Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Los Angeles
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 11-23-2015, 07:50 PM
 
17,815 posts, read 25,504,568 times
Reputation: 36262

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by cornsnicker3 View Post
I never disclosed any of my financial "issues" so don't assume. None of the above are the case for us except for student loans (that have yet to be realized yet so no payments are even being made until after she graduates). It may also be that I pay a lot of money towards rent that isn't allowing my wife and I to make great progress. I had a wedding to pay for (no help from family) and now saving to move. I live 10 minutes from work. My wife can take the train to school, and she is 5 minute walking distance to her internship. It is a high price to pay for the convenience. I don't blame LA. It is what it is for the time being.

A single person who wants to live in a nice place in a nice area with money to spare (getting by, not killing it) will do best with $90k.

Right there, I know a young couple right now(not in CA) planning a big wedding. They already live together and have for 5 years, can't have a simple wedding, have to have the big wedding. They already have two car notes between them, even though combined they make a 100K they're whining. Wedding dress was over $2K.


I don't have to assume "I had a wedding to pay for" says everything. And why with two roommates are you still paying so much rent?


Some people create their own financial situations than blame it on the high COL area, no one is saying LA or CA is cheap, but when you have other financial issues that other people don't have. Don't say $90K isn't enough for a single person, when it is more than enough, unless you have crushing debt.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 11-23-2015, 07:52 PM
 
4,795 posts, read 4,782,397 times
Reputation: 7348
Quote:
Originally Posted by seain dublin View Post
Right there, I know a young couple right now(not in CA) planning a big wedding. They already live together and have for 5 years, can't have a simple wedding, have to have the big wedding. They already have two car notes between them, even though combined they make a 100K they're whining. Wedding dress was over $2K.


I don't have to assume "I had a wedding to pay for" says everything. And why with two roommates are you still paying so much rent?


Some people create their own financial situations than blame it on the high COL area, no one is saying LA or CA is cheap, but when you have other financial issues that other people don't have. Don't say $90K isn't enough for a single person, when it is more than enough, unless you have crushing debt.
Oh yeah and my wife and I got married at City Hall. We decided that if we were going to have to pay for the wedding ourselves that we were not going to go into debt so that our family and friends could attend a party in our honor
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-23-2015, 08:00 PM
 
Location: Unhappy Valley, Oregon
1,083 posts, read 1,021,672 times
Reputation: 1940
I didn't actually say $90k isn't enough. I said it was getting by; implying, it is enough to pay for your rent, save for retirement, put food on the table, and save a little on the side. Hardly the financial picture one wants to be in for the future such as saving a massive down payment for LA's real estate market.

I paid cash for my wedding at the expense of putting money into retirement and savings. It wasn't a massive amount, but we did dig ourselves hard financially and emotionally. The main issue now is saving for a move.

Turn down the fire hose a bit, people. I am not your enemy. We are human just like everyone else. We spend money on stuff. No fancy toys or big brand goods. We aren't rampant. We are crawling along with progress, but it isn't easy. No, we don't have credit cards, big cars, etc.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-24-2015, 10:28 AM
 
36 posts, read 48,353 times
Reputation: 21
Quote:
Originally Posted by cornsnicker3 View Post
I didn't actually say $90k isn't enough. I said it was getting by; implying, it is enough to pay for your rent, save for retirement, put food on the table, and save a little on the side. Hardly the financial picture one wants to be in for the future such as saving a massive down payment for LA's real estate market.

I paid cash for my wedding at the expense of putting money into retirement and savings. It wasn't a massive amount, but we did dig ourselves hard financially and emotionally. The main issue now is saving for a move.

Turn down the fire hose a bit, people. I am not your enemy. We are human just like everyone else. We spend money on stuff. No fancy toys or big brand goods. We aren't rampant. We are crawling along with progress, but it isn't easy. No, we don't have credit cards, big cars, etc.
Even though I said I thought your calculations were extreme, I sincerely appreciate them and your breakdown. Like I said, it definitely helps to see different situations.

