Moving checklist and relocating

[gliaful]

With interviews lined up, I'm now starting to stress about the process of moving out of state. When I google "moving checklist" or "moving to another state", most of the advice is about the process of moving itself. I was wondering about all of the phases - before, during, and after.

 

The "after" stuff concerns me the most, but here is what I've come up with for tasks following relocation:

• Driver's license, vehicle registration and insurance for the new state
• Updating my address for all accounts/things that require an address
• Finding and transferring to a new credit union to keep my precious $19 safe
• Getting my prescriptions transferred and finding a new doctor

Surely I'm missing things, but I don't know what they are. Anything you can add would be really appreciated.

[med latte]

If you are renting, your new landlord may require a deposit 

If you are already established with your credit union, you may not need to change it. I stayed with mine (and do banking online)

Register your new address with the USPS online

You may need to file taxes in both states - nothing to worry about now, just remind yourself to check into it later

If you are moving with a pet, get his/her vet records, rabies tags, and see if you need to register him/her in your new town

Note contact info for all your current doctors (eye, dentists, any specialists) 

Don't underestimate how expensive it is to move -- start saving now!

Decide if you want to get a new local phone number

Save all receipts related to moving

[shadowclaw]

One thing to do is to definitely check out local ordonances/laws. For example, my current school's town requires that you purchase a biking permit to ride your bicycle in town (it's a one-time $10 fee and I have no idea how they enforce it). My hometown had restrictions on fires (such as no fires after dark and flames of a certain height), and where I live now requires a pool to have a fence around it if it's under a certain height (including those blow up pools from WalMart). There are a lot of things that seem like they would be harmless and you might have neighbors who seem cool, but you never know who might turn you in for something. Usually that means you just have to correct whatever is wrong, but you could end up getting fined.

The prospect of moving is also a bit unsettling for me, too. One of my biggest concerns is finding a job for my husband. I'm hoping for a stipend big enough that we'll be fine if he can't find one right away, but pretty much all of my prospective programs don't list stipend amounts. I've also seen some pretty low stipends for ecology programs in my research, but also some high ones.

[gliaful]

The prospect of moving is also a bit unsettling for me, too. One of my biggest concerns is finding a job for my husband. I'm hoping for a stipend big enough that we'll be fine if he can't find one right away, but pretty much all of my prospective programs don't list stipend amounts. I've also seen some pretty low stipends for ecology programs in my research, but also some high ones.

I'm in the same boat. My fiance will have a master's degree in math in a few months, but he's anxious about what kind of employment opportunities will exist depending on where I move. I've also thought about being able to support us both on my stipend, but even though I know what my stipend amounts would be, I don't have a real feel for the cost of living in these places. Do you feel comfortable asking the programs what your stipend would be?  

[rising_star]

I wouldn't necessarily worry about the banking part. I haven't opened a new bank account in years, despite living in three different states in the last two years. I have my paychecks direct deposited (most universities require this anyway), bank online, and use mobile banking apps to make a deposit if I need to for some reason. 

 

Getting the vehicle part sorted out is usually one of the hardest parts (in terms of being time-consuming). You'll need to have the title with you in order to do it. If your parents' names are on the title, that one becomes more complicated. Depending on where you move to, you may also need to have an inspection before you can register your vehicle.

 

Saving money is key. There's going out to look for a place, first month's rent and security deposit, and sometimes deposits or fees to get the utilities turned on. Sometimes the utility companies will waive those fees based on your credit score but sometimes they won't. Last year, I had to pay something like $150 in fees to get the lights and water transferred from the apartment company's name into my own (and yes, that's ridiculous but I also had no choice about it). While your new program will offer a stipend and tuition waiver, you may be responsible for paying fees to the graduate school of a few hundred dollars a semester and these can be due as early as your first week of school. And that's before you get into the fun things of decorating, buying books, and exploring your new home.

 

I almost forgot. Moving is expensive. You'll need to figure out how you want to move, if it makes sense to move existing items or buy new once you arrive, etc. The sooner you can start weeding through your belongings, the better. Take advantage of spring cleaning (you know, when you put away winter stuff and pull out spring/summer stuff) to start donating things you don't want, don't need, or don't wear often. Then, once you figure out where you're going, eliminate even more. If you're moving from Maine to Los Angeles, you can get rid of a lot of your winter wardrobe. If you're going from Florida to Minnesota, you can probably get rid of some of your shorts and tank tops. Starting earlier makes the entire moving process easier.

[shadowclaw]

I'm in the same boat. My fiance will have a master's degree in math in a few months, but he's anxious about what kind of employment opportunities will exist depending on where I move. I've also thought about being able to support us both on my stipend, but even though I know what my stipend amounts would be, I don't have a real feel for the cost of living in these places. Do you feel comfortable asking the programs what your stipend would be?

