when he upgraded.



This hit the nail on the head. One really cool neigbor that I hunted with. The other neighbor told my wife that 'God was going to get us' after we asked the HOA about her gigantic sattelite dish (that she used to get a very specific TV ministry program out of Vegas).

Good luck with the job hunting!

OMFG. That's more than my already high rent. 2x more than a 1 br rental in Anchorage.

Yeah, thats my whole thought. This house is eating us alive and we need to get separated from it.

Well If you do end up moving... I offer my truck and a 12' enclosed trailer for the move. (got small ones too if you dont have that much shit, haha) You just pay the gas one way and we are good to go.

You know the drill. Pics o BS

And I thought MY ex mother-in-law hated me...

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