Fortunately, I finished both undergrad and grad school debt-free. For grad school I just took one class at a time and deferred payments, which was actually only about $300 a month and it still only took three years. I have a $200 car payment and a $50 phone bill as the only ongoing expenses I would take with me. No child support. No mortgage. No medical bills. Nothing like that.

As for "not" moving to L.A... I'm open to moving anywhere. Well, not the south or someplace like Iowa, but my degree is in PR and if I want to do entertainment PR, L.A. or New York City offer the best opportunities and I'd much rather live in L.A. I'm in my 30s and I'm, more-or-less, switching careers right now. I know the first couple of years are going to be rough, which is why I'm asking questions. Basically, is it going to be better to move to a place like L.A. where there are more opportunities and room for growth, but higher cost of living or take a job in a place like Atlanta or Nashville, which are more affordable, but might not offer as many long-term opportunities and, frankly, would make me miserable. Pros and cons.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-24-2015, 10:36 AM
 
Location: Southern California
12,713 posts, read 15,395,367 times
Reputation: 35511
If you have 100k in student loans, 30k in credit card debt, 2 car notes, then yes you will need a high salary. If you have none of the aforementioned then you could probably get by with a whole lot less.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-24-2015, 10:55 AM
 
Location: Nashville, TN
1,584 posts, read 2,069,944 times
Reputation: 2134
Quote:
Originally Posted by petsounds View Post
Even though I said I thought your calculations were extreme, I sincerely appreciate them and your breakdown. Like I said, it definitely helps to see different situations.

Fortunately, I finished both undergrad and grad school debt-free. For grad school I just took one class at a time and deferred payments, which was actually only about $300 a month and it still only took three years. I have a $200 car payment and a $50 phone bill as the only ongoing expenses I would take with me. No child support. No mortgage. No medical bills. Nothing like that.

As for "not" moving to L.A... I'm open to moving anywhere. Well, not the south or someplace like Iowa, but my degree is in PR and if I want to do entertainment PR, L.A. or New York City offer the best opportunities and I'd much rather live in L.A. I'm in my 30s and I'm, more-or-less, switching careers right now. I know the first couple of years are going to be rough, which is why I'm asking questions. Basically, is it going to be better to move to a place like L.A. where there are more opportunities and room for growth, but higher cost of living or take a job in a place like Atlanta or Nashville, which are more affordable, but might not offer as many long-term opportunities and, frankly, would make me miserable. Pros and cons.
Ironically I'm moving BACK to LA from Nashville where I am now, but I'm not sure what kind of entertainment job opportunities are lacking here. Are there as many or NY or LA? No, but that's a given. No one really has as many opportunities as those cities. I'm getting the sense that you're working off of a preconceived notion about Nashville being "too southern", which frankly isn't the case in most areas of the city these days. It's not 1995. It's not Birmingham. People here are from everywhere. At work we just hired two millenials from California within the last month. Obviously I'm moving back to LA because I prefer it to Nashville right now but I wouldn't write it off as an option if I were you. Much more affordable COL (than LA, not Indy) and one would be naive to think this is a poor city for someone in the entertainment industry.

With that said, don't discourage yourself from moving to LA if it's what you really want. One good thing you have going for you is you said you don't drink, and not that it matters if you did, but I read that and think that you won't have many "nightlife expenditures" and I know as well as anyone how much that can help or hurt a budget. If your job is on the Westside, I'd say Culver City and its surrounding areas might be your best options. It really depends on how willing you are to have a fairly lengthy commute. It bothers some people less than others, but the LA commuting can really wear people down quick.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-24-2015, 11:24 AM
 
