How poor folks in San Diego manage to stay happy in San Diego? (Sacramento: 2014, health insurance)

[USARMYVET]

Originally Posted by CocoaGoddess

I agree with what everyone in this thread has said. Happy is all relative, and we all have different priorities. We are a single income military family, most of our friends here are military, and we're not depressed, in poverty and belly aching about what we don't have, but rather, we make do and enjoy what we DO have.

It all depends on what makes you comfortable. I like having disposable money to go to the movies when I want, to drive down to Los Angeles to see a play, to eat at nice restaurants with friends, to take a trip to visit friends and family in other states, to get my hair done, etc. This is more important to me than driving a $30,000 car.
However, some people would look at my 11 year old bucket with a temperamental window, and feel instant pity for me. They will look at my home, in my neighborhood, and would not feel safe sending their children to school alongside my children. I'm okay with that.

Be happy and do you, and don't worry about anyone else. At the end of the day, you are responsible for your own happiness (and the bills that may come along with it!)

Very good point CocoaGoddess!

[tonyinsd]

I'm late to this conversation, but when it comes to money, it appears that once you hit $75K, making more doesn't matter much.

Study: Money Buys Happiness When Income Is $75,000 - TIME

[Pedro2000]

Originally Posted by tonyinsd

I'm late to this conversation, but when it comes to money, it appears that once you hit $75K, making more doesn't matter much.

Study: Money Buys Happiness When Income Is $75,000 - TIME

You can be a billionaire and act like Donald Trump. A guy who seems pissed off all the time at everybody. You could be poor and living close to the streets, but be happy. The exact opposite in both cases are true to.

Money doesn't buy happiness and having a 30K car or a 250K car aren't going to really change your life. That becomes more about prestige and ego. But having a 20-30K car that works and doesn't require you to go to the shop all the time can make you happier. I remember having a piece of junk car years ago that I bought for like 1K. It had like 200K miles on it but it ran. It got me from point A to point B. Sometimes. That car spent more time in the shop than on the road. And I was always fearful of making it someplace before breaking down. As I did break down on numerous occasions.

Imagine being in the Holland Tunnel in NYC and your car just stop. If you know the tunnel you know if you break down, you essentially shut down one lane out of two or three lanes. I forget its been years. But there is no shoulder and how does a tow truck get into that tight stop? They don't. Cars back up, people get pissed, etc. Eventually one of the Tunnel workers pushed me out of the tunnel with their truck. It had some plow like device on the front. That was a bad stressful time. And I was like 19 and single. I could not imagine having a family stuck in that car. So I stopped going to far from home.

You can say those things don't always happen, but in places where winters are cold, having a car that might break down or the heat won't work, or the A/C doesn't work in the summer, can be a very very stressful thing. And if you buy a car for under $5K it's probably because you can't afford anything else and if something does break down and costs thousands to fix, you don't exactly have the money to fix it. So you figure out a duct tape like fix that'll get you another 1000 miles or something.

And lets be real, If you buy a cheap car for under $5K thats old you're really just lucky if they last more than a year without severe problems. Of course you can spend thousands fixing those cars up and people do, but somebody who buy a 50K car compared to somebody who buys a 5K car and spends 25K fixing it up aren't any different. It's just some ego boost and bragging rights. People like to think otherwise, but it's not all that different.

I know as i got older and could afford a car that won't scare the crap out of me because it breaks down in the middle of nowhere, I would spend the extra money. And when you start to have a family and kids, that security sure as hell makes you happier. I've spent enough time in my life knowing what it feels like hoping I made it to work or the grocery store and back. No matter what people say, that is stress that causes a lot of pain and pressure and in the end, you can pretend all is great and you're happy, but simple things like getting to the store and back can make a huge difference. And there are plenty of people who are forced to take public transportation because they can't even have a car.

And what does 75K really buy you in may places these days? In San diego, you'd be struggling. And to me, being able to send my kids to good schools does make me happy. I went to crappy schools where half the kids were dead or in prison by 25. Nobody gives you a golden star for going to poor schools in poor areas. it just means you are starting a mile behind other kids. And this day and age, thats not a good thing.

