Advice on Expected Costs and living (1st post) (money, work)

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by nurserosie

OP said his income was 37 dollars an hour...double that to get approx yearly income..ie 72 K...he should not have a problem

$72k is great until you throw in a non-working wife, two kids, long commutes, and a desire to live near the beach.

[mrwumpus]

Agreed, @ $72k with a family and expect to be using two or three credit cards to stay above water, even if you don't live near the beach.

[speedtriple]

Well, what can I say, thank you, lots of really good posts and an amusing one too!
So it looks like it is going to be a struggle to make ends meet over there. This is a starting wage and my employer has stated that I can easily get 12hrs of overtime a month so maybe I could push the salary closer to 80K. We are coming over initially for an extended holiday except we will immerse ourselves in the way of life a bit more. We vacationed there in 2008 in an RV for 3 weeks and loved it, although living there will be totally different from being a tourist. I earn good money in the UK and we live in one of the most beautiful places in the country, the catch is that I spend around 220 days a year away from my family to pay for it. The main reason for our move to the US is to have a couple of years of quality family time in the outdoors, we aren't into eating out and being entertained that often. I am taking a pay cut to come here but for me it's not about the money, I just need to earn enough to pay all the bills, we'll have some savings to dig into for treats, trips etc. As people have stated it will be a financially bad move but the way I look at it is I can always make more money, however I cannot make more time and my kids might not want to hang out with me in 10 years time. I think the general feeling in the posts is that I can cover the bills but not much else. That'll be ok for a year but after that it might be a bit too expensive.

The visa application is going to USCIS next week, if it get's approved I'll need to start thinking about elementary schools, where to live and a million other things, so hopefully you guys won't mind helping out.

Thanks.

[Cagirl767]

I would say $800 a month at the grocery store. We are a family of 4, with 2 kids ages 4 and 6 and that's approx what we spend with an occasional trip to Costco which runs us $300 per trip (once every 3 months or so). This is saving 40% at the grocery store with coupons and my club cards. That would include some toiletries at the grocery store also, cleaning products, misc. items. Clipping coupons and shopping sales will help. I only buy items when on sale and stock up then. I'm not quite an extreme couponer, but can get some things free or close to free once in a while.

Wishing you the best!

[LAMelanie]

Originally Posted by nurserosie

as far as IRS reimbursement..remember that you cannot deduct mileage from home to office..only from office to anyplace you may have to go (if you are office based..you cannot deduct expenses to get to work)

No, not as a tax write off. Most companies reimburse at the IRS rate, and if they ask him to drive to another office outside of his home office its possible that they will reimburse him. Of course it all depends on the company.

[nurserosie]

Originally Posted by LAMelanie

No, not as a tax write off. Most companies reimburse at the IRS rate, and if they ask him to drive to another office outside of his home office its possible that they will reimburse him. Of course it all depends on the company.

I think that is what I said....he never mentioned another location did he???

[LAMelanie]

Originally Posted by nurserosie

I think that is what I said....he never mentioned another location did he???

Yes he did. He said he would be working in the Fullerton office and sometimes they would have him work in their El Segundo office.

Really this isnt worth bickering over. He can check with him future employer to see if this would be applicable to him or not. It was just a suggestion. Thats all.

[lmh182]

If you'd like to know what your paycheck will be after taxes here in CA, go to paycheckcity.com and use one of their calculators (they have hourly and salary). I worried about whether the calculator was accurate or not, but when I got my first paycheck here in CA, I compared it to the amount calculated from the site, and it was spot on, right down to the cent... so it's accurate.

[IMidwestMom]

Originally Posted by lmh182

If you'd like to know what your paycheck will be after taxes here in CA, go to paycheckcity.com and use one of their calculators (they have hourly and salary). I worried about whether the calculator was accurate or not, but when I got my first paycheck here in CA, I compared it to the amount calculated from the site, and it was spot on, right down to the cent... so it's accurate.

I just checked out the website ... very handy!

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by LAMelanie

As a general rule, southern CA coast is warm and humid in summer.

But not East Coast, Midwest, or Deep South humid. Not even close.