Move where you want, not because of housing prices. Right?

eat-pray-love, I have a friend that wants to do exactly that, too. You can easily swing a month in NYC, partcularly in December, but it's very dark and cold then. Great restaurants, shopping and some super-nice people there.

I like your philosophy ;-) I am a Realtor. But, caveat to that: has to be planning/some structure figured out prior to a relocation...if you want success... We only come around one time so I say "Move, you are not a tree!" I have a bucket list going.. One thing I would like to do as I love NYC, is to live there for the month of December one year... Told my NPD Mom re; this idea. She shot it down multiple ways to Sunday. When my Son tells me he'd like to live in NYC or London for some time in his lifetime, I say "Just Do It!"...aka.. Nike ;-)

I would never be in the camp of moving where you want regardless of costs to live there. I don't know when it started that people decided (to live on credit cards) to live the life they want; it's been prevalent at least the last 20 years.

I moved around a lot in my earlier years, always living beneath my means, or right at them b/c I had no choice. As I aged and my income increased, I still lived beneath my means.

This offers a lot of opportunities. Freedoms. Less stress. I could change jobs if I wanted even if they offered less money. There came a time where I didn't have to sweat the big stuff when it rolled around (and big stuff is always right around the corner). Etc.

I'm not motivated by money but you need it. That said, I tried to work jobs that gave me purpose, or enjoyment, whatever...but none offered a salary that you see these days. I never got above middle-middle class, and then that was only because of a single job I held for 14 years and combined with my husband's income.

Now that I'm in my older years, it's paid off in ways that end up very important yet in reality, I hadn't considered them as such.

We bought a bit of a fixer-upper 20 years ago b/c it checked all the boxes of what we wanted and was purchased for less than what we were approved for .

Sunk a lot of CASH into the house; didn't even have a credit card then(!).

The 30-year mortgage was paid off in 14 years.

My credit score, even without credit cards, was 810 or 820. (My husband had the same mindset as me--live beneath your means--which made life a lot easier to navigate.) His credit score without credit cards was 820.

When we started buying new vehicles b/c we tired of used, we got excellent interest rates. We were able to buy two new vehicles in one day b/c even though we weren't "well off," we had a nice discretionary income and stellar credit. (We'd both been able to buy two new vehicles we always wanted--another win!)

We didn't live a dull life b/c of our approach. He was a musician on the side--very expensive. We had Harleys (one at a time) and he was finally able to buy a brand new one; it was paid off a year early. And of course, he was a guy so he had big-boy toys. None of it was a problem.

I'm now a widow, and my income is waaay down, but the house is paid off, my expenses are covered. I don't have to stress about this or that getting shut off or bill collectors, etc. And b/c I keep expenses down, there is the occasional month that rolls around here and there where I'm actually able to put a few extra hundred dollars aside beyond what I put in my budget to save. (Though I've been known take a bit of that to the casino, lol.)

It's less about saving, more about living in a manner that allows you to live with less stress or worrying about the "what-ifs." I'd rather have a nice little house than a "better" one I could lose b/c of the economy, job loss, death/divorce, etc.

No matter how much money the average working person makes, they're only a paycheck away from potential disaster. Always been that way.

My parents are immigrants from Europe, if they stayed there they would never had the same opportunities as living in the US.

Right now, I live in western NY and it feels like the mid west. There’s only jobs in healthcare or the university as a professor. Everything else is mediocre and I noticed people stay for family.

Europeans, Asians and Indians will pack up and move to any part of the world for a job. They know jobs won’t be coming to your door. It works well when the family moves together and you support each other.

lealonnie1, at my local supermarket quality steak is on sale for about $8.00 per lb. regularly like $16.00. A lb of steak is two (maybe three) nice meals and for $4,00 plus $1 or $2 or $3 for side dishes of potatos and vegetables, etc.. That's not expensive for a steak dinner!

