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Why did people stop responding to this thread. You guys are supposed to help me.
There just aren't a lot of options to discuss. You can't or won't take a second job, increase your income, or have a roommate to increase your ability to save for a home where you are. You won't relocate to areas where you can still earn a good salary, but homes are more affordable.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,722 posts, read 58,067,115 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mysticaltyger
OK, now you're acting like a baby.
As we all could have predicted... from the lack of reasoning and desire to accept advice from OP. (They are not listening either )
There are many options in New Eng for OP to live cheaper. Currently making BIG bucks compared to many in their peer group.
EZ to live in NH if you want a no income tx state.
Plenty of small towns offer low rents / housing
OP has proven they cannot live frugally (Who among us could lot live VERY well on OP wages!!!.
That 7 yr old TV... not necessary. I haven't had one since 1968.
Cars, Food, Entertainment? I get by on $100/ month for all of these. Not at all hard to do, nor am I sacrificing any comforts. BTDT for 40+ yrs. Life by a purposeful choice, based upon what cards came my way. (Not all were EZ)
I live in lower Fairfield County, CT and man, this place is ultra expensive for housing and rent. Right now I pay $1,550 for a 700 sq ft 1 bd apt (no utilities included) on a very busy road. I make a $75,000 salary plus bonus and still feel very middle class at best. Entry-level basic homes start at around $400,000. Based on my personal budget, I can only afford a monthly payment of about $2,000 per month (inclusive of PITI), which means that the house cannot be priced over $300,000. That's even with a 20% down payment and no PMI. And I'm single. How am I supposed to achieve home ownership here without having a long, stressful commute? Plus, I don't even really like this county at all.
I'm willing to commute up to about 30 minutes (assuming no traffic). In reality, 30 minutes often becomes well over an hour around here. It's brutal, and the further away you live from work the more you must spend on transportation (gas, train fare, car maintenance, etc.). So, what am I supposed to do? I'm already 29 years old. And I'll probably get the measly 3% raise every year, but that's barely enough to make a difference. The way my career is going, I don't see a promotion anytime soon either. I've only been at my current job for 6 months and I'm already on my fourth job in my career, at age 29.
It seems like the only solution there is, is to look for another job in a cheaper area of Connecticut, such as Hartford County or New London County, since I'd prefer to be within 100 miles of my family near Hartford.
Help!
You could also consider the Chicagoland area for corporate tax law accounting as the COL would be a bit less than FFC but with more amenities across the board if you would consider the Midwest..
New Hampshire would probably have a more limited selection of positions in your specialty but would be worth pursuing if you desire no income and sales tax.
As we all could have predicted... from the lack of reasoning and desire to accept advice from OP. (They are not listening either )
There are many options in New Eng for OP to live cheaper. Currently making BIG bucks compared to many in their peer group.
This is true.
[/quote]EZ to live in NH if you want a no income tx state.
Plenty of small towns offer low rents / housing
OP has proven they cannot live frugally (Who among us could lot live VERY well on OP wages!!!.[/quote]
More like "will not" as opposed to cannot. Unfortunately, the OP is probably more frugal than the populace at large.
Quote:
Originally Posted by StealthRabbit
That 7 yr old TV... not necessary. I haven't had one since 1968.
I agree, but that's not what's costing him. It's primarily rent. The real problem with TV is paying for cable (which I won't do). The other (perhaps bigger) problem with TV is it inflates our idea of what the middle class lifestyle is and makes it look a lot easier to maintain than it really is. Everyone would agree with this statement, but no one seems to think it influences their expectations....only other people's.
