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Moving to a New City Without a Job, Know How to Budget Your Savings

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Our first weeks in L.A. were stress free...

We wanted to live it up before we needed to be responsible and find jobs. Los Angeles really lives up to all its stereotypes. Perfect weather, pretty people, a wide variety of things to do, and great food.  It totally seemed like moving to this new city was going to be great!

Quickly we realized that it was also very dog friendly, almost everyone has a dog in L.A. The apartment complex we moved to was full of them! There were dogs at the mall, dogs at the airport, awesome specialty dog stores, just everywhere you looked dogs!  My boyfriend and I were super excited about this because our dogs are like our children. So we followed the trend and brought them along everywhere. If you aren’t a dog person L.A. may not be the place for you.

Moving to a New City is #Fun

The beaches in L.A. were to die for and only a short drive away from our apartment. There was definitely no pining for Galveston beaches! We also found a couple of cool spots to go hiking. We lived a half hour away from Universal Studios, not too far from Disneyland, walking distance to malls, restaurants, and gyms. So we thought location-wise we picked a great place to live. We didn’t think finding a temporary job would be difficult.

This was the first time that my boyfriend and I lived with our significant other. We were super happy and super in love and super optimistic about this life decision we made. All we had was each other and we were so happy to start life in a place with a clean slate.

We were pretty eager to furnish our apartment so that was the first thing we did. With the help of my boyfriend’s mom we purchased a couch and we were feeling really “adult-y” and mature. Saving money and managing a budget never really crossed my mind. I really thought finding a place to work while we were here “testing the waters” would be as easy as the job hunt in Texas was for a part time job.

Your Money Should Be Working for You

Learning How to Budget My Savings After Moving #NotFun #RealityCheck

We blew through our money at the grocery store, the movies, restaurants and Ubers. There was no budgeting at this point. NEVER LIVE LIFE LIKE THAT. Always, always, always leave yourself with something for an emergency fund. Especially if you are moving to a new city without a job. 

Because really you never know what life is going to throw at you. And I feel like I’m kind of preaching common sense, but we were not prepared for the emergencies to come. Always try to account for the unknown! It sucks but that’s just the kind of world we live in!

I saved half a year’s salary bartending and it lasted three months. I thought I was so prepared and ready and that was just not at all the case. I was beyond ignorant. Obviously the cost of living in California is way more expensive than Texas. Something neither one of us really gave much thought to. I assumed that I would simply just get used to it. I thought it would be rough for a little bit but eventually I would get a job and it would all work out. Don’t be like me.

If Savings=Emergency Fund, Then Emergency=No Savings #ItsADogsLife

Remember how I said dogs were everywhere and it was great? Boy did I want to swallow my words. A dog in our apartment complex attacked my dog. The dog ripped off a chunk of his ear. There was blood everywhere. It was horrible and traumatic, and one of those unknown things I was talking about happening. I had to rush him to a vet, got slapped with a hefty vet bill, and was left with an empty bank account. Which, of course, meant no emergency fund.

This is where the journey just really all went to crap. It was one thing after another. Life comes at you fast when you have no money! However, L.A. is beautiful! 10/10 would recommend someone to go visit it. The keyword here is visit, take a vacation for a couple of weeks, but don’t move there blindly. Props to those who have and survived because if it wasn’t for my boyfriend, I really think I would be homeless on Hollywood Boulevard.  But more on that later.

Really what I have taken away from this whole experience is that you need to learn how to budget to be successful if you plan on making big life changes. Life is not like the movies. You can’t just pack up and move to a new city or state without a plan. Really think everything through and when you have thought it through think about it some more. Plan for the unknown!

Moving to a New City Without a Job, Know How to Budget Your Savings

Really what I have taken away from this whole experience is that you need to learn how to budget to be successful if you plan on making big life changes.

Finding a Good App for Budgeting Your Money #LifeSaver

It’s a fact that we all are constantly on our smartphones – they’re the lifeline to staying in touch (well, texting anyway), updating friends and followers alike, and have everything we need with just a tap. So why not find a good app for budgeting so you can make a move to a new place, go on a fun trip with friends, or buy the house of your dreams?

If you want to get your started on how to even know what your budget is and how to manage it, check out our  and . They are a great way to get your numbers lined up and your goals set.

Author Bio

Kelley Reynolds

Kelley is a recent college grad who is still learning what it means to “adult.” Kelley earned her Sociology degree from Texas A&M University in 2017 and currently resides in the Houston, Texas area. As a guest blogger for PrimeWay, she will take you along on her journey of struggles, discovery, growth and learning in the real world.

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