[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by jojajn

Last time I swam in the Ocean in Florida, I got a nasty rash from the red tide!

That wasn't the red tide that gave you the rash, jojajn.

[Retiredcoach]

Originally Posted by Sunny-Days90

Heck Minnesota is still counting votes on their fingers from last years elections, what does that tell you!!

Some people would give up a better quality of life and live in states that are boring as heck just to save a buck. Money is not everything and lower your standards to live cheaper tells me you are not a person who enjoys being outside and around nature.

Reminds me of one of my brother in laws.

Lived in a beautiful 400k home with it all, a huge boat, swimming pools, hot tubs etc and decided one day he wanted to live cheaper. He sold his house and bought a 100 year old farm house and said he could live off the land with the 100 acres he bought with it.

All because he hit 50 years old and decided he had better save more money for retirement. He stopped boating, stopped all vacations, grew his own veggies, raised his own meat and worked like a dog for 2 years, worked his normal day jobs and ran a farm all is waking hours just so he could save a buck.

What he forgot was his wife and kids hated the farm, they hated the house, hated his new way of being a cheap a--, hated they never went to the beach with us again, never did anything but save that ole mighty dollar.

Now 53 and having heart problems caused by the stress of saving money and living cheap. He worked harder to try to save money then he did not being a cheap a--.

The farm is now for sale and they bought a home right down the street from where they used to live.

He spent 2 years of his life being cheap and living with lower standards of life, lower quality of life and it hurt them in the long run.

So with that said, if you are moving from Florida because you want to be cheap, 9 out of 10 of you wont get ahead a bit by doing what he did and being a cheap butt.

And by the way, he is out looking for another boat too!

He learned his lesson. Giving up something you enjoy just to be a cheap a-- does not always mean better. In fact in his case it was worse.

I wont lower my standards and I wont lower my quality of life, therefore we are moving to Florida to up the standards and have a better quality of life in Florida.

Now I know why so many leave Florida and find out the grass is not greener on the other side and run back to Florida as fast as they can because they found it was a better life where they were in Florida then where they went to.

It is so easy to prejudge someone until you "walk a mile in his/her shoes". I say that if you can afford Florida, and this is where you want to be, life is too short, go. I also recognize that, too, many are suffering from their loss of jobs and their savings with a recession (dare I say, depression) that is destroying any semblance of financial and/or personal stability. Florida is not a place to be, right now, without a solid job and/or the long-term funds to support yourself through these dire financial times. Sunshine and beaches are not the same as "money in the bank".

[seeriously]

Originally Posted by Retiredcoach

Florida is not a place to be, right now, without a solid job and/or the long-term funds to support yourself through these dire financial times. Sunshine and beaches are not the same as "money in the bank".

Pardon me but which of the 49 other states do you recommend someone move to without a solid job and/or long-term funds? It's the same everywhere. At least Florida HAS the sunshine and the beaches!

[annerk]

My concern is with all the people moving to Florida with no savings thinking that life will be hunky dory and convinced that they will get a job the minute they step foot in the state.

When they run out of cash and are evicted from their residence, they will be seeking aid from our already overwhelmed social services. Frankly I'm paying enough in taxes already, I certainly don't want them going up because of the thousands of people who come to this state without a good plan seeking beaches and sunshine.

[stars99]

I agree. Unless it's a special situation, like the dot-com era, you're going to struggling anywhere in that situation.

Originally Posted by verobeach

Pardon me but which of the 49 other states do you recommend someone move to without a solid job and/or long-term funds? It's the same everywhere. At least Florida HAS the sunshine and the beaches!

[stars99]

I think a lot of people who flame out like that end up moving back to where they came from (or somewhere else).

Originally Posted by annerk

My concern is with all the people moving to Florida with no savings thinking that life will be hunky dory and convinced that they will get a job the minute they step foot in the state.

