Hello! My name is Aaron and I’m a veteran currently living in Washington state. I’m originally from Williamsport, Pennsylvania and was stationed here in 2019.

When I left Active Duty in 2021, I chose to stay here for the opportunities and the environment and to plant my roots without returning back to central PA.

Unfortunately, I chose the worst time to do so following the pandemic. I attended Seattle University and earned my MBA and due to the current job market, I have nothing to show for it. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to live alone in such a high cost of living area.

While all of that could be fixed in due time, I didn’t realize how much I’d actually be missing from back home. My best friends are having kids, my older family members are passing away, and I’m becoming less capable of spending the holidays with the people I care about the most.

I had already made the decision to move back east within the upcoming years, but the financial situation is making it much more difficult to achieve that goal.

I hesitated to set this up because it’s not anybody else’s responsibility to carry me

across the country, but as I’m digging myself a hole just living out here, I’m realizing that I can’t handle the expenses alone.

I will be driving across the country with my dog and my birds and will camp and stay at hotels as necessary along the way. Depending on how much money I can put aside, I’ll either use PODS for all of my personal stuff which could cost up to $8000 or get a storage unit to hold it here until I can collect it at a later date, which while significantly cheaper, is a lot less practical. The funds will be used for gas, lodging (with pet fees), and food.

I just want to be with my family again.