My breakfast today was a large bowl of oatmeal with a small plate of cashews on the side. I would estimate that that healthy breakfast cost me less than $1. The whole darn large container of oatmeal was only $2.50 or something! The cashews were like $6 for 8 oz or something like that so a small plate of them is like 1/2 pz. or $.50!

So if you shop right and eat right food does not have to be expensive. I believe people either do not know how to do this or they simply want too much that they don't actually need.

"Food is not expensive." Another totally DELUSIONAL statement right there! Food has almost doubled in cost the past 6 months. Beef alone here is $20/lb. But I know, you don't eat beef, you eat grass which is free of charge from the median on the highway. Gotcha.

I am finished speaking to you on THIS subject as well, as obviously you are here to argue, tell tales, and pull legs.

Have a nice day, a nice life, and best of luck living out all of your dreams.

Went to UCLA, I could not wait to get out of that area. Everything was over inflated.

Even turned down a high six figure salary position for a tech firm. Yeah was not doing it.

PeggySue2020, that's all I meant - opportunities exist.

There are millions of people in the Bay area who live in houses and apartments. Only a small fraction do not. That's another to go where you want. You can eventually have your own apartment or house. It's not impossible or like winning the lottery.

Lisa, there will always be such opportunities, but here in Silicon Valley, they are less common than winning the California lottery.

lealonnie1, did you read what I wrote below. I know someone who moved to a community that is of the most expensive in the world. They found something very basic but they got to live there. So it can be done.

I believe most people "need" or want too much "stuff" in life and this causes financial stress. Many people "keep up with the Jones" in all respects. Food is not expensive. Housing is. Cars and gasoline are expensive. How many people could do without a car? Ask the citizens of Copenhagen, Denmark. They will say it is "freedom".

I hear Racoon City has some really affordable housing. 😈

Ariadnee, 100% agree about "I rather think the person who has posited the point of view of being able to live where ever, how ever is having a bit of fun here and really thinks they're clever in doing so." The OP is from another planet and has been posting nonsense and pulling our leg left and right all over this site. This is just another example of it. Nobody is THIS dense.

Sounds like the world needs no-frills but comfortable and affordable housing. People don't need all that comes with a "house", like all those nooks and crannies. I can envision one that is well designed and provides excellent shelter for low cost. A cost that almost everyone can afford.

Lisa, for every stranger who has achieved our scenario in the Bay Area,there are about 500;000 people who don’t.

When people have deals like that, they typically rent to just people they know if they’re feeling philanthropic, or they charge the full market 2000 for the hordes of tech engineers who want out of sharing a bathroom and kitchen with a housemate. Pretty much everyone here under six figures bought in and are house rich, or are living with someone who is.

"I rather think the person who has posited the point of view of being able to live where ever, how ever is having a bit of fun here and really thinks they're clever in doing so."

No. I'm not. I'm not clever in that way. Just very practical. I know someone who moved to one of the most expensive places in the world. They got the word out that they wanted something "really simple". They found it. It was the former gardener's quarters on an older estate on the sea! It was "just" a large room with a small private bathroom for a fraction of what the average apartment rental went for!

The moral of the story: Go where you want and for Pete's sake realize you don't need all that "stuff" that you or others think you need. Look for value. Be helpful to your neighbors everywhere. Go the extra mile. Treat people how you would like to be treated. You know, the golden rule. Oh, and never drink alcohol. That stuff will put you into a nursing home very eary!

You're way behind on those gasoline prices, Lealonnie. I paid $6.09/gallon in Orange County this afternoon. ;-)

Yes, it's nice to have stars in your eyes and aspire to where you want to live one day, but I'm glad the hairstylist is being sensible. OP may not realize that moving to, say, Southern California where I am will cost about $3,000/month rent (first and last -- so $6,000 up front), plus our sales taxes are almost 10%, gas is about $6/gal, and food is also through the roof like everywhere else. Let's not forget car payments and maintenance, insurance, utilities, and everything else that goes into living on your own.