Quote:
Originally Posted by StealthRabbit
Cars, Food, Entertainment? I get by on $100/ month for all of these. Not at all hard to do, nor am I sacrificing any comforts. BTDT for 40+ yrs. Life by a purposeful choice, based upon what cards came my way. (Not all were EZ)
I hear 'ya. The OP has what I call "29 year old" problems (as I alluded to in a previous post). You get into your late 20s or early 30s and you start realizing how tough it is to keep increasing your income / lifestyle at a rapid clip without a lot more effort and you get disappointed. You keep looking for a quick or easy way and there isn't one...but you don't want to accept that...'cause you thought it would be easier than it really is ('cause TV makes it look that way....we're all influenced by it whether we admit it or not). I've been there & done that. Got over it.
Life is short Nep321....There are no shortcuts here, so don't waste time/energy looking for them and/or being mad about stuff you can't change. It's much better to change the things you do have control over or to learn to accept your current situation without complaining if you don't want to make the required changes.
As we all could have predicted... from the lack of reasoning and desire to accept advice from OP. (They are not listening either )
There are many options in New Eng for OP to live cheaper. Currently making BIG bucks compared to many in their peer group.
EZ to live in NH if you want a no income tx state.
Plenty of small towns offer low rents / housing
OP has proven they cannot live frugally (Who among us could lot live VERY well on OP wages!!!.
That 7 yr old TV... not necessary. I haven't had one since 1968.
Cars, Food, Entertainment? I get by on $100/ month for all of these. Not at all hard to do, nor am I sacrificing any comforts. BTDT for 40+ yrs. Life by a purposeful choice, based upon what cards came my way. (Not all were EZ)
The small town response is not very helpful. I highly doubt the OP will find a position with his career track in a small town. I doubt he's going to find a remotely decent job in NH. His salary is middle class, but not upper middle. I know several young pharmacists, nursing professionals, and a few miscellaneous business types making more in lower COL areas. Like I said, his salary in CT equates to about $45k in Nashville or Des Moines. Middling to good, but not lighting the woods on fire. His problem is that he's in a county of big dogs on a middling income.
If you are eating for $100/month, that's barely $1/meal, and that's if you include soft drinks, juices, milk, whatever he wants to drink besides water. This is far from realistic or healthy. You're certainly not paying less than $100/month for all food, car maintenance, insurance, fuel, taxes, and any entertainment. Pure and total BS.
I don't have cable but enjoy having a TV around. I bought a quality 46" LED TV last year that I'm very happy with for $400. That's a rounding error compared to the costs the OP is looking for housing.
I'm not saying the OP isn't asinine, just that your points are as equally asinine if not more so.
you can also pay that home off faster-NOT by the bank's bi-weekly payment bull that takes ONE payment off at the end of the year--search the internet for the programs that 'beat compound interest'. Some superminds despise banks so much they'll write your 'program' for free. Prices that high, you have to wonder too, will they go higher, or are you at top of bubble/maxed neighborhood? Might want to search up and coming places where price of home can actually go up.
you can also pay that home off faster-NOT by the bank's bi-weekly payment bull that takes ONE payment off at the end of the year--search the internet for the programs that 'beat compound interest'. Some superminds despise banks so much they'll write your 'program' for free. Prices that high, you have to wonder too, will they go higher, or are you at top of bubble/maxed neighborhood? Might want to search up and coming places where price of home can actually go up.
He is in one of the wealthiest and most educated counties in the country with some of the highest paying jobs in the country. This is a very desirable location. I highly doubt prices will be retreating anytime soon.
If you are eating for $100/month, that's barely $1/meal, and that's if you include soft drinks, juices, milk, whatever he wants to drink besides water. This is far from realistic or healthy. You're certainly not paying less than $100/month for all food, car maintenance, insurance, fuel, taxes, and any entertainment. Pure and total BS.
Side topic, but I think a lot of people on this forum stretch the truth or outright lie about their monthly food budget.
"I have a family of four and we manage to eat on $150 a month...anyone can do it!"
Yeah, sure you do, if you don't count any eating out in your budget, etc. Or maybe you're a farmer and grow virtually all your own food. Otherwise these stories don't correlate to grocery store prices in 2014.
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high costs
