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I actually am making the same as I did in NJ. Making about 75K
My wife doesn't work, my kids are very young. We sold our bi-level in NJ and bought a house about 50K cheaper down here (a MUCH nicer home).
It actually worked out great for us. We had a sizeable savings built up in NJ, however we weren't saving a dime because of the mortgage/prop taxes and monthly costs. We were actually LOSING money.
Our mortgage/prop taxes are lower now and we are on a nice budget....mommy is home and things are going well
Are you talking about home owners' insurance? Our auto insurance is only about $20 less per month and that includes all 3 cars! For the same amount of insurance. I really don't know about our homeowners insurance.
I took a 50% pay cut and I still worry pretty much daily about retirement as retirement was 4 times the amount in CA than it is here.
Dh and I neither one have very good chances of advancement and in fact, he was told a while ago that if he wants to move any further up the ladder, Charlotte will not be the place to do it.
Dawn
Quote:
Originally Posted by ellemaew
I took a 14% pay cut when we moved here from California. Most things are cheaper - except groceries, and gas is only about 5 cents a gallon less than where I was in Cali. And Cali doesn't have a vehicle tax. But, we haven't taken any cut in our style of living. The plus side, I have better opportunity for advancement here than I did in Cali, and we're enjoying having wonderful new places to explore. And insurance - let me tell you, I am paying less here, with about 3x's more coverage than I had in Cali!!
I think you are referring to my PM and I never, ever said you shouldn't move to NC. I would never tell anyone not to go somewhere. BUT, I would say to do your homework very carefully first, take a good trip out to where you want to move, talk to the folks who have your line of work, look at the salary differences compared to cost of living, etc...and make an intellegent decision based ON YOUR PERSONAL situation.
For the record, you also said I hated Charlotte. I have never said that either. My desire to go "home" has nothing to do with hating anything, it has to do with my situation and my intense homesickness.
Dawn
Quote:
Originally Posted by LACAMOM
I think this is a good poll to ask. What salary cut, what your job/professions is/ where you relocated from and if you came out ahead.
(SOmeone PM's me and said I shouldn't move cause the pay is 50% less. I live in Los Angeles and I can't see how I wouldn't come out ahead in NC. Cost of living in LA is second to Manhattan these days...)
Are you talking about home owners' insurance? Our auto insurance is only about $20 less per month and that includes all 3 cars! For the same amount of insurance. I really don't know about our homeowners insurance.
I took a 50% pay cut and I still worry pretty much daily about retirement as retirement was 4 times the amount in CA than it is here.
Dh and I neither one have very good chances of advancement and in fact, he was told a while ago that if he wants to move any further up the ladder, Charlotte will not be the place to do it.
Dawn
Sorry, it was so clear in my mind when I wrote it!! I'm talking about auto insurance.
Hey Dawn,
It's exactly why I started this poll - I'm doing my homework!! I'm a VIrgo, and if thre's one thing us Virgos love it's our research. I never heard back from you - if you don't mind me asking, what sort of profession are you in and where from SoCal do you hail from?
cheers..
It is difficult to say how exactly we are making out since my wife and I just goet here. We were paying $1650 a month rent in long island new york for a 2 bedroom apartment, and probably would of never had a chance to own there. We looked at a brand new home for around 185,000 with 4 br, 2.5 baths and a two car garage. The monthly mortgage, taxes, insurance and PMI will be around 1300 per month. I am making virtually the same as I made in NY and my wife is making a little less till something comes up that she can make what she deserves. In the beginning it will be a little tight with the bills, but at least we will be owning a home. Couldnt do that in NY, so yes we are ahead.
It is difficult to say how exactly we are making out since my wife and I just goet here. We were paying $1650 a month rent in long island new york for a 2 bedroom apartment, and probably would of never had a chance to own there. We looked at a brand new home for around 185,000 with 4 br, 2.5 baths and a two car garage. The monthly mortgage, taxes, insurance and PMI will be around 1300 per month. I am making virtually the same as I made in NY and my wife is making a little less till something comes up that she can make what she deserves. In the beginning it will be a little tight with the bills, but at least we will be owning a home. Couldnt do that in NY, so yes we are ahead.
You are definatly in the right frame of mind. This is how my wife and I feel. She is a teacher and took a pretty big hit in salary as she is making about 28,000 less a year. My employer from NY said they want me to work for them from NC but 2 of my 3 bosses were on board so I do not want to put all my eggs in that basket. Fortunatly, I was offered an interview my first day here which was this past Thursday and I was offered a job taking a 12,000 dollar a year pay cut that very same day. If my job from NY follows through I will be able to work from home making the same money I was making in NY but until I know for sure that they will follow through I am taking the other job. Never hurts to have a backup plan. If I need to stay with the job I was offered here in NC, things will be tight but it will be well worth it in the end. I too was renting on Long Island. Yes, we could have afforded to buy a home there but we would have been house poor living in a 50 year old home that needed a lot of work. Yes, we may end up being house poor here for the first couple of years but at least we will be in a brand new home that is much nicer and bigger than anything we could have ever thought about on Long Island. Plus I feel like the quality of life here is much better and the main reason for moving here is to have a better place to raise children. Not to mention that my mortage ith taxes is only $180 more than what I was paying to rent a one bedroom apartment on Long Island.
Hubby took about a 15% pay cut to move from So Cal to SC. (engineering field)
Went from an 1 and 1/2 hour commute to 10 minutes.
From a 1900sf house on postage stamp lot to 3500sf on .4ac with a pool. (and, no, we didn't live in Calif. long enough to pay cash for this one)
Almost $2000/month mortgage payment to $1100.
Kids went from an accelerated program at a very good school in Calif. to a regular curriculum in SC and HAD TO CATCH UP!
We hardly ever drove across LA to go to events. It was just too far and the traffic was awful most anytime. Here, we come and go as we please. From South Charlotte to North Charlotte and everywhere in-between. Just have to stay off of the interstates for a short time AM and PM.
All-in-all, lifestyle is SO easy here. It's like a BIG SIGH OF RELIEF.
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