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Sniff, sniff. My dd is moving to New Jersey. Dear son-in-law was offered a position.

FaithManor

By FaithManor,
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FaithManor

FaithManor

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It's a good job too. Lockheed Martin, starting wages over $45,000.00 plus a full benefits package and an 11% pay raise guarantee if his first year review is good, the insurance premium for them will be reasonable.

 

So, she drove over to HR for her EMS and gave two weeks notice. They are hurting for medics as it is so I doubt this will be welcome news. I hope she can still get a good letter of reference out of them. There are have been some issues with "spite" from that department within the company. Starting wage is $2.00 an hour more where they will be living if she can find a position.

 

I am going to miss her so much. I'm also excited for them. So, I guess I'm having a bit of a mood disorder today. Trying to reconcile both emotions at once and am not particularly successful.

 

Faith

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Catwoman

Catwoman

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Congratulations to your son-in-law on his new job, but please be sure that he and your dd are aware that $45,000 is considered to be quite a low salary in NJ, and that --depending on where in NJ they will be living -- money may be tight until your dd finds a job.

 

I'm not trying to be negative; it's just that I have known many people who have relocated to NJ, thinking they were making a lot of money, only to realize that the cost of living is much higher than where they came from. It can be a very depressing realization.

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FaithManor

FaithManor

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Congratulations to your son-in-law on his new job, but please be sure that he and your dd are aware that $45,000 is considered to be quite a low salary in NJ, and that --depending on where in NJ they will be living -- money may be tight until your dd finds a job.

 

I'm not trying to be negative; it's just that I have known many people who have relocated to NJ, thinking they were making a lot of money, only to realize that the cost of living is much higher than where they came from. It can be a very depressing realization.

They are very aware. The apartment they've scoped out is $900.00 a month w/partial utilities. They will be in a small town not far from the PA/Philly border and if memory serves, he'll work in Cherry Hill...it doesn't sound like the commute is far. Thankfully, both of their cars are paid for, fairly low mileage right now, and get over 30 mpg.

 

She has a contact in that area who is also a paramedic and had no trouble finding an EMS job. So, she's hoping this will help.

 

The pay is low, but he has no experience. This will give him experience and with a company that has national recognition. So, either he'll get that nice pay raise at the end of the first year, and hopefully one at the end of the second, or they'll live very, very, very frugally, and at the end of two, he'll take the experience and go somewhere with either a lower COL or the same but higher pay. For what he does, according to his co-workers, he'll probably want to stay because Lockheed does pretty well with regular pay raises in that division. We'll see how it pans out.

Currently, he's been living with his aunt for free (she's in Philly) and commuting. So, he's banked most of his internship pay...just gas and food coming out of it. Dd tends to bank a lot of her pay as well, so between them, they have a $7500.00 small nest egg for emergencies. Dh and I would help them with something big like an unexpected car repair if necessary. I'm also going to help her get her kitchen set up by buying a ton of spices and dehydrated fruits and veggies from the Mennonite Bulk Food store to send out to her and if finances and timing works out, I'll make a trip to see them at the end of October and bring with me home canned pasta sauce, salsa, green beans, chicken, pickles, peaches, pears, and applesauce plus more dehydrated veggies and apples and pears. Dh told me to go ahead and can 40 lbs. of chicken breast for them this autumn.

 

Probably the single hardest thing for her will be the lack of piano. The apartment is small and they are pretty strict about noise. So, even if she finds an old upright they can afford, they'd have to get it upstairs which is no fun, and her playing would probably have to be limited to avoid complaints. She is just like me...the piano is an extension of her arms. Living without is very frustrating.

 

Sigh....they put them in your arms, "It's a boy. It's a girl". They don't tell you not to blink because if you do, they've gone from infant to married and gone in a heartbeat.

 

Faith

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FaithManor

FaithManor

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How's she feeling, Faith? Fully recovered yet?

Recovered and back to work! She still wears out more easily than she used to, but I think that will improve with time. Her body went through a lot though I think she tries hard not to admit that, tough bird that she is.

 

Last night she had six heat stroke patients. People just do not realize how much water they have to drink in this weather and the elderly, many of whom won't run their a/c because of the size of the electric bill are very easily overcome. So, she was pretty tired when she got home. The night before was a gunshot victim and a hail of bullets. She sent her EMT running and she through her body over her patient. Thank God nothing happened to her. I am so sick of the violence I could just throw up...she doesn't work in the city for the rest of the week and will be in a mild mannered rural area where she may encounter medical emergencies but not people trying to kill her or her patient.

 

Never a dull moment with my girl. I hope she ends up with EMS in a nice area. The thought of her working in Philly does not leave me any comfort. Keeping fingers crossed for an outlying area.

 

Faith

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Catwoman

Catwoman

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They are very aware. The apartment they've scoped out is $900.00 a month w/partial utilities. They will be in a small town not far from the PA/Philly border and if memory serves, he'll work in Cherry Hill...it doesn't sound like the commute is far. Thankfully, both of their cars are paid for, fairly low mileage right now, and get over 30 mpg.

 

She has a contact in that area who is also a paramedic and had no trouble finding an EMS job. So, she's hoping this will help.

 

The pay is low, but he has no experience. This will give him experience and with a company that has national recognition. So, either he'll get that nice pay raise at the end of the first year, and hopefully one at the end of the second, or they'll live very, very, very frugally, and at the end of two, he'll take the experience and go somewhere with either a lower COL or the same but higher pay. For what he does, according to his co-workers, he'll probably want to stay because Lockheed does pretty well with regular pay raises in that division. We'll see how it pans out.