I don't really feel like asking is a good way to go. Maybe they won't care if I ask, but I don't want to come across as if I'm picking programs based on money. I feel like most of the places I'm applying to will be ok, but you never know. UF for example has a program that offers a stipend of $16,000 and basically says on the website that the educational experience is so good, you should be happy to get that much. I can't imagine living off that little for just myself, let alone two people plus two cats.

Of course, I'm really hoping to get the NSF GRFP, which provides a good stipend for 3 years.

[TakeruK]

I think it is appropriate to ask about stipend amounts if you can't find the information anywhere else and you suspect they might be too low (e.g. that UCF number, yikes!!) and that you know for certain that if it is that low, you will not attend (no matter how good the program is). Then you should ask because you might as well save your time and money (and their time). When I applied to PhD programs, I did cross some very good programs off my list because I did not want to apply to a program where I knew the stipend was way too low for the cost of living (e.g. U. Hawaii).

 

I think it is perfectly acceptable to make decisions based on money when it's a difference between constantly worrying about money (or even going into debt) vs. having enough to live a modest lifestyle. But, I don't think it's a good idea to make decisions *mostly* based on money when the stipend is already enough to meet basic expenses. Personally, I applied to a bunch of places where the "meets basic expenses" stipend would be around $25k/year. I turned down some offers because of money entirely when the offer was $18k/year! But I ended up choosing a stipend of $30k/year over $36k/year because the $30k/year school was so much better for me. I think I made the right decision and because I think in the long run, choosing the better fit school will more than make up for the $30,000. ... I hope!!

 

I also made some school decisions based on my family. I am married and my spouse and I are Canadian, which meant I needed to be on J-1 foreign student status (instead of the typical F-1 foreign student status), otherwise my spouse/dependent would not be able to work in the United States. So I also had to turn down one school in Arizona because they refused to sponsor any student on J status. There are plenty of schools that will accommodate family needs. My spouse and I were able to visit one school together (it was close enough for us to drive to) and they included my spouse in all the social activities with grad students (and other grad student partners). They even arranged activities and a working space for my spouse while I was meeting with professors during the day.

 

At another school's pre-admission interview, they asked what I was looking for in a program, and I gave them the honest answer that it would be a decision that my spouse and I will have equal say in because it is going to affect both of our lives equally. My field does not usually do interviews, so I usually only get this question at the recruitment visit (i.e. after they already accepted me) so I was more nervous than usual in this instance. But they seemed to really like my answer and I got the offer. Even though I know I want to be honest about that question, I am still a little nervous each time that the asker will respect me less because I have non-science priorities in selecting schools. But ultimately, I am always honest because if they are going to see that as a flag, it is also a place I don't want to be at!

 

So, what I am trying to say is that I see that a lot of prospective grad students feel some kind of shame or embarrassment whenever they have to bring up non-academic priorities or reasons for picking schools. But it should not and does not have to be this way! Being an academic does not mean giving up on all other aspects of life in order to maximize academic output! To me, we are humans/people that do science as one of the many things we do, instead of scientists that also happen to have a life too.

[shadowclaw]

TakeruK, you are always full of great wisdom! I think I am a bit lucky in that most of the programs I am applying to are in cities and towns with fairly low cost of living, so my stipend will go father. I agree that there are lots of other factors to take into account when choosing a school, but I still feel funny asking a school a school about stipends before applications are due! I do agree that avoiding schools with low stipends out high living costs is better for both the school and me.

[rising_star]

I don't really feel like asking is a good way to go. Maybe they won't care if I ask, but I don't want to come across as if I'm picking programs based on money. I feel like most of the places I'm applying to will be ok, but you never know. UF for example has a program that offers a stipend of $16,000 and basically says on the website that the educational experience is so good, you should be happy to get that much. I can't imagine living off that little for just myself, let alone two people plus two cats.

Of course, I'm really hoping to get the NSF GRFP, which provides a good stipend for 3 years.

It's funny you would say this, shadowclaw. I lived on $16K throughout my PhD and it was just fine for myself. The cost of living in Gainesville is fairly low and Florida has no state income tax, both of which would make that UF stipend go further than it would in other places.

 

I don't know that you always need to ask directly about stipends since that information is often available on the department's website. Then, you can plug it into a cost of living calculator to see how the stipends compare to one another and how they compare to what you're making and used to living on now. The cost of living is as important (if not more) than just the stipend since $25K at UIUC goes much further than $25K at UCSF, just to give an example. In addition, when investigating, you'll also want to look on the Graduate School's website to see what is covered and what isn't. For example, while tuition is typically waived, fees may not be. In that case, you'll want to know what the approximate fees are each semester (they tend to go up from year to year). You'll also want to know if health insurance is included and whether there are fees associated with that, whether summer enrollment is required or optional, and what the minimum credits per semester/quarter is. All of those things will be on the graduate school's site and will help you make comparisons that are more apples to apples rather than apples to kiwi.

