[deditus]

Dh, dd, ddoggy, and I will most likely be relocating to the area in 1-2 months. Economy here in MI is cr*p. We got up a creek when I got pg 2 yrs ago w/a new mortgage, me SAHMing, medical bills from dd birth, and subsequent downturn of economy. I figured that if we have to move, it might as well be to a place that suits us. From my research, the area sounds great (except for the cold-I don't mind the snow, but I don't like cold). (No we haven't been there! Dh wil probably just go find a job, and a rental, & come back here to move us.) So seriously, I need help as we'll be moving pretty blindly. We honestly are down to just enough $ to get into a new place, so we can't really finaggle too much. Dh isn't a "professional" so to speak, he really just kind of needs a "work for a living" type job. He really wants to be in sales (home improvement) but also has many years experience driving garbage trucks. Where exactly we go will be determined by job somewhat, I guess, but he may take any decent paying laboring job to get started out there and then look for a sales job. So I need help with:
Food co-op
Raw milk, grassfed beef, pastured poultry, & pork
Seriously, what do we need for winter, I have regular cotton long johns, do I need a few wool pieces or capilene or what?
Ped
Ped dentist
Applying for state/medicaid healthcare for dd
Which areas will we be able to find a rental for well under $1000 or around $1000 w/utilities (that we can have a dog, specifically a pitbull)
Do I need to like winterize our cars or anything

Good newspaper we can subscribe to now to check classifieds
Anything else you can think of
I did read the recruiting neighbors thread, but I think those areas may be out of our price range?

Any help would be great. I am totally overwhelmed with the prospect of moving 10 hrs away with a 1 yr old and preparing/researching/packing w/dh working 6 days a week. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

[Tine]

Hi, Emily -- and welcome in advance to the Twin Cities.

I'm embarrassed to say that I'm clueless about answers to most of your questions, despite having lived here 29 of my 39 years of life.

: But I'll try. And maybe my ignorant responses will prompt others to jump in and correct me.

Food co-op There are tons of them around here, from big to little. The one you frequent will totally depend on where you live. But here's a list, FWIW: http://twincitiesfood.coop/locations/.

Raw milk, grassfed beef, pastured poultry, & pork I'm vegetarian, so don't pay much attention to this. But I'd guess most of these items are available at the local coops. Other ideas, anyone?

Seriously, what do we need for winter, I have regular cotton long johns, do I need a few wool pieces or capilene or what? Winters are not that different here from southern MI. (I lived in South Bend, IN for 4 years, so I know the area.) You all probably get more snow thanks to Lake Michigan than we do here. It may be a bit colder here, for more days, but it's not Arctic or anything. I bet the winter clothes you have are just fine.

Ped We don't have a ped, but we see a family doc that we just love: Sarah Maier at Fairview Hiawatha Clinic in S. Mpls. (http://www.fairview.org/Clinics/primary/c_099250.asp) I'm sure others will jump in with lots of additional recommendations.

Ped dentist I just asked local MDCers about this myself. I heard good things about Ron King (in St. Louis Park), JoAnn Boraas (in Richfield), Carol Mason (in Edina), and Barry Gerst (in Minneapolis).

Applying for state/medicaid healthcare for dd Clueless about this...sorry.

Which areas will we be able to find a rental for well under $1000 or around $1000 w/utilities (that we can have a dog, specifically a pitbull) Hmm...I know S. Mpls. best, b/c that's where I live. Here are some Mpls. neighborhoods that seem like good prospects: Powderhorn, Longfellow, Kingfield, Standish. There are undoubtedly many others.

Do I need to like winterize our cars or anything Nah. See above.

Good newspaper we can subscribe to now to check classifieds http://www.startribune.com

Hope this helps you get started, anyway! Good luck with your move.

 

[MsMoMpls]

Yeah- what she said...

Also, try Craigslist for jobs and rentals. There are lots of people looking for renters since the housing market is kind of a mess. My eldest just rented a basement apartment in a great neighborhood with a fenced yard for his big dog for $750. I am out in the souther suburbs which are culturally lame but lower priced and great schools. I think the job market is pretty good especially what you are looking for.

Winters here have been a lot easier than they used to be but mostly they are just long and can be really isolating. Many mommas I know that didn't grow up here find Minnesotans "nice" but not warm. The attachment parent group in the area is amazing, the birth community is amazing, and check out my wonderful new parenting center for support as well.

Good luck, moving to make life better for you family is a tough thing to do but definately worth it.

Maureen

 

[deditus]

Thanks for the info mommas! I don't find Michiganians particularly "warm" either. Must be a midwest thing. We had a long list of requirements which brought us down to OR, CA, ME, and MN. We didn't like it out west when we were there on our honeymoon, ME doesn't have much going on in the job dept, so MN it is!
How is the commuting? Like if we moved to Eden Prairie if dh drove a garbage truck (where Allied Waste is), would the commute be doable to town when he got a more professional job?