36 posts, read 48,353 times
Reputation: 21
I am familiar with Nashville. I actually, briefly, lived in deep south Tennessee (on the Alabama border), too. I also have some musician friends down there. I am aware the Nashville has a lot of entertainment opportunities, especially compared to the zero opportunities here in Indy. I just view cities like Nashville the same way as I view Austin... yeah, Austin is cool and has a lot of opportunity, too, but it's still in Texas. I'm liberal-minded and I've lived in the south on more than one occasion; I just don't like it. I live downtown in a big city right now and it's super-cool. There is a lot to do here. I can see the venue where Steve Martin and Martin Short played last week from my balcony. I'm a twenty-minute walk from an NBA game and a five minute drive from an NFL game. There's a comedy club one block from my place. I love city life and I'm used to it, but, with that being said, there are still just too many times where I think, "Oh, sh*t, I'm still in Indiana." People are still pretty backwoods in their thinking a lot of times; especially our governor. I'm not saying there is any one perfect place, but I'd like to avoid places with overall red state attitudes, if that makes sense.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-24-2015, 11:42 AM
 
Location: Altadena, CA
1,596 posts, read 2,045,051 times
Reputation: 3004
Quote:
Originally Posted by seain dublin View Post
Right there, I know a young couple right now(not in CA) planning a big wedding. They already live together and have for 5 years, can't have a simple wedding, have to have the big wedding. They already have two car notes between them, even though combined they make a 100K they're whining. Wedding dress was over $2K.


I don't have to assume "I had a wedding to pay for" says everything. And why with two roommates are you still paying so much rent?


Some people create their own financial situations than blame it on the high COL area, no one is saying LA or CA is cheap, but when you have other financial issues that other people don't have. Don't say $90K isn't enough for a single person, when it is more than enough, unless you have crushing debt.

Some people are just damn stupid, and these morons deserve all the debt they are asking for.

When I get married, it'll be low keyed, economical and nice. A dress off the rack, and a nice dinner with friends and family. The end.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-24-2015, 01:25 PM
 
Location: Nashville, TN
1,584 posts, read 2,069,944 times
Reputation: 2134
Quote:
Originally Posted by petsounds View Post
I am familiar with Nashville. I actually, briefly, lived in deep south Tennessee (on the Alabama border), too. I also have some musician friends down there. I am aware the Nashville has a lot of entertainment opportunities, especially compared to the zero opportunities here in Indy. I just view cities like Nashville the same way as I view Austin... yeah, Austin is cool and has a lot of opportunity, too, but it's still in Texas. I'm liberal-minded and I've lived in the south on more than one occasion; I just don't like it. I live downtown in a big city right now and it's super-cool. There is a lot to do here. I can see the venue where Steve Martin and Martin Short played last week from my balcony. I'm a twenty-minute walk from an NBA game and a five minute drive from an NFL game. There's a comedy club one block from my place. I love city life and I'm used to it, but, with that being said, there are still just too many times where I think, "Oh, sh*t, I'm still in Indiana." People are still pretty backwoods in their thinking a lot of times; especially our governor. I'm not saying there is any one perfect place, but I'd like to avoid places with overall red state attitudes, if that makes sense.
If you haven't been to Nashville's inner core since about 2011 your perception of the city is probably a little off. It's way, way, way different than it once was. The newly-elected mayor is also a woman born in California who is a self-described progressive Democrat who (until recently) was viewed as an atheist. The fact that Tennessee is a "red state" isn't really that apparent when you're in Nashville. As far as sports, yes Nashville has the NFL and NHL, the second of which plays in the 2nd busiest arena in the US and 5th busiest in the world in ticket sales (well, as of early 2015 anyway).

I only mention it because I feel like it may be a happy medium if you have serious concerns about COL in LA.

But back on topic I'd rather live in LA and that's why I'm moving back, despite my political views being more to the right, which, quite frankly is the minority where I am now anyway.

Last edited by Drake744; 11-24-2015 at 01:35 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-24-2015, 01:32 PM
 
Location: Unhappy Valley, Oregon
1,083 posts, read 1,021,672 times
Reputation: 1940
I am in agreement with Culver City for your criteria. It is a happy medium for commute, amenities, and cost.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Los Angeles

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top