- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 60
I currently live in Windsor, Ontario. Just lost a job as an Electronics Technician for 14 years ($22/hour). We have been paying for our own home here for over 8 years now. Jobs are hard to find and they are mostly minimum wage. My wife runs a home day care from our house. I have 2 kids that are home schooled. With a minimum wage job, we would be barely getting by... (our home would be valued at around $160,000 right now. 3 bedroom, lots of space)
I am currently (and seriously) considering enrolling as an Electronics Tech for Navy or for LCIS/ATIS. The big problem we have is figuring out if we can manage it financially on just my military salary. We want to get a home as soon as possible after BMQ (of course after our home in Windsor is sold)
I know whatever choice I make/get, it will take a good 1.5 to 2+ years (of trade training) after BMQ before I get posted somewhere. I know the CF won't pay for our move (lawyer,closing costs,etc for house) until I am posted. I have no plan of being away from my family that long!
Going LCIS/ATIS (normal enrolment)6-7 hours away to Kingston) If we were to sell our house and buy in Kingston it would be on my $32000. The wife would not be working (for a good while at least). The costs there would most likely be similar to Windsor. We don't want to do PMQs after reading the horror stories. We like our house here I can't afford my own apartment (for the family to visit) and pay the mortgage on my house in Windsor. I don't want to wait 2 years to bring them here, or somewhere else! Has anyone else gone this route and made it with a family and buying a home in the Kingston area?
Going Navy NE Tech (SEP - Supplemental Education Plan) : Basically I would go to RCC Institute (4 hours away)for 2 years for their Electronics Engineering Technician course and the CF would pay for all the schooling costs and my rent, and pay me $32000 1st year, $37000 2nd year, and when I'm done there I would start at $52000. The big difference here is that my wife and kids would stay in our house (in Windsor) for the 2 years and she would still make money... and they could come up and stay with me for 3 days a week whenever they want (because of homeschooling).
Then when I had to go to Halifax for trades training,etc. they would come with me (at my own expense still I assume) as we would try to buy a house there. What we need to know is what the cost of living would be like there (or BC if we ever got posted there after), as it would be on my $52000 salary for quite a while.
Halifax seems to be mostly oil heated and taxes are higher than here in Ontario (until HST takes over! maybe). BC seems to be expensive period. We don't want to find ourselves unable to buy a home because we can't afford the daily living on the east/west coasts. Would a Navy LS at $52000/yr be able to afford a decent 3 bedroom house at either coast, and not have to drive more than 30 mins to get to base???
Also... do you get PLD if you are buying your own house??? There is PLD in Halifax and BC (don't know the amount,help!), but none in Kingston (lame..)
We don't want to go through all this and find that we would/could be in worse shape than we are financially. (we have no debt, except for our house ($1200/month) and a car payment ($350/month).
Any help, advice and info would be great.
I am currently (and seriously) considering enrolling as an Electronics Tech for Navy or for LCIS/ATIS. The big problem we have is figuring out if we can manage it financially on just my military salary. We want to get a home as soon as possible after BMQ (of course after our home in Windsor is sold)
I know whatever choice I make/get, it will take a good 1.5 to 2+ years (of trade training) after BMQ before I get posted somewhere. I know the CF won't pay for our move (lawyer,closing costs,etc for house) until I am posted. I have no plan of being away from my family that long!
Going LCIS/ATIS (normal enrolment)6-7 hours away to Kingston) If we were to sell our house and buy in Kingston it would be on my $32000. The wife would not be working (for a good while at least). The costs there would most likely be similar to Windsor. We don't want to do PMQs after reading the horror stories. We like our house here I can't afford my own apartment (for the family to visit) and pay the mortgage on my house in Windsor. I don't want to wait 2 years to bring them here, or somewhere else! Has anyone else gone this route and made it with a family and buying a home in the Kingston area?
Going Navy NE Tech (SEP - Supplemental Education Plan) : Basically I would go to RCC Institute (4 hours away)for 2 years for their Electronics Engineering Technician course and the CF would pay for all the schooling costs and my rent, and pay me $32000 1st year, $37000 2nd year, and when I'm done there I would start at $52000. The big difference here is that my wife and kids would stay in our house (in Windsor) for the 2 years and she would still make money... and they could come up and stay with me for 3 days a week whenever they want (because of homeschooling).
Then when I had to go to Halifax for trades training,etc. they would come with me (at my own expense still I assume) as we would try to buy a house there. What we need to know is what the cost of living would be like there (or BC if we ever got posted there after), as it would be on my $52000 salary for quite a while.
Halifax seems to be mostly oil heated and taxes are higher than here in Ontario (until HST takes over! maybe). BC seems to be expensive period. We don't want to find ourselves unable to buy a home because we can't afford the daily living on the east/west coasts. Would a Navy LS at $52000/yr be able to afford a decent 3 bedroom house at either coast, and not have to drive more than 30 mins to get to base???
Also... do you get PLD if you are buying your own house??? There is PLD in Halifax and BC (don't know the amount,help!), but none in Kingston (lame..)
We don't want to go through all this and find that we would/could be in worse shape than we are financially. (we have no debt, except for our house ($1200/month) and a car payment ($350/month).
Any help, advice and info would be great.