[Bydand]

Where did the OP say they didn't have a job? The OP said the house they were looking at fell through and they are renting for now. Somebody else said they were still looking for a job in MI to be closer to their family.

Winter clothes are kind of hard to come by during the summer and even fall months in Louisiana. I wouldn't expect them to have a load of winter gear when they first get here.

Plus it isn't your life, it isn't your family, so back off a bit on their decision even if it isn't what you would do.

[laruefamily_cjjh]

Originally Posted by Giesela

they don't have a job, they don't have any money and they don't even have winter clothes and they are coming from Louisana as best as I can figure where the average cost of living is even lower than Michigan.
Since there are so few jobs they will be out of a job for at least awhile if not longer.
Gee. Maybe we should all just throw caution to winds and do what we want - oh wait.....maybe that's not responsible?

oh shut up, we do have a job and we will make it, so far a lot of the michigan people on here are just cry babies, work at walmart if you have to, stop waiting for that job you went to school for or worked all those years doing it

and for your information the reason we are mvoing is because my husband got a job in michigan in the first place...

IF YOU DONT HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY, SHUT UP NO ONE CARES

[Jasmin71]

All I have to say is better have you ducks in a row coming here, having a Job today doesnt mean you have a Job tomorrow.

Can I ask what kind of Job your Husband does?

Clothing I would check ASAP at goodwill/ resale shops, you will need a good outfit should be a nice hard winter again

BTw you are not nice either telling someone to shut up cause you dont agree with them. One should never point Fingers ........and then do the same as the person he is pointing fingers at.

Wish you Luck and make sure you know ALL the Facts, from ALL sides.

[Coldjensens]

Welcome.


When we moved from California we did not have a single coat for seven of us. My sister shopped for us at thrift stores, yard sales, seasonal sales at Meiers and Target, etc. For about $100 - $200 she provided the whole family with very good quality coats, hats, boots, gloves/mittens, a few scarves, and several bicycles. She is a really good bargain shopper. Most of the clothing was name brand and still had the tags on it. No one was ever embarrassed and everyone had very nice winter clothing by the time it got cold.

A bigger expense may be sleds, snpwball makers, ice skates, and skis.

Yes the economy is tough and quite a few people have lost their jobs. It is not the horrid condition that the doom and gloomers love to relate. Less than a quarter of the people are unemployed which means that three quarters are still working. Most of the unemployed people are getting by not many have been forced to leave.

This is a beautiful state. You will love it here unless you pre-decide to hate it. I would nto worry at all about the house. One thing Michigan has plenty of is affordable houses. You are better off renting at first. It gives you time to look around and figure out exactly where you want to be and then hunt down a great deal. .

Salvation Army is a lot cheaper than Goodwill.

[michigan83]

BTw you are not nice either telling someone to shut up cause you dont agree with them. One should never point Fingers ........and then do the same as the person he is pointing fingers at.

Nah, I think the OP was justified in telling that person to shut up. "Giesela" had no idea what he/she was posting about and didn't even bother to read the thread carefully. They were preaching to the wrong poster, for crying out loud.

Hope you like it here, laruefamily! You're arriving during some miserable weather, but you will find that the fall is absolutely beautiful and there will be some pleasant weather still to come before it gets cold for good.

[xlabel]

I would spare no expense when it comes to staying warm. It's like the bedding commercials; you spend 1/3 of your life in bed so you might as well be comfortable. A good hooded Carhartt jacket is a wise investment IMO, they are so warm.

[jeanniepep]

I found some really nice Columbia jackets (and other good brands) at TJ Maxx for about 1/3 of normal retail price. So warm, cute, and affordable!

You might also look for an outlet mall; there are a few around the state. Birch Run is pretty far from Three Rivers, but I know they have a Columbia store and a few other very good cold-weather-gear shops, so maybe some of the other Prime Outlets would have the same. When we lived in Marshall (a little closer to Three Rivers, but still not quite next door) we used to drive down to the outlets just south of the Indiana border. Although, technically the prices were still better at TJ Maxx and those are a lot easier to find. I hear Marshalls is good too, but I haven't been to one in many many years so I can't tell you much about them.

Like Xlabel said, you probably want to go ahead and get something decent rather than a Walmart special, it can get very cold here! Goodwill usually has some good stuff (depending on the town) but this time of year they may not have a huge stock of coats because a lot of people need to buy them right now.

[enigmaingr]

Welcome to Michigan! Like someone else said, you'll love it unless you decide to hate it. Get out and explore whenever you get the chance...see the fall colors, go skiing, sledding, have a snowball fight, go to the lake in the summer, go camping, see the cities, visit our next door neighbor Canada...so much to see and do. Most of the people that hate it here or already left have never done any of that stuff.

One word of advice: invest in your winter clothing. You are wise to get your stuff from here as the "winter" stuff I've seen sold down south will not do. There are lots of decent bargains but you may find that you need to spend a little more than what you expected. It is worth it though. You'll thank yourself come January.

Again, welcome to Michigan! GO BLUE!

[I_Want_Snow]

laruefamily_cjjh-

I was the first one who responded to your post, and just as I said, don't let the few negative people on this MI board get to you. The people who are negative are just miserable in their own lives. As they say "misery loves company".

You will find that most people here will be polite and offer help with your transition to the beautiful State of Michigan. The best thing to do is to just ignore the negative ones and respond to the positive ones.

Make sure you got some good tires on your car and make sure your battery is in good condition. Nothing worse then waking up and the car won't crank over because it's too cold outside. As I said in my previous post, I am coming back to MI next summer and I can't wait!!!

Good luck with your move... I know you will love the state!!

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by deslok

Don't like Gisela get you down, she once got mad that I was in favor of Battle Creek improving itself.
Try shopping at an outlet mall of some kind. TJ Max or Marshalls usually have good deals. If you are up for a drive, Michigan city has a big outlet mall, although it is about a few hours away. Obviously Chicago as well has some great deals, as their Marshalls, TJ Max and a few other stores have huge inventories of clothes. Get something quality that you will actually want to keep long term, as opposed to something cheap from Walmart or Goodwill that you don't really want to have on, but keeps you warm.

Dead on! Quality has to come 1st in winter gear. If you have to go with a light winter jacket, but a good one for the $, do so and layer underneath (actually warmer anyway). For working outside all day long I have Carhartt in several different styles, depending on how cold it is, and what I am going to be doing. Butt ugly stuff, but top of the line in warmth.

If you are in the Battle Creek are, there used to be a store called "Max-10" that everything was $10 or under and I bought several different winter jackets in there while living in the area (2 of them Carhartt Arctic weight). They may be gone now, but there has to be something similar down there still.