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Here in New Mexico, I had originally planned on being a "pioneer" of sorts with an isolated home away from near neighbors. Not off the grid but out far enough to be away from city lights and traffic and neighbors. I bought some land a little way out of town and got some house plans and a builder lined up. The budget for the project was quickly getting out of hand. I knew nothing about wells or septic systems or irrigation or swamp coolers. It costs a lot to be a pioneer unless you buy some other disenchanted pioneer out. I scrapped the idea when the economy tanked because there were acceptable places on the market for much less than I was going to pay. There was still a huge learning curve and I ended up with a slightly smaller house on more land but with a neighbor. That neighbor, originally from Connecticut, helped with the learning curve. I still own that land and still have the house plans and I'm friends with the builder so maybe I'll reconsider but I'm happy as I am now.
Why stay in NYC for 40 years? JOB! The types of jobs in NYC aren't available all over the country. If you work in the finance district, you will be well beyond burnt out after 40 years and just looking for some peace and quite.
If you've never lived in a state like NY or NJ, it's easy to say you'd pay more in taxes. We are 2 of the highest taxed states in the nation. It literally costs a small fortune to live here and own a house.
I've lived in SC and enjoyed the cheap taxes. We relocated back to NY - a different part of the state - and holy moly we're taxed through the roof! I know why retirees flee here like Canadian geese migrate. They're saving tens of thousands of dollars every year.....literally tens of thousands of dollars. Property taxes here will make your head spin.
If you truly wanted out, you could find something else before forty years are up. Sure, you'd take a pay cut, but life is too short and all that...
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Originally Posted by StealthRabbit
Consider getting another night shift job! (except DST Steals from night shift...) I am outdoorsy / farmer and found my 30+ yrs on night shift was huge help in making 'Work' secondary (As well as the extra income assisting for a 15+ yr early retirement) pre age 50. by for the BEST thing for e... No Bosses on nights! (thus I was able to keep my j-o-b )
when searching...I always stay and congregate with locals and attend (and volunteer @) community events as if I were living there. I ask (and LISTEN) to a ZILLION questions from EVERYONE (Especially the tax assessor, planner, sheriff, and bankers, and builders (plus ALWAYS farmers... cuz they are the ones who have stuck around for decades and cannot easily relocate ... thus they remain INVESTED in the community and in leadership / issues) I have stayed with 12 hosts in NE TN, 8 were farmers, 10 were rural (my preference for the moment... PEACE and QUIET in retirement. noise is particularly negative for me))
Thus... Kingsport and NE TN remains on my 'short list' for a 'temporary' relocation (for a 'season'... 24 months capital gains exemption). I hosted suppliers from Kingsport today, they are REALLY happy there (for last 30 yrs in some cases) YMMV
I worked second shift for about four years after college. I preferred it. I would much rather work 3:30 PM - 2:00 AM shifts than 8-5. Lots of things can get done in daylight hours you just can't do after hours or are tedious.
The difference in just property taxes on your house is HUGE. Not to mention all the other taxes and COL up here. Nothing is cheap up here. Many retired folks just can't afford to stay here. They sell their house here and get something much newer down there for a fraction of the cost. When we lived in SC, we built a brand new house for less than half of what it would have cost us up here. And we live in the cheap part of the state!
Oh, I know. It's crazy! Our entire house payment (tax, mortgage, insurance) is less than what we paid just in property taxes up north.
[quote=Serious Conversation;50082862]If you truly wanted out, you could find something else before forty years are up. Sure, you'd take a pay cut, but life is too short and all that...
/QUOTE]
It isn't always that people stay in an area that they absolutely can't stand for the job. We were in Central Florida for 23 years because our jobs were rather specialized and there was no way that I could have got something even close elsewhere, due to my not having finished high school. We didn't despise the area and if we had to, we would have been OK with continuing on there. But we knew that if we were able, there were other places that we would rather be. So when retirement came about and we had the means, we relocated. For us, Central Florida wasn't purgatory, just a means to an end.
Many people could benefit if they studied decision analysis.
Simply list the "musts" and wants. Prioritize the wants. If the proposed solution fails the must, you throw it out. For example, access to excellent medical care is a must for us. For that reason alone, most rural areas fail.
Low taxes is a high want, access to shopping is a low want, etc. If people would just use this simple concept, they might avoid bad decisions.
