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Gosh, Katie, you write beautifully. Why not freelance magazine articles in your spare time from home? Also, I'm at "that age" (55) and there are times when I wonder if I'll make it. Forget it! Read Eckhart Tolle's book, The Power of Now. It teaches readers how to live in the present moment and in spirit. And, if the cold is getting to you, I would think about Phoenix, AZ, where the winters are mild, and the summers are downright hot (a dry, burning heat). Many seniors move to neighboring Sun City. There are lots of rental properties there for those who would rather rent than pay a mortgage. Some spend their winters there; others live there all year long. It's kind of a "laid back" community of retirees, some active, some not, but I'm sure you'd find someone to "buddy" with there. It sounds like you could use some friends... :-)
Forest City or Rutherford County is perfect for your situation.
Weather is much milder than KS. Small town atmosphere is great! Health care is great and VERY reasonable.
Forest City, NC is well-run town. Many low-income seniors are moving to this town for the many reasons you stated in your email.
Some friends of ours were in your exact situation. They moved up here from Florida. Love it! Taxes cheap. Bought the cutest little home on a BEAUTIFUL street for 74K. Taxes are like 500 a year!
I have read this thread with interest and with appreciation for all the sharing of ideas, locales, etc. It is a big help to those without a lot of money to spare.
What is also great is that you can go from this thread to the state threads and see about each of the places that might be "in the running" for you. Already I have regretfully had to "x" some off the list, for reasons such as weather or too high cost of living.
I wish us all luck and I congratulate those who found their niche.
Don't know where you'd want to try this, but I do think people overlook modest mobile homes, aka "trailers." My father (82) lives in one, the only park in the happenin' suburb of Cherry Hill, N.J. It's a tiny two-bedroom, and would sell for maybe $20K now. He can walk to a good train that goes to Atlantic City and Philadelphia, can walk or taxi to anything he needs. It's near a nice river park. The mobile park has a lot of rules to keep it nice, including strictly owner-occupied- no renters at all. He lives on Social Security. No longer keeps a car due to eyesight.
I have always resisted people saying "trailer trash" or other such put-downs. Trailers, especially in well-kept parks (how about 55+?) are affordable housing. They are at least the size of a modest apartment, and there are no neighbors sharing walls or above or below.
There's one 55+ trailer park in my town here in eastern Mass. Very well kept, strict rules, a fine modest place to live. The cheapest I've seen there is about $25K, and go on up to about $50K (larger, I think).
And I always think about trying to be somewhere that doesn't totally require cars. You can always taxi now and then to buy heavy items/bulk groceries.
Good luck. It's a hard thing to figure out.
A useful and thoughtful post. Experience (in your case from your father's situation) is the best teacher. Thanks for sharing.
I like this link www.ded.mo.gov/researchandplanning/indicators/cost_of_living/index (broken link) Not a good idea to move from cheap state to expensive state.Don't go somewhere and find out you are 300th on list for cheap housing.Better look at the medicare coverage from state to state-yes it does change.Expect public transportation to change in this economic climate and not for the better for a while.I think Karibear is in Oklahoma and on that forum.I am moving to OK along the Arkansas border.I moved from KS to Oregon and was immeditely in sticker shock from not doing my homework on house prices,I just looked at rental prices.Moving from 7th cheapest state to 39th most expensive was noticed in grocery store and gas prices quick!! Check also to see if state has tax benefits for seniors-like property tax freeze or homrsteading exemptions.If you are not a senior,one day you will be
katie45, Wife and I just bought in Alamogordo,NM. We to were looking for inexpensive and if possible quality of life. Our place is a 3/2 adobe style house,purchased for under 80,000 with prop taxes around 500.00 annual and prop. Ins. for 265.00 annual. I know different strokes for different folks but we really like the lifestyle and climate of southern NM. And if you don't mind living in a mobile home park,we found one listed on a local realtors site for 36,000 that looked really nice and cared for and a lot rent of 110.00 per month. You could always move it if you bought a lot/land in the area. In regards to services, believe the city has a bus system and I know that they have a very nice senior center with meals to eat in or delivered to members that can't get out and at a very reasonable cost. I'm afraid that we have to take things like the senior ctr. into consideration as we also have only ourselves to look out for each other. As my wife says, Damn! we got old quick.
I am always amazed when I read statements such as these. It seems that nearly everyone who posts on c-d is accustomed to paying highly inflated prices for any type of housing. A mobile home for 36,000 in Alamogordo? Yes, I've been looking online at those, too. At first I thought they would be brand new ones. But no, they are used. 36,000 is an outrageous price for a mobile home, regardless of how cared for it might be. Here in Missouri, that same mobile home would cost between 18,000 and 21,000, and that would be for a nearly new 3 BR, 2BA with a covered deck and sunporch, central air, fully equipped kitchen, in a park with paved roads, sidewalks, paved driveways, clubhouse with pool, etc. Why would anyone think they were getting such a good deal at 36,000? Someone else suggested reasonably priced mobile homes including the land in Magalia, CA. Try looking at those prices. Unbelievable that anyone would pay that much. Sure, I want to get out of the Midwest humidity and cold winters and move to New Mexico, but it is NOT a low cost-of-living state when the housing prices are as high as they are. They might be low compared to what most of you on the west coast are accustomed to paying, but they certainly are not reasonably priced.
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What about?
Sorry about that
