For the last two years I’ve been trapped in the ridiculously expensive Bay Area and as a frugal person by nature, I just can’t take it anymore. For some background/context, I only ended up here because a friend’s parents lived in San Jose and I had nowhere else to go, so they went ahead and let me stay there for a while before I ended up renting a room in Santa Clara. Both parents are dead, so I can’t exactly just go back home and save up.
I’m 24 and work as a housekeeper, typically making the equivalent of my rent/bill/grocery expenses. This job eats up a lot of time and physical energy, not leaving much room for a secondary employer; I had about $1000 saved over the course of a year but some unexpected medical expenses recently ate that up. I’ve also been working at getting my driver’s license for the past few months and ideally should be taking the test in late Spring. In addition to that I’m also in the process of switching banks and would like to start building my credit ASAP, it’s just a matter of sorting out the specifics and catching a bus down there at this point.
Just to be clear, I’d love a job that offers more hours and/or pays better but I just haven’t had any luck with temp agencies or job boards, and I typically don’t have it in me to pull myself out of bed on my off days because my job really is hell on my body (bending, pushing, scrubbing, being on my knees, etc.), so simply hopping on a bus to go around and apply would have me out of commission for the next workday. I understand that it’s not wise to up and move without a plan, but the cost of living out here is killing me and tbh I’m absolutely desperate to get out of the bay. I wanted to stay long enough to work toward a certificate at the local community college because it has amazing credentials, but I haven’t taken a class there in about a year for lack of time/energy (I want to go into medical transcription).
TLDR; I’m working on my license and building my credit, but I have no savings and no one to turn to. I can’t afford to stay in the Bay Area but I also have no car or means of actually moving, including funds. Overall I’d really like to find a way to move to a more affordable city with a decent job market but I’m feeling really lost because I don’t see a way out.
I know this was a lot, but does anyone have some advice they could offer despite what I’ve listed above? Thank you all in advance!
March 12, 2017 at 08:27AM
