Whenever I get really sick of hemorrhaging all our money on rent and gas out here, I move us across the country. With the help of realtor.com and careerbuilder.com (and google maps, of course!) I choose different areas and pretend for a couple of days that we are moving there.
I have had three such fantasies in the past week.
1. Going back to VA: in this fantasy I have no only chosen the area, but figured out employment, and short- and long-term goals. I knew how I could supplement our income (I even knew the pay scale for my husband’s job.) I already know the community and had weighed the pros and cons of the different schools (I even know many of the teachers still in the area.) I had everything all figured out.
2. Giving Vegas a second chance: regardless of how much I hated Las Vegas last year, it occurred to me that it isn’t a bad place to live, as long as you can handle the heat. (I’m not sure I can, but stay with me.) As Vegas was one of the over-built areas during the boom, it has now replaced Detroit as the highest foreclosure rate in the country. We could buy a three bedroom, three bathroom house, built in 2005, on the same street as my brother-in-law and his wife. They’re having a baby next month, and I think it would be good for the cousins to be friends. (And I really like Nancee.) In this scenario I don’t have the job figured out yet, but my computer time has been very sketchy lately. As for the heat, well my brand-new house will have a/c, of course, and we’ll get our exercise indoors. Not ideal, but nothing is perfect. The trick is finding ways to make anything work.
3. Stay here: My brother-in-law out here is looking at the possibility of moving up to Los Angeles, if his firm gets bought-out. In this scenario we would be able to keep our employment, friends, resources. The only change would be that Mark buys a nice place in La Canada, and to help him with his mortgage, we would rent out his back house.
Other fantasies I have entertained this year include Detroit, Kansas City, and north of Seattle. A girl can dream, right?
Posted by Zen Mama 
