How poor folks in San Diego manage to stay happy in San Diego? (Chula Vista: middle-class, section 8)

[jpatterson01]

When you read most complaints or whinings on how SD is pricey and expensive for a decent standard of living, I assume they're usually middle-class income earner White folks. They complain of struggling in San Diego due to cost of living and wonder how others can't survive, thinking it must take at least $120K for family of 4 to survive. To them, if you're not a millionaire, it's a miserable lifestyle here in San Diego.

Now, what about the poor folks living in San Diego all these years? Rarely, do they complain about San Diego being too expensive. Are they used to it or just living a complacent lifestyle? Are many poor ethnic families (Asians, Blacks, Hispanics) living in areas like City Heights, Linda Vista, Logan Heights, SE San Diego, parts of National City, Chula Vista, etc, used to it? Perhaps these folks live within their means (even if it's $28K a year for a family of 5) and yet, they still are happy with living in San Diego. They can enjoy the beaches, events, sceneries, etc, in San Diego as much as everyone else regardless of income.

What do these poor blue-collar low income folks do for fun anyhow as a lifestyle? Surely, it must not be expensive activities, but they still are happy and content with their life. Perhaps they don't have high expectations? Can the middle-class/rich learn from these poor families of San Diego?

[militarymom]

I think in general people sometimes don't always appreciate what they have. They will whine and moan and bellyache and maybe not appreciate things (i.e. where they live and how great it is) until they move away. My husband is in the military, I love san diego. We don't make a ton of money and Ive always said to him I'd rather live in a cardboard box in a great town rather than a swanky mansion in some boring old town with nothing to do, no scenery etc. I now live in a 5 bed/3.5 bath 3500 sfhouse, a yard about an acre deep, beautiful set up here....but know how happy I am? Its just not that great, especially compared to san diego where we came from and where we had to budget and had a 3 bed 1500 sf home with barely a yard (compared to here anyways). I seriously miss just sitting on a beach and relaxing. The beaches here have trash and are unkept and gross. They have signs to not enter w/o water shoes because of the debris. Yeah nice. I miss letting my children run around with barefeet on the sand.
I think there are some people everywhere who use status but I never met many in san diego, In fact I'd say I have met more where we live on the east coast than I ever saw there. I do hear ya on the post though--so many people ask about how much money you need to make to live comfortably in san diego. I often am asked the same thing because as militaty we get the same pay whether we live in the cheap ole' south or in "ritzy" ca. Sure our housing allowance changes but not by alot. I do believe that people who have not been to san diego--there is a stereotype that alot of the country believes and that is--that everyone in Ca is either a poor hispanic or some rich hollywood type. I hear it all the time when we've traveled back to my parents' place in the midwest or now where we live on the east coast. I never actually SEE alot of these people who really really live based on status though. But then again I hung out with stay at home mom's and their kids while I was there .

[Huckleberry3911948]

opportunity for enormous sterotypes of the coast in a thread like this.
poor people
rich people
californians.
i know all 3 well.
but people see what they believe and not much else

[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.

[ElliottJM]

Well here's what the poorer people of SD do for fun....meth, pot, mdma, pcp, drink etc JUST KIDDING! its just a joke. I really think that the poor people of SD are just used to it and have always been poor. They probably have alot of friends and stuff since they have been living in SD for so long. The "complainers" on the other hand probably recently moved to SD and are used to a higher standard of living, and have no friends here since they just moved.

but I have moved here a month ago, no money, no friends. For fun there are alotta free museums, go to the beach, snorkel, surf (if u have the equipment) go crash a party near SDSU, theres a bunch of stuff. But I'd still rather have alotta money to buy a boat and stuff

[Just1Lion]

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.

I feel the same way. most people that know me, know that i have always wanted to move out to SoCal. everyone always says the same exact crap. "oh its so expensive, you better get some good job or you'll never make it out there, ya know my friend has a friend who moved there and they said"....blah blah blah. absolutely sick of that old speech. i believe that i would live within my means regardless of where i am. its not like its cheap in north jersey, which is where i grew up. even now i live in philly, which is somewhat cheaper, but not dirt cheap. like you said it can be worth it to some people to just modify your budget if it lets you live where you want. look at this little face to the right, thats me ---> sick of the east coast.

[jksouthbay88]

I know a gang of poor people,lots on Section 8 and about all of them are not happy here.Sure money does not buy you happiness but if you don't have a decent amount of money,you can't live a good lifestyle here.

[MissNM]

Because money doesn't make you happy. Mo money - mo problems.

Some of my happiest times were when I was most broke. Good friends pulled our money together and created some wonderful meals. The process of creating your own meals with friends can't be replaced by $$.

[sdlife619]

Well having extra money on hand and not having any debts, will make anyone happy. Money does and can buy happiness because your never worried about not being able to afford to pay your bills.

The biggest expense in SD is housing, rents are high, home prices are high and we don't have the kind of jobs that support the expensive housing and lifestyle that people dream of when they come here. The people working at Jack in the Box are probably living in a 1 bedroom apartment with 5 people, or are still living with family members and packing up a 2-3 bedroom home, are they happy? Not sure, but I know a lot of Hispanic families are happy even if they don't have much, and live in the ghetto, because being around family is more important to them, rather than spending money on materialistic crap or living in some big fancy home. They make the best out of what they have, not what they want. It is hard for locals to move on up. So many San Diegan natives stay put, and don't move around much.

Honestly I would be much more happier if I could live in small craftsman home in a real neighborhood, than living in some Mcmansion with 5 cars in a boring suburb with nothing to do.

It also depends on your priorities and what you like to do is ultimately the deciding factor on how happy you are. Having a Career and not a just a job, can make someone happier because you are doing something you like to do, while making good money at it....that must feel good. Having a relationship with someone you like, knowing that your loved, can make you happy. They're many different ways to happiness, but if you are constantly struggling to survive you will have a harder time being happy, because that side of coin usually takes over your other happy side and turns it into mush.


I mean even the poorest parts of San Diego are expensive! Beat down Homes in Logan Heights for $220K! That's insane! I swear speculators are just a bunch a bad guys.


About poorer folks in SD, many of them have lived in San Diego for many many years. Most new comers are not moving into bad sections of town (so the poor folks are not bothered much by change and keep to themselves), they are moving to the PB, MB, Hillcrest, Newly gentrified North Park, which is now attracting middle upper class Whites and gays, North County, and Downtown SD are mainly where the majority of new people are wanting to move, but when they realize how expensive these area's can be, they complain, but yet wont try to find somewhere else cheaper to live, because they want that certain lifestyle.

[jksouthbay88]

Originally Posted by MissNM

Because money doesn't make you happy. Mo money - mo problems.

That is very true as wll,