Extended stay hotels and the virtues of moving on spec

Photo by Kevin Dooley

Okay, Tim and I are still hoping to visit Arizona for awhile before deciding to move there. To really get an idea of how it would affect his skin, we'd need a minimum of 2 weeks, preferably 3 or 4. Of course, we can't afford a hotel at that rate.


My mom has signed us up for the Caretaker Gazette, which has listings all over the world. If people need someone to house sit or be a caretaker, they can advertise in the paper. It also has email alerts as things become available.


I've been looking around on Craigslist at temporary housing. Most are for corporate folks, so they're pretty expensive. There are one or two that we could get for about $150 a week, but we still have to pay our normal rent here in Seattle. Plus there's the cost of getting down there.


Any ideas on where to find cheaper places? Or how to get there cheaply?


I've looked at sublets, but most are for more than a month. And vacation rentals are insane! Most go for hotel-like prices and are opulent. It's hard to find one that is just made for two people. Most sleep 6 people or more.


At this rate, I'm torn. I mean, it seems silly to move down there on spec -- even if Tim's skin did do better both times he lived there. There's the worry that his skin won't be good "enough." That I'd get my hopes up about his working ability and be disappointed.


Still, does it really make sense to spend $900 ($400 to get down there, $450 for a place to stay for three weeks) when that money could go toward moving costs? On the one hand, we could get down there and find that Tim's skin does nothing. In which case, we've saved money. More likely is that his skin will improve greatly and we'll move down there.


This is something we have to figure out, because Tim's only got five months left on unemployment. We're trying to make an appointment with his Dept of Vocational Rehab caseworker, so Tim can explore some career options. If they suggest schooling, we might be okay.


But if he can't start working regularly by the time the unemployment runs out, we're going to be in big trouble. Tim can get a job pretty easily. But once his skin starts acting up, he starts missing days. Eventually, the boss has to let him go. Meanwhile, he'll have killed his health trying to keep working even when he shouldn't. At that point, we'll have almost no income, which will make moving hard. And even if we can move, Tim will need to build his health back up before he could start working again in any serious capacity.


Worrisome to say the least.


At least if we move to Arizona while he still has unemployment, he can file from there. And, if his skin improves, he can do without insurance for a little while. Which would free up $502 a month. But that's if his skin improves. Which we can't know until we go visit down there.


Is anyone else dizzy from the circles I'm running in?