[shadowclaw]

It's funny you would say this, shadowclaw. I lived on $16K throughout my PhD and it was just fine for myself. The cost of living in Gainesville is fairly low and Florida has no state income tax, both of which would make that UF stipend go further than it would in other places.

I'm not sure exactly how much comes out of a paycheck for federal vs state taxes, but let's assume after taxes, that UF stipend leaves me with $1100 each month. An apartment plus utilities will cost at least $600, if not more. I have a car payment of $240, so that leaves $260 left each month for food and other things. That's not much to work with, especially if something went wrong with the car.

Granted, if I didn't have the car, the stipend would be more appropriate, and I could likely find cheaper rent if I got a roommate. However, I have no desire to be car-free. Of course, none of this matters anyway, because I have a family and there's no way for both of us and the cats to live off of $16,000 if he can't find a job quickly.

[rising_star]

I have paid from 5-10% of my paycheck in state taxes in the past. Each state is different obviously. Where I live now, I pay federal, state, and city income tax on my paycheck, which means my take-home pay is lower than it would be if I lived in Florida, Tennessee, or Texas (states without a state income tax). 

 

It'll leave you with more than $1100/month, trust me. (I would only know because I took home more than that even when I made under $16K/year). You can find take home pay estimators online. It pays to actually use those calculators, rather than just guessing. And, when I made $16K, I did pay state and federal income taxes on that. 

[TakeruK]

TakeruK, you are always full of great wisdom! I think I am a bit lucky in that most of the programs I am applying to are in cities and towns with fairly low cost of living, so my stipend will go father. I agree that there are lots of other factors to take into account when choosing a school, but I still feel funny asking a school a school about stipends before applications are due! I do agree that avoiding schools with low stipends out high living costs is better for both the school and me.

 

I meant to be more clear when I said "if you can't find the information anywhere else". I really meant that you almost never have to ask directly (at least not in my field) because we have many websites where people post details of their offers and from looking at past years, you can get a good guess at whether or not it is worth applying and seeing what your actual offer is. That is, for many schools, my "best guess" was somewhere between "$20k and $24k" and that was good enough for me to want to apply. But for other schools, the stipend was such that all the students in the program reported not being able to make ends meet, so I decided not to apply. From my first statement, what I really meant was that if you absolutely have no idea after exhausting all potential sources, and you suspect the stipend might be low, and you ultimately have a choice between spending $100 on an application and potentially throwing that money away if the stipend is too low or risk looking bad for asking, I'd personally choose to risk looking bad (in my opinion, this is not something I would be embarrassed to ask about). 

 

I agree with rising_star that the calculators are very useful, especially for taxes and to compare the cost of living in two places. We also pretended we were going to find an apartment at each of the cities we were interested in to get a feel of how much we'd have to pay for living in certain areas / with certain amenities. 

 

And don't forget to factor in cost for travel and health care along with cost of living considerations. Schools vary wildly in how much coverage they provide (some schools provide zero prescription coverage, which is definitely our biggest expense). And with my family living on the Canadian west coast, this adds an extra cost for traveling home for schools on the east coast. If you live in a non airport hub city, factor in extra travel cost to get to an airport city -- at my MSc school, this was an extra $120 and a 4 hour bus ride with every personal travel trip. 

 

Usually rent prices is enough to quickly decide whether or not the stipend is enough to warrant an application, but after receiving offers, in order to properly compare them in terms of cost, we made spreadsheets adding up the major expenses that might vary, which turned out to be housing, health insurance/co-pays, taxes, and travel. We found that the money leftover after these deductions are a good metric for comparing stipends. Things like food might vary but I find that variation is very small from state to state -- e.g. groceries might cost $250/month for both of us in one state but $300/month in another; while rent varied from $800/month to $1500/month!! Also, it's pretty hard to gauge grocery store prices so I would just use the cost of living calculator to keep an eye out for a place with really high or really low cost of living indices.

[shadowclaw]

Well, I was right on the money with my estimate (haha that was so punny... sorry). The calculator for Florida gave me $1098 if I was single and $1170 if I'm married.

I have done a little bit of apartment hunting in the cities of my programs already to get an idea of how much we'd be allocating towards rent. This has actually been a little bit problematic, because my husband really doesn't like living in the city and would much rather live half an hour away in a more rural area. I would rather be in biking distance of the school. This would allow us to have only one car and I wouldn't have to worry about parking at school. Pet-friendly apartments are also a bit more difficult to find, although thankfully we only have 2 cats and not a dog! I've come across more cat-friendly places than dog-friendly.

Edited December 23, 2014 by shadowclaw