Common sense says that a dream like that is what you aspire to, work and save to afford, but don't jump into just because you want it. There's no better way to become disillusioned and homeless at the same time that to jump without looking.

Instant gratification ain't all it's cracked up to be.

JoAnn, I hear ya! Have friends in Jersey. It's nuts with taxes, cost of living and all the driving. I lived in Philly for years, in central Pa now-it's very different. Have looked at Delaware-actually there are housing bargins to be found....but....the health care system is not good there.
Sure, you can make money cutting hair-working about 50 hours a week and then free lancing as a stylist for weddings or photo shoots in what little free time you might have. Which would work best in NYC, DC, Philly, LA. Major metropolitan areas with that cash to splash. Of course then the down side is....cost of living. Commuting. You will have to have roomates or a partner making twice what you do in order to cover bills 'n food-in case your bookings slow down. Oh, and they'd better have health insurance that will cover you too, 'cause most salons do not offer that. I rather think the person who has posited the point of view of being able to live where ever, how ever is having a bit of fun here and really thinks they're clever in doing so.
Otherwise, in the real world, folks are getting squeezed really hard right now by so many factors, it's incredibly difficult, stressful and I feel bad for young adults, who are starting out now without much help, student loans, a pandemic, inflation and a very changed work world from even a few years ago.

A hairdresser can move to Hawaii or San Fran, but they’ll be looking at paying 2k for a bedroom only around here. Or say 1500 to live in a dining room or living room. Section 8 lists are way backed up in California, so esp with a family, it is much harder to find a place, even a bad one, in a desirable area.

My husband and I looked into purchasing a property in Hawaii three years ago. We both had above average incomes and retirements. We talked to a realtor and looked at listings, etc. It was way too high. It would have been incredibly foolish to purchase a property but not be able to afford to live there. A guy that we knew from working at the university lived in the back of a box truck in a parking lot . Took showers and used the restroom the at school where he taught. He lasted two years doing that and moved back to New Hampshire.

Hey lisatrevor, I seriously doubt there are 'single household' hairstylists in Hawaii, unless you consider a tent a 'single household', or 6 people sharing an apartment & splitting the rent a 'single household.' My cousin moved there with stars in his eyes & wound up living on the BEACH along with the rest of the homeless population who move there for the 'lifestyle', not realizing the cost of living is astronomical. He was a masseuse who figured he'd be able to support himself, just like a hairstylist would. But hey, if you want to be delusional, go for it!

Hey ealonnie1, how do you think single houshold hairsylists in Hawaii live there? None of them are happy? I don't think so.

How amusing it must be to have your 'philosophy' in life! I'd love to move to Hawaii but guess what? I cannot AFFORD to move to Hawaii b/c the cost of living there is way, way way too high.

Are you sure you are living on the planet Earth? To say that a hair stylist can afford to live wherever they'd like is beyond tone deaf. "How do 'those people' get by?" By working their arses off and living low on the hog, in states where the cost of living won't leave them eating Ramen noodles all day! My hairdresser works 6 days a week & her fiance works 6 days a week, and they can barely scrape by to pay their rent here in the burbs of Denver every month AND feed themselves at the same time!

Do you realize that in California as of 3/7 the average price of gas is over $5 per gallon? THAT one fact right there makes living in the Bay area unaffordable for most American working class people who have to drive to work every day! Not to mention the average rent is $3244 for an apartment in San Francisco, but the average rent in Laurel MS is $665.

