rheakiefer's journey

I currently work from home in Los Angeles and really enjoy my job, but my salary of $69k is becoming increasingly difficult to manage with rising costs. I'm the most junior member of a small, close-knit team, and while I love the company, I know they're struggling. Recently, I received a job offer for a store manager position in a different field, which I initially applied for just for interview practice. To my surprise, after a series of interviews, I was offered the role at $82k plus bonuses. When I informed my current boss about the offer, she immediately expressed a desire to keep me and began working on a retention offer. She mentioned a potential salary of $90k all-in after bonuses and even discussed a promotion with our department head. However, it's been six weeks since then, and I'm still waiting for any updates. I was given a 'finalization' date that has come and gone, and now my start date for the new job is approaching this Monday. With my department head out of the office and limited email access, I’m starting to feel like I’m being led on. I really want to stay in my current role due to the excellent work/life balance, but I have to consider the new job offer. I'm at a crossroads and wondering if I should just take the new job or continue waiting for my current employer to finalize their offer.