Currently, he's been living with his aunt for free (she's in Philly) and commuting. So, he's banked most of his internship pay...just gas and food coming out of it. Dd tends to bank a lot of her pay as well, so between them, they have a $7500.00 small nest egg for emergencies. Dh and I would help them with something big like an unexpected car repair if necessary. I'm also going to help her get her kitchen set up by buying a ton of spices and dehydrated fruits and veggies from the Mennonite Bulk Food store to send out to her and if finances and timing works out, I'll make a trip to see them at the end of October and bring with me home canned pasta sauce, salsa, green beans, chicken, pickles, peaches, pears, and applesauce plus more dehydrated veggies and apples and pears. Dh told me to go ahead and can 40 lbs. of chicken breast for them this autumn.

 

Probably the single hardest thing for her will be the lack of piano. The apartment is small and they are pretty strict about noise. So, even if she finds an old upright they can afford, they'd have to get it upstairs which is no fun, and her playing would probably have to be limited to avoid complaints. She is just like me...the piano is an extension of her arms. Living without is very frustrating.

 

Sigh....they put them in your arms, "It's a boy. It's a girl". They don't tell you not to blink because if you do, they've gone from infant to married and gone in a heartbeat.

 

Faith

I'm glad they are aware of the COL issue -- many people aren't, and they are in for a rude awakening!

 

I think it's so sweet of you to plan on bringing all that food to her, but you may want to make sure she has a place to store it -- apartments can be notoriously short on storage, and a lot of them don't have large kitchens or many cabinets. Refrigerators can be pretty small, as well.

 

It's sad that she won't be able to have a piano, but hopefully it will just be a temporary situation until your dd gets a job and her dh starts getting raises, so they can move into a single family home. The meantime, I hope she really likes her new apartment and her new neighborhood.

 

I really like Bonnie's idea of getting a keyboard, and if finances will permit it, she could get a small digital piano. Yamaha makes some very nice ones, and while they don't feel exactly like playing a real piano, they are still fun. We have a grand piano, but we also have a digital piano in another room, and while the grand sounds better and feels more impressive, the digital is a lot of fun, too.

 

Don't worry too much about your dd possibly working in Philadelphia -- the crime rates look very scary when you read the statistics, but a large part of the city is very nice and very safe. I'm kind of a paranoid nut when it comes to crime, but I love Philadelphia and spend quite a bit of time there. OTOH, I would be very concerned if she applied for a job in Camden, NJ.

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MedicMom

MedicMom

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What state are you in...Michigan, right? Is she nationally registered? Pennsylvania is decent about reciprocity but she needs to check and see what she will need to do to gain a paramedic card in the state(s) she wants to practice in. Not every state accepts reciprocity from other states and many don't care that you're nationally registered. She needs to get her pa/nj card and then start applying. A lot of places are really, really hurting for ALS. (And if he ever gets transferred to Lockheed Martin in NY, I can pretty much guarantee her a medic job :-) )

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FaithManor

FaithManor

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What state are you in...Michigan, right? Is she nationally registered? Pennsylvania is decent about reciprocity but she needs to check and see what she will need to do to gain a paramedic card in the state(s) she wants to practice in. Not every state accepts reciprocity from other states and many don't care that you're nationally registered. She needs to get her pa/nj card and then start applying. A lot of places are really, really hurting for ALS. (And if he ever gets transferred to Lockheed Martin in NY, I can pretty much guarantee her a medic job :-) )

Yes, she is nationally registered, ALS, and some other certification so she can have ride along students. Once she has the requisite experience in, she is going to go for her flight training as well.

 

Nursing school is on hold until they get settled. So, she's two years + into her chem degree and has some nursing courses. She knows she'll need to get her credits transferred before they expire.

 

Thanks everyone for the advice.

 

Unsinkable, I know it sounds awful, but it's not. I use garlic, onion, basil, and red pepper in the chicken. It cooks up soooooooooooo tender and shredded. So, then you just warm it up with salsa for tacos or make it into stews, or thicken it into an herbed gravy and serve over rice. I would not be thrilled about commercial canned chicken breast. But, my home canned stuff is very nice. But, you have to taste it to believe it.

 

Faith

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unsinkable

unsinkable

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Unsinkable, I know it sounds awful, but it's not. I use garlic, onion, basil, and red pepper in the chicken. It cooks up soooooooooooo tender and shredded. So, then you just warm it up with salsa for tacos or make it into stews, or thicken it into an herbed gravy and serve over rice. I would not be thrilled about commercial canned chicken breast. But, my home canned stuff is very nice. But, you have to taste it to believe it.

 

Faith

Don't tell me what I'm eating and I'd probably love it!

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Lizzie in Ma

Lizzie in Ma

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Oh how wonderful for them but sad for you. 

We are not there yet but little is talking about traveling the world and older and boyfriend have spoken about moving to England when/if they marry.  I want them to have their dreams but can't fathom not having them nearby.  Motherhood is tough. :grouphug: :grouphug:

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Halftime Hope

Halftime Hope

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This doesn't do anything for "bittersweet," but I'll second the Yamaha digital piano with weighted keyboard.  As a former musician who doesn't play much anymore, I know it's not the same as a real one, but it's *definitely* better than nothing.  

 

I don't know what field he's in, but LM has locations everywhere, and the COL is much, much lower in other states.  Perhaps NJ is just a temporary stop? 

 

Good for him, and best wishes for them both!

 

 

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