How Do You Move With No Money or Job Lined Up For You

Looking to move to a new state or new area with no full-time position waiting for you? Well, today is your lucky day. This post is all about how to make that happen while still finding your place in the job market. I warn you, it is not as easy as it is going to sound, but it is definitely doable with careful planning.

When it comes to moving with no job, the first thing to realize is that preparation is key to having a successful move and being able to stay in the new location. Begin with researching the cost of living for the area you are moving to. Next, assess your current financial situation and try to build a budget for yourself as if you were living in a new location. From there, it is all about saving whatever extra cash you can and making your money stretch as far as possible until you find a new job.

Let’s talk about how to make that happen.

Research The Cost Of Living At Your New Location

There are many different ways to research the cost of living of where you are moving to. Hopefully, you already have a rough idea of the living costs since you have already decided to move there.

Nevertheless, NerdWallet is a great website to use for researching costs of living. They have a helpful cost of living calculator that asks you where you are now, where you want to live, and your current pre-tax income. It then tells you how much you need to earn in the new city to keep up your current standard of living. 

Additionally, it breaks down the price increases between different costs of living like food, housing, and entertainment costs. 

For example, if I am moving from Georgia, where I am making $50,000, to DC. The calculator tells me that I need to make $93,288 in the DMV area in order to keep the same standard of living. It states that the cost of living is 87% higher in the DMV area compared to Georgia. 

When it comes to the breakdown of the individual expenses, it breaks down the median costs for each area and tells the difference in price. So, a median 2-bedroom apartment in Georgia costs $881 in rent each month.  That same 2-bedroom apartment in DC costs on average $3,128 a month, making DC housing costs 334% higher than Georgia’s.

Do you see why it is important to research and understand the cost of living breakdown? Without doing the proper research you would be in for a very rude awakening if you were moving from Georgia to DC, especially without a steady income.

So, do your research, crunch the numbers, be as thorough as possible, and leave no stone unturned. You are about to move with no job, so be thorough.

Assess Your Current Financial Situation

Get a clear picture of your financial situation.  A great way to do this is to ask yourself some key questions. What is your net worth? How many income assets do you have? Are you in a lot of debt? Is your monthly income higher than your spending?

Gather this data.  It is extremely important information to have because this is what your budget and affordability are based upon.

If you have a budget that you follow, this is the time to look back to gather this information and review your spending patterns. If you don’t have a budget, well… it is time to create one. I use a software called You Need A Budget (YNAB), but a regular excel spreadsheet can do the job as well when you are starting out.

If you are interested in YNAB here’s my referral link for a 34 day free trial of YNAB. Otherwise, you can just put your email in below and I’ll send you an Excel budget to use as you please for free.

Whether you have a budget or not you need to answer these questions:

What is your net worth?

What is your total monthly income and total monthly spending?

What is your monthly net income? This is income minus spending.

Is your monthly net income positive or negative?

Once you have answered these questions it is time to move to the next step.

Save Up 3 Months Of Costs Before You Move

Before you move with no job offer, you need to have saved up three months of your monthly expenses based on the research you completed earlier. You can achieve this by developing a budget as if you were there already and then assigning money to that budget until it is fully funded.

This is such an integral step.

You are essentially creating a 3-month emergency fund for yourself. So if you are not able to find a job soon after moving, you do not have to worry about not being able to pay next month’s bills. 

For example, if your monthly cost of living ended up being $2,200, then you need to save up $6,600. Now, if you are struggling already to build up enough savings, consider that this might be a wake-up call that you are not (financially) ready to move. 

However, if you must move with no job prospects and you are not able to adequately set aside enough money, be sure to save up three months’ rent at the least. 

Find An Affordable Place To Live Based On Your Budget

I already have a detailed post on how to move to a new city and find an apartment. I suggest you take a look at it and review the steps highlighted in the post. You can go to the post by clicking here.

With that being said, here is just a quick highlight of things to consider during your apartment search. Definitely be sure to read the linked article to gain greater insight or just check out the moving out section at the top of page under “Blog”.

Decide two things: your roommate situation and the amenities you want. First of all, deciding whether to live with roommates is an extremely important decision. There’s a very good chance that you’ll end up living alone for the first year or so that you’re in a new city because you won’t know a lot of people.

However, social media and other websites may help you find people to live with. Either way, remember that there are both pros and cons to deciding to live with other people. Some of the pros include cheaper rent, constant company, and people to help cook meals. Some of the cons include noisy roommates, messy shared spaces, and a lack of privacy.

Ultimately, your decision of whether to have roommates boils down to the cost of rent and how willing you are to live with other people.

After deciding whether to have roommates, you then need to decide what kind of amenities you want in your apartment. The amenities offered differ from place to place, which makes it difficult to provide an exhaustive list. However, this list will cover the most basic amenities, which will help you start to figure out your criteria:

Laundry:

Some places include in-unit washers and dryers, some include hookups for you to bring your own machines, some have laundry in a common building outside of your apartment, and some don’t have any laundry services at all. Basically, you’ll just have to decide whether you’re willing to leave your apartment to wash your clothes every week. For me, the best places are the ones with in-unit washers and dryers, but to each their own.

