$90-95k in Brentwood doable? (Concord, Redding: rentals, mortgage, credit report)

[kelly1922]

Yes, another one of *those* questions. Sorry! I'm a CA native, born in raised in Contra Costa County, specifically PH and Concord. We moved to the Charlotte, NC area in 2005 and have regretted it ever since. We haven't had the opportunity to move back until now. My husband has been on 2 interviews for a company and the position is east of East CoCo County. My family lives in Brentwood, so we've decided to live there, provided he's offered the job. The salary range was $90-95k. We have 3 kids, which includes my stepson, who is 19. But he'll most likely be moving out within a year. I can't work outside of the home anymore because of medical problems, but I'm planning on trying to find a work from home opportunity. Do you think if we really try hard we can make it financially? Our grocery bill tends to be high because my daughter and I have Celiac disease, so we have to eat a gluten free diet, which can be pretty expensive. I plan to shop farmer's markets 9 mos. out of the year, and do Costco, etc. the other 3 months. Thoughts? I'm desperate to make this work and not struggle in CA like we did before. We'd like to be able to take an occasional vacation, nothing fancy, just maybe Tahoe, camping or Disneyland once a year, occasional dinner out, entertainment, the occasional festival, etc. Thanks!

[clongirl]

I think your family will be fine on this income. Brentwood is a nice town and fairly affordable by Bay Area standards. The public schools there are supposed to quite good also. If you keep a good budget and plan meals/shopping trips/clothing for the kids wisely, then it's absolutely doable, imo.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by kelly1922

Yes, another one of *those* questions. Sorry! I'm a CA native, born in raised in Contra Costa County, specifically PH and Concord. We moved to the Charlotte, NC area in 2005 and have regretted it ever since. We haven't had the opportunity to move back until now. My husband has been on 2 interviews for a company and the position is east of East CoCo County. My family lives in Brentwood, so we've decided to live there, provided he's offered the job. The salary range was $90-95k. We have 3 kids, which includes my stepson, who is 19. But he'll most likely be moving out within a year. I can't work outside of the home anymore because of medical problems, but I'm planning on trying to find a work from home opportunity. Do you think if we really try hard we can make it financially? Our grocery bill tends to be high because my daughter and I have Celiac disease, so we have to eat a gluten free diet, which can be pretty expensive. I plan to shop farmer's markets 9 mos. out of the year, and do Costco, etc. the other 3 months. Thoughts? I'm desperate to make this work and not struggle in CA like we did before. We'd like to be able to take an occasional vacation, nothing fancy, just maybe Tahoe, camping or Disneyland once a year, occasional dinner out, entertainment, the occasional festival, etc. Thanks!

The only problem with "another one of *those* questions, is that I can't see your bank accounts or your checkbook or your credit report or all of your bills, etc.

I suggest you start by figuring out what your take-home pay will be. Then start deducting for your projected rent/mortgage payment, and other bills.

If you want to buy a home, talk to a realtor and lender to find out what you can afford.

If you are going to rent, look at what rents cost in Brentwood. Here's a search for 4 bedrooms in Brentwood on Craigslist:

SF bay area apts/housing for rent classifieds - craigslist

Your 19 year old may be moving out soon, but don't think he won't still be in the budget .

Just start playing with the numbers. You're lucky that large rentals in Brentwood look very affordable.

Good luck and welcome back!

[davdaven]

Luckily Brentwood is one of the more affordable parts of the Bay Area, so it doesn't seem like this will be too difficult with the right budgeting practices. However, do follow NMSFM's recommendation to do some preliminary budgeting, as only you will know what your expenses will be.

[aslowdodge]

OP-out of curiosity-why the regret of moving to Charlotte? Weather?

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I was thinking about your gluten-free diet and how you might be able to do it more cheaply. I found these websites. Plus, you might want to start a thread in the Frugal Living forum and ask others how they do gluten-free more cheaply.

11 Tips To Eat Gluten-Free On The Cheap

How to Cut Gluten-Free Food Costs

By the way, in case you didn't know, we have these fantastic stores here called Grocery Outlet. They are kind of like a Ross Dress for Less for food. They get random lots of food and other items, and are priced at least 30% lower than regular prices at other stores. Often way less than that. My store here in Redding puts the gluten-free and organic foods on top of the freezer bins, normally. Anyway, check out these types of markets, too.

I always start out at Grocery Outlet if I'm shopping, then my next stop is the Food Maxx, then maybe Trader Joes, before I go somewhere like Whole Foods or Safeway.

Grocery Outlet - For Our Customers - Store Finder

FoodMaxx / Store & Pharmacy Locator

Trader Joe's

[jade408]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

OP-out of curiosity-why the regret of moving to Charlotte? Weather?

Personally, I think you can sort of adjust to the weather, but cultural differences are huge (I grew up in the Carolinas after being born here and my parents are from North and South).

[kelly1922]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

OP-out of curiosity-why the regret of moving to Charlotte? Weather?

Weather has a lot to do with it. Way too humid for my liking. Summers have been tough, not as oppressive as say, Mississippi, but bad enough. Bugs are downright scary out here! For an arachnophobe like me, it doesn't work! Not enough culture, still a lot of backwards thinking, and just too far and too different from home. There's nothing like the Bay Area!

[kelly1922]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

I was thinking about your gluten-free diet and how you might be able to do it more cheaply. I found these websites. Plus, you might want to start a thread in the Frugal Living forum and ask others how they do gluten-free more cheaply.

11 Tips To Eat Gluten-Free On The Cheap

How to Cut Gluten-Free Food Costs

By the way, in case you didn't know, we have these fantastic stores here called Grocery Outlet. They are kind of like a Ross Dress for Less for food. They get random lots of food and other items, and are priced at least 30% lower than regular prices at other stores. Often way less than that. My store here in Redding puts the gluten-free and organic foods on top of the freezer bins, normally. Anyway, check out these types of markets, too.

I always start out at Grocery Outlet if I'm shopping, then my next stop is the Food Maxx, then maybe Trader Joes, before I go somewhere like Whole Foods or Safeway.

Grocery Outlet - For Our Customers - Store Finder

FoodMaxx / Store & Pharmacy Locator

Trader Joe's

Wow, thank you! Some great ideas!!

[kelly1922]

Thanks for the replies everyone! Looks promising. We've got some numbers to play around with, so we'll get to it! Can't wait to get back!