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3 days 17 hours to go

July 19th, 2011 at 05:50 am

I notice my 2-yr blog-o-versary was July 15, and once again I've missed it :-) We are moving to Florida this Friday; it's hard to believe it's finally here. We've got some big expenses coming up, and really I'll be glad when this move is all over with and we can get back to normal. Our new normal :-)

We've been able to get rid of at least 60% of our belongings. You wouldn't be able to tell that from the pile of boxes in my house, but I shudder to think how many boxes there would be if we had kept it all. We will be paying $3400 to move from Wisconsin to Florida, but we will get a refund if our weight is below what was calculated, so I'm really hoping that's the case.

We've lost a lot of money in car repairs--well I shouldn't say "lost" but you know what I mean. We brought the car in last month expecting to pay around $300-$400 and spent $900. Then a couple of weeks ago we had to bring it in again and spent another $450. I'm thankful we had the money, but it was money that was earmarked for furniture, so I'm afraid we won't be able to replace a lot at first. I'm not even sure mattresses for the kids will happen at this point for a couple of weeks. They may have to get used to their airbeds for a while :-)

We estimate our expenses will be a lot lower in Florida than in Wisconsin. We currently pay $130 per month for water. In Florida, it will be $20/month. Our electric/gas bill here averages between $250-$350, depending on how hot or cold it is. In Florida it will be about $120 a month for electric, and no gas bill. Even cable/internet is $45 cheaper, and of course no state income tax.

I was a little annoyed tonight, because we did our change of address for the post office, and it gave us a coupon for one month free plus free installation of cable/internet, but you have to mention the coupon when scheduling the installation, and its not valid on prior scheduled installations. :-( Hubby is going to try and call and see if we can get the coupon applied, but chances are they won't budge. If it were me, I'd just cancel and wait, because the coupon is good until the end of September, but he needs internet for his job, and we can't chance that it won't be installed in time. Lesson here: if you're moving, do not set up your cable/internet until you've done the change of address with the post office. Chances are you'll get a coupon. :-)

One of the things I'd like to do once we move is work for Walt Disney World. Part of me wants to apply now, but we'll be living about 20 miles away, and I have to make sure that it wouldn't conflict with school schedules, and I don't want the pressure of having to unpack boxes and work right away. We only have 1 car, so it makes it a little tricky. And I don't want to take on another car payment just yet. I'm enjoying being car payment free at the moment!

We're mostly packed; right now I'm working on the cleaning. I like to leave it in roughly the same condition as it was when we left it, and in this case maybe even a little better because the old renters did not do a very thorough job of cleaning it. I'm hoping to get our security deposit back on Friday; it's what he's done in the past, but the lease does say it will get mailed. But it said that before and he gave it to us right away. So we shall see, I guess!

Thanks for reading--I do plan on being more active once we're settled. I probably will pop on before we leave and let you know how much was in our piggy bank. I've been selling stuff on Craigslist ever since January, and all that money plus any change we've had has gone into our piggy bank, and I'm really curious to see how much is in there. We've only had to dip into once when we needed cash, and that was only for $10.

5 Responses to “3 days 17 hours to go”

  1. PatientSaver Says:
    1311065216

    Good luck in your new home.

    A handy reference you should check out is www.taxfoundation.org.

    Here you'll find data that shows that while Wisconsin is among the top 10 states where residents pay the most state and local taxes (11%) per capita, Floridians do only slightly better, at 9.2% per capita.

    This site is chock full of data. The state sales tax is actually higher in Florida (6%) than Wisconsin (5%).

    And I'm afraid that state and local cell phone tax rates are also double in Florida (16.57%) what you'd pay in Wisconsin (8.34%). I was trying to find something that was lower in Florida, but unfortunately, I see that the gas tax is also slightly higher there.

    You're in luck if you smoke!

  2. creditcardfree Says:
    1311081973

    Good luck with the move! I did read your other blog awhile back and I'm very impressed with your drive to live your dream. Smile

  3. Petunia 100 Says:
    1311113861

    What an exciting time! Best of luck to you and your family as you begin this next phase of your lives. Smile

  4. PatientSaver Says:
    1311213263

    http://www.bestplaces.net/col/

    here's another handy calculator you might like, it lets you compare cost of living expenses from 1 city to the next....

  5. Jerry Says:
    1311369598

    That is a really handy calculator, PatientSaver! That will come in handy when we lead ourselves back across the pond.
    Jewels3, your car repairs may have been expensive, but when you are moving so far and driving that distance, you kind of have to look at it as insurance for the trip, and safety for your family. Well worth the expense, or a few weeks sleeping on an air mattress! Good luck and safe travels...
    Jerry

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