I am of the opinion that money isn't everything. More important to me is to make sure I am enjoying my limited time on earth. I never worked in an office as I was a union carpenter for 39 years , don't know how anyone could stomach it. I always valued my time away from work so I could be with my family and be outdoors as well.

I'm not a financial guy so I can't speak to how long your portfolio will last. I do know that since I moved down here to NC my cost of living is about 1/2 of what it was in Chicago. So you will be living cheaper but making less money. Might be kind of a wash.

Good that you are considering your health. Eventually we are all going to need a hospital and if medical care isn't reasonably close it could be an issue. How healthy are you now? What about family history? Don't forget that being able to enjoy your life will probably add some years to your life and if it doesn't at least you had fun.

You can probably make some decent cash if you stay and find another job but will you be happy? Only you know that. There is something to be said for the urban life as far as food and convenience but I have to say that so far I am loving these country roads. No stop lights or stop signs every two blocks, no speed bumps and I am yet to see a person with their pants almost down to their thighs.

Tough call. I say do what makes you happy while you are able to do it. We all have an expiration date ahead of us.
~JOE~

 

You only live once. Very frightening for man your age or any grown man to be making such big moves. Look, you had a good job in Northbrook, but something has led you to the thoughts in head your about moving north and it wasn't just losing that job.

As far as wages and pay cut. Well it's good you're being semi realistic by forecasting lower earnings, a lot to do with the region, not your qualifications. Occasionally when you expect the worst you're pleasantly surprised. Let's hope that's the case with you and you find a better job, more pay, etc.

Living within your means, doesn't take that long to forget about splurging on 50 dollar takeout meals. :wink:

Joe's right, money ain't everything.

Go for it mike.

 

Do it. Don't look back.

 

Green belt or black?

 

I have been a lurker on this site for a while and am compelled to post for the first time because I have had similar thoughts as I approach my 50th birthday!

I am not 100% sure that you need to walk away from Corporate America to change your geography. Based on your IT background, you COULD continue to work in a reporting/analytics job somewhere in the north on the fringe of an 'urban' area. How about getting a reporting job for a company in/near the Twin Cities, Wausau, Duluth, Green Bay etc.? You could likely find your low cost dream house close to one of these places. If you stick with IT, there it is possible that you can work it out where you can work remotely a few days a week. If you can work this out, you can move even farther from town.

I have been an IT consultant for many years and have worked in several 'small market' locations on projects (Rochester MN, St. Cloud MN, Wausau WI and upstate NY). I have met many people in my travels who worked for the client company but were able to live far out in the county and enjoy the rural lifestyle. You would need to be very patient looking for just the right opportunity. There is no doubt that you would not get the same salary out in the country but I would think that you could make more than as a newbie welder. I just would not throw out the expertise that you developed over the years…

 

buy the land, buy the boat. Don't look back on IL what so ever. You have a good foundation to work with and living anywhere north of Madison is good living. One day I hope to make this same post.

 

Very personal decision but it never hurts to get a sanity check.

The fact that your girlfriend lives up there and you seem to already have a strong social network up there makes me lean towards saying go for it. My wife is a doctor and has a lot of older patients who have moved to be near their kids or just for a change of scenery and all to often they end up regretting the move because they have underestimated the value of the social connections they are leaving behind and just their general love of their original home.

A few other thoughts:

I agree with some of what jnov23 is saying. Don't discount working remotely, I've been doing it since 2001 (before it became popular) and it has worked out really well. Also, maybe consider looking for a compromise or best of both worlds situation like moving somewhere within commuting distance of Madison but still rural.

You are right to consider healthcare. I've known other people who's later in life moves to rural and cheaper locations have not worked out because of that.

Consider how much you might or might not miss the general vitality of Chicago area vs. up north. This goes beyond things you can list on paper. It is the vibe of a place. I'll be honest, Ann Arbor where I moved 3 years ago is a vibrant university town but I really miss the vibe of the Chicago area and am not in love with the vibe of Ann Arbor even though it is a good fit for me on paper. The good news here is you've spent a lot of time up north so ask yourself how you feel when you are up there and how you feel about the people there. If there are warning signs then listen to them.

