Upcoming changes...

I had talked a little bit in my last post about making some changes in my life…and then I dissapeared for almost two weeks, but let’s just forget about that, mmmkay!

Anywho, I had talked a little bit about it on Twitter, but didn’t want to make any huge annoucements until I told some IRL peeps in my first (some friends, some family, etc…)…

But now that that is all taken care of, are you ready?!

Are you excited?!

I said, ARE YOU EXCITED?!

Okay…here it goes…

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I’m moving to Pittsburgh!!

Okay, okay…so maybe the news isn’t THAT exciting, but for someone who has spent his entire life in the Baltimore area, and has never lived more about 20 minutes away from his family, it’s kind of exciting, and a little scary.

And for some people, it may not jump out as a city in which to relocate to, but I’ve visited before and I really liked the town, it’s rated high in terms of livability, and it IS still only about 4.5 hours away from the Baltimore area, so I can still visit friends and family with relative ease.  And since I’m a teleworker I do not need to worry about looking for another job, which helps alot…and in case anything does come up I will still only be about 2.5 hours away from my current office in Western Maryland, which is about the same distance as I am now…so WooT!

I’m not looking to move until late Spring or early Summer 2012, mostly because I am still under lease here.  But I am making preparations for the eventual move:

• Savings. I’ve said before that I have been working a TON of hours lately, and this is mostly why.  I’ve paid off everything but my student loans, so my goal now is to save up as much as I can by the time I move (I’m hoping for $10k) so that I have a nice chunk of change to start out things with (especially so that I don’t have to work 80 hours a week once I am up there), as well as some money for emergencies and all that fun stuff.  I’ve never really been successful at saving in the past, so this is sort of a whole new world for me in of itself!
• Stuff. Over the years I have accumulated WAY TOO MUCH SHIT, and I am in the process of getting rid of what I can, so that I can move up there with as little baggage as possible.  I’ve donated a ton of clothes, as well as old books and dvds, and am getting rid of some of the furniture that I don’t really need.  I want to live in the city in order to get the full experience, and will probably end up living in a much small place as a result, so I need to declutter.  I’ve been reading alot of Minimalism blogs, and while I do not see myself going that extreme, there are a lot of great ideas in it!
• Looking. I am already checking out apartment complexes and such in the area, and have found a few that I REALLY REALLY like.  I figure that until I know I’ll be happy, I will rent, and if I don’t want to come running home I will then look at buying something (if it’s feasible).  I still have some time so nothing is rushed, but I am going up to Pittsburgh this weekend to check out a few of the prospects.
• Etc… I’ve set up a checking account with a bank that has branches in Pittsburgh and in this area (my current bank is very local) and am going to transitioning my money there soon.  I’ve also priced out auto insurance (which is hella cheap!) so that I’m not in for a shock once I’m already there.

I know there is a bunch of other stuff I am forgetting to do, which is why I wanted to start now to get it done (if anyone knows of anything that I’m missing, let me know!).  I’m very much looking forward to the idea of a fresh start (in some respects anyway), and as such I hope I will be moving up there in much better shape than I am now, so I have some work ahead of me in that department too.

Have any of you ever relocated to another area?  Do you have any tips or suggestions to help someone who’s never strayed too far from home?