If my kid can go to a school where the classes aren't too large, the teachers love their jobs, the kids want to learn, and most of the kids wind up going to good colleges and graduate from those schools, i'm not sure how that doesn't make somebody happier. Like I said, I went to school where 50 percent of the kids didn't graduate high school. That isn't a good thing no matter what somebody tries to tell you. There are other kids who are afraid to walk down the streets during the day. Who is really happy in those environments? So sometimes money does buy you happiness.

[USARMYVET]

Originally Posted by hanna_house

Well, we certainly are not wealthy, especially by SD standards, but we've made it work because it was important to us. I think it really has more to do with priorities than anything. If your priority is to live in a huge house on an acre of land, have 2+ expensive car payments and all the latest material possessions, then you may feel tight financially. We have everything we need, and are far from living like vagabonds, but we don't have a car payment and downgraded to a large one bedroom apartment. To us it was completely worth it to live in SD and enjoy all it has to offer. Strangely, we are more comfortable financially here than we were back in Michigan.

Hello Hanna_House,
You mentioned that you and your family are from Michigan. Where in Michigan? I live in Detroit.

[Think4Yourself]

Originally Posted by tonyinsd

I'm late to this conversation, but when it comes to money, it appears that once you hit $75K, making more doesn't matter much.

Study: Money Buys Happiness When Income Is $75,000 - TIME

That explains why I'm happy.

[USDefault]

Originally Posted by USARMYVET

Hello Hanna_House,
You mentioned that you and your family are from Michigan. Where in Michigan? I live in Detroit.

She posted that in 2009, over four years ago.

[sacite]

Originally Posted by NewtoSD?

San Deigo's cost of living seems high, but only for those that dispose of their disposable income. Eating out there looks higher proportionately when compared to other cities I've been. But you can control that. Rent?? No. I've seen plenty of decent 1 brs that go for the same price they do in Sacramento or other less "desireable cities", which is $800-$900. Maybe that's high to those migrating to Cali from other states, but for those of us that live here it's par for the course in most of the state. Parking? Pretty cheap compared to other big cities and again, comparable to other lesser known ciites.

What else is there?? Utiliities? Doesn't the weather lessen the bill compared to say, Michigan, where you're heating your house 4 months out of the year?

It seems like the whole "it's expensive" argument is fairly nebulous. Once you start breaking it down, it's tough to pinpoint exactly what it is that costs more there than anywhere else. People always forget that the average job pays more out here as well. Sure, you can be an accountant in Spokane and pay $500 rent, but you'll also earn $38K. Or you could be an accountant in San Diego, pay $900 rent, and earn $55K. It all tends to balance out, IMO.

Gas, coffee, food (grocery stores) are all more expensive in SD compared to northern California in my limited experience. I paid $4 for coffee in most non-Starbucks coffee shops in SD. Gas was $.20-$.30 more than what I am used to paying. It all adds up.

On the flip side though there are hidden little eateries in the areas around the beach where you can eat very cheap, if eating out is your thing. And surprisingly I found coffee in Balboa Park for less than $2. It seems like these are places you'd find once you got to know the area. Then again, you'd have to drive here and there to get to them, which obviously adds up.

All in all I believe poor people can be happier in SD than a middle class person because poor people are use to living with less no matter where they are. A middle class person from say, Ohio more likely to feel as though their standard of living has dropped considerably by moving to SD, or most places in CA for that matter.

[kanjelman7]

I think separating needs from wants plays a huge role in happiness, not just in SD but anywhere in the world.

[Ronnie101]

Originally Posted by kanjelman7

I think separating needs from wants plays a huge role in happiness, not just in SD but anywhere in the world.

Right on pal, right on

[LuvSouthOC]

Happiness is a state of mind and has little to do with money beyond bare necessities. That said, it is interesting that no one mentioned the HEAPS of people in San Diego on disability, food stamps, etc. I suspect there is much less of that in OC. But LA...