 

Even if I was 'single' I still think I'd want to move up here.

To me, I think you answered this question for yourself already. I'm hearing, "I want a confirmation of my innermost desire."

Ultimately, only you can answer this kind of thing. From the perspective you are sharing it doesn't sound unreasonable at all.

 

Gave my short answer above. Here's my longer one.

1st, other than 'IT' & 'corporate' you don't say what industry. If you have any insurance experience I suggest you send your resume to Church Mutual in Merrill, WI. I used to call on them & always thought they needed help in their IT dept. Wish I could give you some contacts but it's been a few years.

2nd, sounds to me like the outdoors is way more important to you than anything else. This takes us back to my short answer.

3rd, healthcare is an issue - especially as we age. Once you qualify for Medicare things get so much better. Single-payer would make this a non-issue for everyone. Sorry, just had to throw that in.

4th, I'm totally with you on the 4X4 raised 6". Especially if it's a mid-70s Chevy short bed 3/4 ton. BTW - this is the only Chevy other than a '63 split window Vette I'd ever be interested in owning - sorry Aux.

5th, good luck!

 

I like it, Mike! I think you should go for it. Cost of living should be a significantly cheaper, so even if you do make less, perhaps it can be a wash as mentioned above. I definitely hear you on missing the food.. But you can always have it shipped to you

Let me know when you pull the trigger, maybe I can come up some time :thumbup:

 

3rd, healthcare is an issue - especially as we age. Once you qualify for Medicare things get so much better. Single-payer would make this a non-issue for everyone. Sorry, just had to throw that in.

I think his point might be that even with insurance there is not good access to healthcare in rural northern WI. This is something that people who live in an area with good healthare access (like Chicagoland) take for granted.

 

I had a similar situation about 11 years ago and regret not looking harder at making almost that same move. I stayed in IL and currently make 20% less at my current job than I did 11 years ago, only plus being it's a 3 mile trek between home and work.

Skip the lifted 4x4, I had one of those. It was great 15 years ago, but as I got older found it not only not so much fun anymore climbing in and out of the damn thing, and if you really hauled anything in the bed was a pain. I'm your age.

I find myself dreaming about "what if" now.

.

 

buy the land, buy the boat. Don't look back on IL what so ever.

x2

My exact thought.

Go for it Mike you can always move back to this shitty state if you're crazy enough.....

sounds like you know the correct answer to your own question. :wink:

 

As long as there's a bunk room for WCFers to stay in, go for it! :wink:

Sounds like you have a good plan going. Might be something you regret if you dont take the plunge, you can always come back. Never too late to have life experiences like that

 

Hey Mike,
Need a groundskeeper? Where do I send my application?

 

I love Cass lake Mn. Fished it for over 30 years. I truely love the whole area and would have loved to live up there, BUT, there is no way I could put up with the long long winters up there. I should have bought a cabin there and just gone there more often. So, if you move, make sure you are ready for it. Also good point you make about being far from a hospital. All things to be considered.

 

I think about cashing out and leaving every day. If I did not have my own business I would leave tomorrow. When I am fantasizing about moving and looking on Zillow I only look at towns close enough to major medical care facilities. If I was free from work like you are i would leave. 51 is far from old BTW. I am 54 and at that point of questioning a lot of things also. Best wishes to you no matter what you decide.

 

My great uncle had a saying he would constantly repeat "when we move to California ". That was his dream, he died in Chicago on a frozen February day. He always talked about moving but never pulled the trigger.

My father HATED cook county and Illinois and finally up n left to Arizona to start new. Died a few years later but I can honestly say he was 1000x happier during that time.

Point being, rather go and find out it wasn't the best choice then to be a prisoner forever in a constant state of what if's.
Limit the amount of regrets in your life and it will turn out to be a fruitful 1.

 

From your posts I have always considered you a practical and analytical type of guy. You obviously have done your homework on this, and I really hope you go for it. It is where your heart and passion is. There are cons to most major decisions in life, but at the end of the day we all have a limited shelf life. Don't let the years pass, get stuck here, and think what might have been. Just my opinion of course, but I really hope you go through with it and live your dream.