When they run out of cash and are evicted from their residence, they will be seeking aid from our already overwhelmed social services. Frankly I'm paying enough in taxes already, I certainly don't want them going up because of the thousands of people who come to this state without a good plan seeking beaches and sunshine.

[Retiredcoach]

Originally Posted by verobeach

Pardon me but which of the 49 other states do you recommend someone move to without a solid job and/or long-term funds? It's the same everywhere. At least Florida HAS the sunshine and the beaches!

Vero,

If you are asking me whether the sunshine and beaches will take the place of a family's financial stability, or are the answer to the significant lack of national jobs, definitely not. I would not recommend to anyone, right now, that a chosen geographic region preempt the importance of a good job or the avoidance financial hardship. Truthfully, good financial opportunities are currently in very short supply nationally, but Florida job seekers are even more limited in true opportunities in finding meaningful employment. In the scheme of things, probably a family that is hurting needs a framework of support that only a family can deliver. Home needs to be where others (usually family) can be available to provide that support.

By the way, I remember you many posts about your frustrating efforts to sell your house a couple of years ago. Were you ever successful in doing so?

[psouth]

Originally Posted by annerk

My concern is with all the people moving to Florida with no savings thinking that life will be hunky dory and convinced that they will get a job the minute they step foot in the state.

When they run out of cash and are evicted from their residence, they will be seeking aid from our already overwhelmed social services. Frankly I'm paying enough in taxes already, I certainly don't want them going up because of the thousands of people who come to this state without a good plan seeking beaches and sunshine.

This is exactly my point. There are so many dreamers in this thread alone as well as other Florida threads on City-Data who do not live in Florida but think it is all Walt Disney World and the Magic Kingdom. Where all women live like Cinderella and men like Greek Gods. Like straight out of a late night infomercial where everyone gets rich just by sitting on their luxury yachts sipping Corvoisseur all day long. Unfortunately most of what comes to Florida besides the wealthy and retirees are uneducated and unsuccessful people who couldn't make it anywhere else. The dreamers and transients. They put a couple of quarters in the one-armed bandit and when they don't hit the promised jackpot....then what? No plan B you say? Uh oh. Maybe I will try Vegas instead and then California. I know I can make it there!! Pretty funny to watch sometimes but still sad.

[psouth]

Originally Posted by Retiredcoach

Vero,

If you are asking me whether the sunshine and beaches will take the place of a family's financial stability, or are the answer to the significant lack of national jobs, definitely not. I would not recommend to anyone, right now, that a chosen geographic region preempt the importance of a good job or the avoidance financial hardship. Truthfully, good financial opportunities are currently in very short supply nationally, but Florida job seekers are even more limited in true opportunities in finding meaningful employment. In the scheme of things, probably a family that is hurting needs a framework of support that only a family can deliver. Home needs to be where others (usually family) can be available to provide that support.

By the way, I remember you many posts about your frustrating efforts to sell your house a couple of years ago. Were you ever successful in doing so?

I admire your midwestern sensibility. This is no time to move anywhere without a job much less to Florida of all places. At least make it Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Austin, Houston, etc. where you will have somewhat of a chance of landing a decent job even now. Florida ain't the place. Warm weather and beaches will not pay the bills or fund a retirement later on.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by OrlandoRE_Miracle

I think a lot of people who flame out like that end up moving back to where they came from (or somewhere else).

In all honesty, I think that many are using the majority of their savings to make the move, so they'll have no way to leave.

About six years ago I knew of a lady and her husband who sold almost everything they owned and moved from the northeast to Florida. (She worked for a company I did business with.) They had their current paychecks in their pocket, no savings, no credit cards, nothing. They spent half of that fixing their old car when it broke down on the way. They got here and had trouble finding jobs because they didn't stop to think that they wouldn't make as much here as they did up north, and were asking for way too much.

Last I knew they were living in their car and wanting to go back "home" but didn't think the car would make it and couldn't afford the gas even if it would.