Pet policy:

If you plan on living with a furry friend, make sure to read the pet policies of the apartments you look at. Some places don’t allow any pets, some only allow cats, and some only allow certain breeds of dogs. Additionally, some pet policies require that you pay a few hundred extra dollars a month as a “pet rent.” This extra cost can really destroy an already tight budget. So, as always plan accordingly. 

A/C:

You’d be surprised at how many apartment buildings do not have A/C, especially “real” central A/C, not a fan that pulls in air from the window unit. So, if central A/C is a must for you, make sure to check to see if the apartment buildings you look at offer it.

Location:

Determining how far away you’re willing to live from those things most important to you will really help you figure out which area you want to live in. Do you care about going to the movies so much that you have to live within 15 minutes of one? If so, consider that as you search for your new place.

Kitchen appliances:

Most places come with a refrigerator, stove, and oven, but many places don’t come with a microwave or a dishwasher. While purchasing a microwave tends to be cheap, buying a dishwasher can be a much larger investment. Additionally, you’ll have to check to be sure that the apartment even has a hookup for your dishwasher before buying one. Outside of that, it is unlikely that you will receive anything else with the apartment. 

Parking:

If you plan on bringing a car, be sure to check to see if the places you’re looking at offer designated street parking, parking deck parking, or no reserved parking at all.

Package Receiving:

Some places can be tricky with their package delivery system, so be sure to ask about how it works.

Furnishings:

Many apartments do not come furnished, which means you’ll have to buy your own furniture. Bigger pieces of furniture like couches, bed frames, mattresses, and dressers can be pricey. It helps to account for the cost of furniture upfront by making a list of everything you’ll need to buy along with approximate prices. 

Some great places to buy furniture include IKEA, Wayfair, Target, Amazon, and more! Depending on where you buy furniture, it will probably end up costing you several thousand dollars. 

And since you are moving without a job, you should probably consider bringing what you can with you to cut costs, but more on that in the next section.

Don’t forget to check for extra, more luxurious amenities that the apartment building might offer. These kinds of flashy amenities can include things like a pool, a gym, a movie room, a game room, and elevators. 

While these kinds of amenities might be essential for you, do bear in mind most places won’t have all of these available. 

Additionally, these extra amenities can increase rent by hundreds of dollars, so, depending on your budget, you might want to go without some of these amenities since you are about to move with no job.

Despite all of the work that goes into it, apartment hunting can be really fun! Getting to select your own home is a really exciting step to take as an adult! With helpful internet websites, apartment hunting has never been easier—especially if you live far away from your city. Remember that your budget will probably be your largest determining factor, so calculate it wisely.

Additionally, it may be helpful to look at apartment hunting sites first before setting your budget. That way, you have an idea of how much your desired kind of apartment will cost in your city. Be patient with the process, and give yourself plenty of time to find a place!

Bring What You Can

Since you are about to move with no job, it would probably be best to be as frugal as possible in this moving process. One of the best ways to make that happen is by bringing what you can to your new location. 

Items like furniture and kitchenware are the perfect items to bring with you. Essentially, things that are one-time cost necessities should be the priority items to bring. See if family members or friends have anything to give.

Additionally, try and bring any kitchen staples if it is not too much trouble. Having to buy kitchen staples can really inflate your spending in your first month after moving. 

So make sure to bring whatever kitchen staples that you reasonably can and also whatever one-time cost necessities that you can. 

Not if you are moving cross country, do the cost analysis between renting something like a U-haul vs buying the larger one-time items in the destination city. Depending on what parts of the country you are traveling from and to, it might make more financial sense to buy the items instead of bringing them. U-hauls can cost a lot of money when everything is finally tallied!

Find A Job

Just because you made a move with no job does not mean you can’t have a job interview lined up in the new town. Start your job search before you leave. LinkedIn is a great resource to build your professional image, lean on your professional network, and start the job hunting game. It is a good idea to create the goal of having applied to 10 high-quality jobs before you leave.

What do I mean by high-quality jobs?

I mean jobs where you fit the description well, or you are clearly the more attractive candidate based on the job description. You can of course complete more than 10 job applications before you leave, but try to have 10 applications sent in before you move. 

Once you are moved into the city, take stock of any businesses that have help wanted signs in their windows. If finding a job quickly upon moving is a necessity, these help wanted signs are your beacons. They might not be the perfect job, but they are something. Plus, they will probably have a quicker turnaround time for hiring, meaning you can start making money sooner.

If time is not a necessity, return to your online job hunt. Within your first week of moving in, try and complete another 10 applications. However, since you are now in town, try and submit your applications in person, if possible. Get some face-to-face action and make yourself known. You might find yourself getting interviewed and hired on the spot – it happened to me.

Either way, the goal now is to no longer be unemployed. Keep an open mind as you job hunt and do your best to take advantage of any new opportunities that might arise as you settle into your new home. Good luck and I wish you much success in your fresh start!

What are your thoughts? Do you think it is easy to move with no job? Any tips you think should be mentioned? Let us know in the comments below!

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Best of luck adulting!

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