Some people retire, go forward with their dream and relocate, after awhile have second thoughts, unless they have funds to relocate, are stuck with their new digs.
When we stopped being Snowbirds, and moved from MA to FL fulltime, a month shy of three years we couldn’t get out fast enough. Everyone we spoke with, that were year round residents, told us, you’ll get used to the heat of Summer...not.
Thankfully we sold at a profit, and moved on to the next chapter.
I dunno, I think a lot of assumptions are being made.
For us? We looked for a lower COL and prefer no income tax and then we started visiting places. But first we researched crime, weather, what stores are in the area, what medical is in the area, etc. We visit in summer and we visit in winter. We talked to people where we ate, bars, hotel etc. to ask about the vibe in the area, what they like, what they don't.
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I had my heart set on Tennessee for a long time but have really bad allergies. Everyone I talked to & folks on CD said it would not be a good place for someone with severe allergies so I checked out Arizona.
There are still days I have to take an allergies pill but many days I don't have to.
There are many things I've come to love about Arizona. The mountains & the gorgeous sunsets take my breathe away. Grocery stores are much cheaper.
Everything is less expensive for me here except for rent, which is $100 more a month. But the exchange is that I have a 2 bedroom, handicapped apartment with a washer, dryer & dishwasher, along with a walk-in huge closet. All of this more than makes up for the extra cost, which I'm saving in groceries.
I just moved here in September so will have to see how I handle next summer. Hopefully it will be fine. I'll just have to remember how horrible winter was for me in Minnesota.
The main reason I knew I had to move away from the snow was that I had 2 really bad falls in the snow & ice, the 2nd one I even seriously thought about just laying there & letting whatever happened, happen. It took me a long time to get to my feet & get inside. It was scary enough that I said, never again.
I still plan on visiting Tennessee next spring or summer to see how it affects me but, right now I feel I've made a good choice.
A quick look at the Florida forums will reveal literally thousands of people ready to jump in their cars and move to Florida ... a large percentage of whom have perhaps only been to Disney World once on vacation.
Almost all want to live in an idyllic beach town (preferably only a short, sandy shuffle to the ocean), where tourists and traffic are minimal, the weather never too hot or cold, housing is cheap, taxes are low, shopping and entertainment are within walking distance and everyone is friendly. Those without jobs, want good, high-paying careers immediately available to anyone willing to move here (regardless of experience or qualifications). Those with families want the best schools within walking distance and older folks want top-notch healthcare on every corner.
This pattern seems driven by the unfounded conviction that "anyplace else, FL., Ca., Az or Tx" will provide everything one seeks in life (but, is not available "where they are."
Yeah, I plan to jump on the FL bandwagon when I retire next year.
I made my first exploratory trip in 2015 and I'm making my second trip in January to scout for apartments.
I grew up in Western NY on Lake Erie near Buffalo and have spent the past 27 years in CT (East of Hartford). I hate the cold (winters are more humid here than NYS) and I hate the dark--between Buffalo and here there's a full half hour difference. COL sucks, and taxes are high and living life "East of the River" is pretty boring.
My SIL thinks I'm nuts. I want to initially retire to the St. Petersburg area (probably Largo since that's where all the "cotton-tops" seem to hang out) but eventually, when I'm old and too decrepit, make my way back to my home town in WNYS to spend my dying days there. Either way I'll have beach access which is all I want anyway.
When I was married doing the spouse/house/kids thing I discovered I absolutely hated suburbia and semi-rural life. OTOH I'm really too old for big city living--I got that out of my system when I lived in Rochester (if you can call that "big city")
What I really miss are sidewalks. Hence, the draw back to my hometown.
BUT I'm also sick of the cold and damp. I'd rather deal with sunshine and T-storms (yeah, OK--and the occasional hurricane) rather than sunshine and 80 ft. of snow and endless hours in the dark.
So...when I retire I'm going to take a LOOOONG vacation in FL. I'll give it until I'm around 70. If it doesn't work out I'll head home...
I suspect people want to get out of the ratrace of city living and into a casual, relaxed CHEAPER country lifestyle.
We did SF Bay Area to rural Hawaii. It's been lovely for 12 years. We're ready to go back to the mainland, and be a little bit less rural now.
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