 

From your posts I have always considered you a practical and analytical type of guy. You obviously have done your homework on this, and I really hope you go for it. It is where your heart and passion is. There are cons to most major decisions in life, but at the end of the day we all have a limited shelf life. Don't let the years pass, get stuck here, and think what might have been. Just my opinion of course, but I really hope you go through with it and live your dream.

I couldn't have worded it better. Besides, you practically live there now. With your budgeting, you left out how much you will save in gas and vehicle wear and tear not having to drive up there every weekend. That's a factor. When I was dating my U.P. fiancee, it was in the days when long distance phone calls were billed by the minute. When our combined phone bills got up in the $600-700 per month range, we actually moved the wedding date up figuring all the money we'd save on not having to rack up the phone bills midweek and the gas for all the weekend trips. :idea:

Gave my short answer above. Here's my longer one.

3rd, healthcare is an issue - especially as we age. Once you qualify for Medicare things get so much better. Single-payer would make this a non-issue for everyone.

He was talking about the distance to the hospitals up there to receive medical care, not asking why we need communism or (communism-lite) socialism. :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

If I had no ties to IL and the means to leave I'd already be gone.

It's a scary proposition to uproot and start a new life somewhere else, but it's an even scarier proposition to spend your last remaining healthy years not enjoying them and never getting the chance to.

 

If I had no ties to IL and the means to leave I'd already be gone.

I 2nd this. I was a signature on a contract away from moving to AZ 6 years ago, but didn't pull the trigger due to not wanting to be that far from my family. In a way, I'm glad I didn't but now that my life is back on track where I want it, the thoughts are coming back.

If you have the means, the number crunching goes even slightly in your favor, and its what you truly want, pull the trigger.

 

Mike, it's really scary thing to do. It took me forever to pick up and move (Granted I moved to the Twin Cities and not a rural) it was still a huge decision. Interviewed for a job up here with my company, and waited for an answer...meanwhile I was offered more money to stay in Schaumburg in a higher level position that I was at the time, because, they didn't want to lose me, I accepted it, because, I was thinking about the money. 24 hours passed since I accepted the promotion, and I received a call from the recruiter for the position in Minnesota, and told them what happened and I accepted but didn't sign any paperwork yet etc...but I really needed to think. He gave me 24 hours to think, and for those 24 hours I felt like complete chit, because, all my family lives in Illinois etc. I backed out on more money and a higher position, because, my heart was really set on moving away and experiencing something new. I didn't want to look back thinking, I could have experienced living somewhere else, etc....I could not be happier now.

Don't look at the top out dollar, look at what you'll be able to do and where you'll be when you wake up and go to sleep....owning land and living full time in an area that you drive to constantly!!!!!!!!!!! Think about all of the miles and time you have logged traveling there. It evens out, because, the cost of living is cheaper, and you'll be saving money on traveling expenses, and living in Illinois. (Just like Ron stated). If I'm ever going to be up in the area I'll let you know ahead a time so you can place an order for some food other than fried fish, beer and cheese curds A beer would be the only charge for delivery.

Do it Mike!

 

Wisconsin. Chicago winter on steroids.
Funny book I saw in a grocery store in Watersmeet.

https://www.amazon.com/You-Wouldnt-Like ... 1892384434

 

Hey Mike-

Follow your heart and what you think will make you happy. The decision is much easier when you don't have a job or family keeping you tied to an area. Sounds like you'll make the finances work. You'll earn less but the cost of living is less. You're already looking at a paycut if you stay here and we all know about taxes and the cost of living in this area. Besides, how do you put a price on happiness? Personally, I make the move. What's the worst thing that happens? You spend a year there, find out it wasn't the right decision, and then move back? On the flipside, it could easily be one of the best decisions you'll ever make.

And I completely understand what you are after. I dream of living in Northern Michigan. We just go back from spending 10 days up north and I constantly thought about how great it would be to live there but my wife and I are locked into our jobs until we retire. We would take huge financial hits to relocate so it's not really an option. Plus, our kids are young and we have a lot of family in the area. I have decided that I am buying a home up north in the future and will definitely spend my summers there when I retire. But if I was starting fresh, which it kinda sounds like you are, I would absolutely move north. Good luck.