Has the economy effected the possibility of closing the distance? If so how?!

[xopookie]

I'm just curious on this subject besides it's effected my relationship big time... I think I'll be in a long distance for a long time... *sigh.. . But I will close the distance eventually ! Any stories?!

[LadyMarchHare]

As my SO said once, "you can't just close the distance."

I guess the economy's a factor, though really it's more one for him than it is me because there are so many folks in stuff like fast food and retail willing to hire a 21 year old. Not so much anyone looking to hire a near-28 year old man with management experience and a BA in Psyche. He's stuck in a shitty job that pays only enough to live and as he pointed out once neither one of us are financially stable enough to support the other so if the distance were to end it would have to be with me in a job, and finding a job in another state is harder not to mention costly if they demand an in-person interview versus a phone one. My ideal situation would be finding a job to support either his searching for another job for himself or 'retiring' to devote full or partial time to finishing his book. A girl can dream.

Money plays a vital role in our lives as individuals and as couples. The economy's current condition of clenching its ass regarding to jobs and hiring people at decent wages just makes it all the more, and unnecessarily so, important.

[Elissa]

Not really. It's more custody issues with the kids.

[sam]

Not really. When people say "when you truly want something, nothing can stop you getting it in the end" I only think that is applicable to certain situations, and going LD to CD is one of those, in my opinion. But of course it depends on your situation like LMH said.. if you're a 17 year old still living at home with no job, I dont think it's possible (even to visit )

I'd assume every (/most) country has some form of social support if once you did get CD, you struggle financially. Whether you're allowed access to said support right away is another matter *cough*Finland*cough*

[blankita719]

Yes, I bought my house at a great price and have a good job at home. But the way this market is, I won't be able to sell it right away and since I currently work in a pretty specialized field of law, it is incredibly difficult to find someplace up where he lives that I can use that. I could make a career change but then that costs money to do, and if I move up to be with him then money would be an issue. Even if I could get him to agree to move South, there aren't a ton of job opportunies available where I live, so him finding a job would be hard as well. I don't get child support so it's not even like I would have that little bit of assistance to support my son. We both have sons to support and it wouldn't be feasible for either of us to move and try and support both of our families. There are other factors but we don't want to start out completely broke together.

[Silviar]

Not me. I buckled down, worked my ass off, as did my boyfriend, and we're closing the distance this month - with a nice emergency fund and all expenses taken care of.

[Insanity]

Possibly, the UK economy isn't as strong as the Australian economy at the moment, lack of jobs, lower wages. That could cause issues if we decided to live over there but the whole situation is pretty complicated anyway. I know once I'm out of uni I'll get a job here, there has been quite a bit of interest around me already and I'm lucky to have an organisation which has given me a lot of voluntary opportunities and connected me with important committees. Actually even getting a job here would be easier for him given his experience. Though I wouldn't say getting a job here in Aus is overly hard, of course some areas are harder than others but at least there is ample amounts of jobs at places like target, kmart and the supermarkets... not the best jobs but better than nothing.

[erinewelsh]

It's absolutely affected my relationship. My boyfriend is a disabled veteran who recently lost his job, and because of his back he can't get another job to save his life. He is a capable worker and has been doing mechanic work for over 10 years, but because of his back, nobody will hire him. The economy is such that there are so few jobs that people can be very picky about who they will hire, so people like my boyfriend are getting passed over, which makes it that much harder for he and I to close the distance :-(

[Micah]

It doesn't really have an influence on us. I just got my Masters and have been trying to find a job around here, but I live in a very rural area, so it's hard. I am hoping that moving to a more populated area will help me get employed. So, now I am just waiting to move there to get a job, and in the meantime applying for jobs there from here. The economy is horrible, but due to the sale of my house and some other things, I have been able to keep afloat for a while. My SO is able to support us and help us with moving without a problem at all. In fact, he has been saving ever since the beginning of our relationship and has a big chunk of money saved up for when we move there. The only thing holding us back is my daughter in school. She will be done at the end of May and then hopefully we can close the distance this summer.

[acroush]

Not me. I buckled down, worked my ass off, as did my boyfriend, and we're closing the distance this month - with a nice emergency fund and all expenses taken care of.

Yup so did my SO and I. I literally had 4 Jobs at once and was working 94 hours a week. It almost killed me, but it made the day go faster without my SO and also brought home a huge chunk of change. We close the distance in 4 months thanks to all our hard work.

The economy might suck, but there are still jobs around. Get a job while looking for another, hell get 4 like me. It helps pass the time since you are not with you SO and makes traveling and closing the distance easier!

Good Luck ya'll

[Jonesonaboat]

I think the economy has the potential to effect every couple in one way or another.. I mean, even if it's the price of a plane ticket. I think in some cases it may have an effect on a couple closing the distance, but I don't think it would ever stop anyone. There's always another way even if it means putting time and money into something else there's always SOME way.

[books]

It's strange because the state of the economy both brought us together and is keeping us apart. In 2009, I finished my Master's and was living in Europe (I'm from the US). I had a job opportunity fall through there and didn't see anything else opening up, so decided to come back to the US. I spent months looking for a job and couldn't find a thing. It was a really terrible time for me. I felt like I was just spinning my wheels, so I decided to take what little money I had and go overseas to volunteer. I sort of randomly picked Nicaragua (only really knew I wanted to be in a Spanish speaking country). Fast forward a few months...my time in Nicaragua was really amazing and I wound up spending 8 months there. I came back to the US to work just long enough to get money to go back for another round of volunteering. On my second trip back, I met my SO. I know if I had gotten a steady job right from when I finished my Master's, I would've never been inspired to head over there.

Now, I'm back in the US again. Our close the distance plan is for me to work here for a year or so, pay off my debt (student loans+credit cards) and move to Nicaragua. I'm once again having a hard time finding a job with the salary I need to make. I'm temping for the moment and at times I feel so discouraged by the job prospects out there. My SO tries to be supportive and tells me he'll wait however long it takes me to get it together.

[Caitlin2009]

well not closing the distance until next year but i have to save up every penny i have in order to visit her and stuff

[FadedSunrise]

Not yet. In the forseeable 1-2 year future I'm still under my parents' roof, with relatives in China very close to where my SO lives. So I'm guaranteed my yearly visit. And after graduation if I get some study scholarships, there will be another period of close or relatively close distance(same country, same time zone, great rail system-not too worried). I haven't thought further than that-more will probably drive my insane with stress.

[xopookie]

I agree about the starting wages they do suck and you can't save off of that.... But interesting stories that I'm reading about