Average Price per Gallon of Gas in Bay Area Counties

Marin
$5.509
Napa
$5.505
San Francisco
$5.501
Sonoma
$5.480
San Mateo
$5.474
Alameda
$5.405
Solano
$5.392
Contra Costa
$5.381
Santa Clara
$5.378
California
$5.343

U.S.
$4.065

How most Americans 'get by' these days, with inflation being sky high, is by the skin of our teeth, I'm sorry to tell you. Luxury lifestyles of the rich & famous are just FOR the rich & famous, not the ordinary working class stiffs, I'm afraid

I think it is difficult to imagine what the poor go through in terms of costs; I especially thing of this now with the severe inflation. I just said to my partner "Gee, we write out a check for this and one for that and one for another, and we KNOW how much the costs are going up, but we can still do it, but what about those who cannot". I recently heard a mother talking about how she has three kids who go through a gallon of milk like wild fire. She is watering it down. Her kids will likely not get overly chubby, but what else is she having to do to cut corners. I heard a bus driver say that during the snows they tried to get out to deliver school lunches because sometimes it is a survival thing for their kids.
Home prices are high in San Francisco where I live. But it isn't only the homes. It is everything. The food especially. Haircuts I am certain cost more, but to live here in the city and get the big salon costs most have to travel in from the burbs; add that to the cost.
I think for some--the lucky ones--we can decide where we want to live. For others, I think there isn't a lot of choice. The stories of living in New York isn't only about the cost of an apartment (if you can find one) but about the size. I heard a woman say the other day that they don't have a closet in theirs.
I guess this comes under "It all depends" and that's for the individual to decide.

Where ever one moves, make sure you plan ahead for your older years. Make sure you are near urgent care, hospitals, doctors, dentists, drug store, etc. That the area offers senior bus service.

My cousin lives in a quite small city in the mid-west, very affordable. But when her hubby got cancer, she had to drive 2 hours each way to get to chemotherapy. And to see an Oncologist.

Ariadnee, I live in NJ. We have the highest property taxes in the nation. Like you, sales tax and income tax. There is Delaware with lower taxes, no sales tax but...housing is higher. And I hate the traffic. (I live right across from Wilmington)

Hair stylist working for someone work on commission or they rent an area. Even if the owner, its got to be a great salon to make anyone rich.

For me, the price of living in another state would be considered if I moved. I am retired. Cost of living continues to rise but my income doesn't. This is the first year that I have seen a raise in my SS. Every other year my raise is taken up in the increase of my Medicare premium.

Yes, the cost of living in another state would be a big consideration in where I moved to.

Hairstylists don't make a lot of money, so that's for one thing. And they're a dime-a-dozen for second. She's not in demand like young, male laborers who can make up to $40 an hour (yes, my son in masonry just told me some of his workers were offered this by a competitor). FYI his partner is a hair stylist who decided not to go back to work because the cost of childcare would negate any financial gain from her working.

As far as homes go: right now it is a seller's market only. Lending interest rates were just announced to go up (and at least 4 times in 2022). Rent in my state is the same as a mortgage, except few houses are available for sale and most of those are way overpriced due to demand and scarecity. Plus you have to have a good credit rating to get approved for a decent rental unit.

Then there are the labor shortage and supply chain problems forcing prices up. And the price of gas WILL continue to be an issue, so better not live where you have a long car communte. The stress of living check-to-check or in debt will take years off your life, even if you live in utopia. Plus, how is your stylist supposed to save responsibly for her retirement if she can barely pay bills because she's living in an expensive paradise? She has to have some monthly "padding" in her budget because we live in very uncertain times right now. The budget she works out today may be blown out tomorrow by world events.

Property taxes should also be a consideration in where you move to. States like NJ and NY have ridiculously high property taxes.

It comes down to values & preferences.

Money won't make you happy, but if you can't sleep for worry about how to keep a roof over your head, pay the rent or mortgage, getting behind on bills, choosing between adequate food or fuel for your car to get to work.. well.

Some have a risk taker approach, move, try, either win or fail. Others play it safer. Maybe don't live in that dream local but don't find themselves in a debt hole either.

I'm ok to live where I can afford. Save for a trip somewhere else for a treat.

I'm surprised more people don't feel like I do. The place(s) where you live can greatly impact your well-being and there's no price on that. Even more so, being in the right environment may greatly increase your income. Heck, my brother met and married a very wealthy woman because he lived in the same upscale town,

I think one has to live where they can afford. What's accomplished by living where you want, but have no money.