 

[M&Mmama]

Just to address something that you brought up.

Your family might qualify for either Medical Assistance or Minnesota Care, both state-run insurance programs. Minnesota Care is essentially purchasing Medical Assistance but on a sliding fee scale, MA is only for people either on disability or very low income. However, check into it, because it sounds as though your family would like qualify for one of them. With Minnesota Care you might be able to keep it after DH gets a job depending upon his salary and whether or not he has benefits. You will have to choose a plan with a company such as Medica or UCare. I personally would choose Medica as almost all providers would be covered.

Check out the State of MN website, there's good info.

On another note, I don't think that the commute from Eden Prairie would be that bad to downtown, but I don't drive it either.

I work in Dakota County (Eagan, Inver Grove Heights, West St Paul) and I would consider looking in West St Paul (which is East of St Paul, go figure), there are definitely some crunchy families and it seems fairly reasonable in terms of cost, or else Inver Grove Heights or similar.

Good luck!

 

[Tine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by M&Mmama On another note, I don't think that the commute from Eden Prairie would be that bad to downtown, but I don't drive it either. I work in Dakota County (Eagan, Inver Grove Heights, West St Paul) and I would consider looking in West St Paul (which is East of St Paul, go figure), there are definitely some crunchy families and it seems fairly reasonable in terms of cost, or else Inver Grove Heights or similar.

Eden Prairie's not that far out; it's a 2nd-ring suburb. I know lots of people who commute downtown WAY farther than that.

Good idea about the St. Paul suburbs. That reminds me; a friend of mine is currently house-hunting and told me she was having great luck finding affordable housing in decent neighborhoods in South St. Paul.

 

[lilkat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by M&Mmama I work in Dakota County (Eagan, Inver Grove Heights, West St Paul) and I would consider looking in West St Paul (which is East of St Paul, go figure), there are definitely some crunchy families and it seems fairly reasonable in terms of cost, or else Inver Grove Heights or similar. Good luck!

DH and I live in W. St. Paul. I dunno about renting, but certainly when we bought our house 5 years ago, it was the only area we could find with decent houses in our price range (we looked in the Mac-Groveland area first, spendy!!). Definitely a very safe, nice little working-class community, and close to downtown SP.

 

[pinksprklybarefoot]

I live in South St Paul (close to West St Paul), and rent is VERY affordable. I am one of those people who would love to live in Minneapolis, but I can't afford rent in the areas of Minneapolis that I would feel safe living in. Also, my stepdaughter is at a great school in St. Paul, so living in South St. Paul is now really convenient for that.

I am on MA in Dakota County(medical assistance) and would be happy to explain the whole process to you (PM me).

I also second Craigslist - it's good for finding jobs with small, independent businesses.

Welcome to MN (when you get here)!

ETA: I have lived in MN all of my life, and have never once worn long underwear. It's not as cold as you think. MI is probably comparable. So, no worries!

 

[mnnice]

I think $1000 in rent (with a dog) is going to be challenging in a lot of the twin cities (Eden Prarie might be especially hard). Unless the housing issues have decreased rents since I moved away.

 

[MsMoMpls]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mnnice I think $1000 in rent (with a dog) is going to be challenging in a lot of the twin cities (Eden Prarie might be especially hard). Unless the housing issues have decreased rents since I moved away.

The housing thing has changed dramatically with so many houses sitting empty and people unable to sell. Rents are going down and people are much more flexible.

Although I agree Eden Prarie is expensive.

 

[deditus]

Yeah, I have seen quite a few homes for rent on Craigslist in our price range, I just wasn't sure what areas to really focus on that would be in our price range and within commuting distance for a wide range of jobs. I certainly don't have my heart set on any particular area, as we'll probably look for a 6 month-1 year lease and see how things are working after that.

 

[gabbyquilts]

If you end up in Eden Prairie and working downtown, the metro transit station has a lot of their direct routes going from that station. we rented and appt in EP for a while before we closed on our house and it wasnt great. 900 + some utilities for a 1 bedroom, it wasnt kid friendly, but we didnt have a kid at the time, but it was about 3 minutes from DH work.

 

[studentmama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsMoMpls The housing thing has changed dramatically with so many houses sitting empty and people unable to sell. Rents are going down and people are much more flexible. Although I agree Eden Prarie is expensive.

Yes and no. Actually rents are going up because so many people are being forclosed on the rental market is tightening up.

Your best bet really is craigslist. We found an awesome rental and a great price through craigslist. Also, when you start to look you can come ask about certain neighborhoods. And you just gotta keep checking back constantly because things change so fast on craigslist. You can find something reasonable, but it takes a lot of work(worth it IMHO). Good luck.