adamsj,

How do I acquire, cheaply while I job hunt, what I need to keep learning? To extend my knowledge of Perl, yes, but also to become a more ecumenical monk, whose practice is Perl but will break bread with a good-hearted devotee of any sect.

Here are some tips I've found useful:

1. Prepare a monthly (or even weekly budget). You can't control your spending until you know where it goes.
2. Save portions of all income for various needs (emergency savings, tech purchases, etc).
3. Buy wisely. This means checking the local paper for old hardware that's more recent than what you have. For example, many people are trying to off their Pentium I and II computers to help pay for PIII/Athlon based boxes. Since you're starting from 486 class machines, this will help you get a number of the hardware elements you need to go to the next level, including ATX-style cases, more memory, larger hard drives, bigger power supplies, etc.)
4. Find ways to bring in extra income while you locate your "real" job. For example, I worked temp jobs while searching for my first job after graduating from college. This gave me a weekly income that helped pay for my first computer.
5. Look for used computer stores in your area. Here in the Northwest, we have RE-PC, PC Renaissance, and a few local sources for older stuff. I used these to buy the parts needed to upgrade two machines and the parts to build two more boxes from scratch (one for my daughter and one for a Linux box.)

I would recommend learning to build boxes yourself. It's not difficult and, if you're careful, you can build machines for 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of buying them new. There are many, many online resources that can help.

Also, if you have any interest-based bills (credit cards, school loans, etc), it may help to focus initially on paying them off early. This is especially true of high interest credit cards. You'd be suprised how much an extra $50-$150 bucks a month adds up into serious savings. As an example, my car payment is $300 a month. I haven't missed it because it's deducted automatically from my paycheck, but I'm looking for ways to add more money into my daughter's college fund. That extra $300 means I could triple my investment into her account and free up another $100 for myself.

Once you manage to save a chunk of cash for hardware upgrades, design the target machine and list the components you want. I recommend targeting the ideal, as of 18 months ago. For example, older P-III's are far cheaper than the P4. The same is true for the supporting components. If you want to be as inexpensive as possible, look at AMD's line of processors which are cheaper and require less expensive memory.

Consider contacting some of the larger employers in your area and contact them to find out what they currently do with their old hardware. Many companies give it to various charities; hook up with one and help refurbish the machines. You might even be able to buy one inexpensively. For example, my company recently auctioned off a bunch of P-133 level machines for $50/each. This included monitors, memory, and installed copies of Windows (along with the license).

As far as getting to know people in your new home:

1. Locate a nearby user group that you find interesting and begin participating.
2. Volunteer to help with local charities and public service agencies
3. Take evening classes from the local community college.
4. Start going to the local church and participating in appropriate events. There are many faiths, including ones that accept and welcome non-believers.
5. Look for free events to start enjoying; check out the local library or underground paper for starters.

In other words, take the initiative, find some people you like to hang out with, and then enjoy spending time together.

It's easy to be lonely in a new area, but more rewarding to investigate new adventures.

--f

P.S. As an aside, try to cultivate a couple of non-tech related interests. The time off can be very helpful.