Real life decisions

[SiteWolf]

So, as many of you know, I had lived in one city in South Dakota since my WSS days...in fact WSS was one of my diversions when I broke up with a thank God she's my ex back then......until 2015, when I took a job with the state and moved 200 miles west to one of the few state capitals not on an interstate and, I believe, the 2nd smallest in the country....15,000 people.....not that I left a metropolis, it was 25,000

I took the job looking for more security, but also expecting the opportunity to move up and create a solid retirement, even tho I knew regardless I'd need to be working longer than I ever expected because, well, things with JS and my career in general hadn't gone as planned. However, moving up with the state is just as ridiculously impossible with the state at my age as elsewhere. The boss that hired me (and who I still view as a friend) retired and his hand chosen replacement and I simply do not get along...I'll leave it at that other than it also meaning she's zero help in moving up OR out.

Meanwhile, I sold the 4th house I've ever owned (albeit a mobile home in that case) to move into an apartment here. Were I to stay here, however....a cousin who lived here passed away last month and, as it relates here, left a trailer his sister will need to sell...a viable purchase for me..again, were I to stay.

Now...I left the company I was working for when I came here in large part because of my boss.....he's now gone along with his second in command and a friend is now in charge. Months ago we jokingly started talking about my return.

It's not a joke at this point; he's convinced the owner to make me an offer to return as his 2nd in command. That offer will likely come Monday or Tuesday.

I know what the offer will likely be- not as much as I'd like, but more than I may ever get here with the state. Insurance will be as good or better than I have, but so long all those federal holidays and so long (tho we hope to change that) matching funds to a retirement account.

Who, me long winded?! OK, so the main pros of accepting are...higher salary than I may ever get with the state, get back to an area where I spent 20 years, and get away from a bad boss (and it's not just me that thinks this about her OR fired brother). While I just got an interview request from another department, I've interviewed there twice before with no offer.

OK, so scary as it is to think about, I believe (assuming I'm not lowballed) going back to my old company is the move....risky as it seems given 64 is right in front of me....but my friend assures me I can work there as long as I want.

Still with me? So now, if I DO move, there's the further decision of where to live....the company is in a tiny town under 1000 20 miles from where I lived before. Do I find a place in that town, eliminating a commute, knowing I'm still just 20 miles away? Or do I live where there's actual things going on but create the daily commute? And, do I buy or rent? And IF I buy, what? I don't want to have to keep working years from now just to justify having paid a mortgage to that point.

Regardless of whether I buy or rent, my cost of living goes up if I make the move, especially if I move into a house like I want to, not another apartment like I have here...but not so much that it kills the gain in salary, plus my friend assures me my salary will likely increase, perhaps noticeably, once I'm established...but I can't spend assuming that.

Big stuff in my little world....would have been a lot easier if my original investor at JS, back in 2002, had been able to come thru.