Did anyone retire in an area with undesirable weather all/part of the year to save $$?? (80+, relocate)
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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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I CHOOSE to stay where I prefer the climate. (I would NOT stay HOT / HUMID if it were free)
I like no need for AC,
Auxiliary heat by wood (that I grow and harvest). I like a bit of snow on occasion.
Passive solar home...
but I have to deal with a LOT of drizzle in PWN, so I LEAVE (travel to sun and long days)! and keep a place in Central TX for the 280 days / yr I don't prefer to be in PNW, tho usually I am traveling (quest for 'elusive perfect climate', but enjoying the journey on the way)
I would prefer Southern Hemisphere in USA winter. (LONG days, fresh flowers!)
When I'm age 85+, I will probably settle to one place (PNW likely if I can afford HC)
Long LONG term plan is Pioneer home... Thermopolis, WY. (for low cost care, but rough climate! (I will not notice))
I live in Hawaii, pretty popular weather. But I'm sick of it, sick of it always being hot and humid, sick of palm trees and sun during the holidays.
I want boots and sweaters, and SEASONS.
Be careful what you wish for....
I was remarking to someone just today that people in New England (at least in CT) are a sullen lot because we have 2 weeks of spring (don't ever go on vacation in April--you'll miss it), a short summer, and once September rolls around, we are mentally bracing ourselves for the cold and snow. We never know from year to year if....
Halloween will be cancelled because of a massive snowstorm that shuts down the state and results in power outages for days...
OR...
If the real winter weather won't begin until March and extend well into the end of April. By Christmas we're burnt out from all the stress of anticipation and dread...
AND THEN...
SAD kicks because we're driving into work before dawn and coming home in the dark.
I think I'd be bored without a certain amount of variability in the weather. I wouldn't mind being in a milder climate with 3 seasons but....I'm hoping that when I'm retired the winter will be less stressful because I can CHOOSE when to go out and I won't have to get up at 5:00am to shovel the driveway for work, etc.
At worst, I'm considering spending a month in Florida or similar if I need a break. So rather than go whole-hog and move I'm looking for solutions that allow me to stay where I am...because I love the midwest and especially love being a couple hours from Chicago. I'll have a pretty hefty budget to spend on travel to different climates and I'd rather do that than live in a place with better climate but nothing else I like.
I even have a SAD light that I switch on for a half hour as soon as I get to work - usually during Daylight Savings Time.
North America in general has a harsh climate, with the exception of its west coast. Seemingly everywhere else, it’s either polar-vortex cold in the winter, Caribbean-hot in the summer, or both. If I were seeking a retirement destination with pleasant climate as a priority, I’d not stay in North America.
I relocated to the Midwest early in life, for career-purposes… to a place where I had no family, no friends, no connection, no cultural affinity, and no reason for staying, save for work. One of my life’s ambitions is to move.
Speaking personally, a harsh climate can be tolerated, if there are other redeeming aspects of life. I'd gladly move to Moscow, Russia - famous for its horrible winters - for cultural reasons. But that would be intensely stupid, and not just because of the climate. On the other hand, here in the Midwest, I'd not have minded the bad climate, if for example the taxes were low (they're not), or I had a good support network of friends/family/acquaintances, or I partook of the prevailing cultural ethos.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RosemaryT
I *do* like so many things about the Midwest, that the cold is something I'm going to work around.
You said that "housing is cheaper but everything else is not." I'm not so sure about that. I lived in St. Louis for a dozen years (20 years ago) and I was astonished at how affordable things were!
The average winter lows can be taken in stride, as can the average summer highs. What's so irksome is the extremes. 20 deg F is OK, multiple mornings in a row. But what about -10 deg F - which we seem to be getting annually now, owing to the infamous "polar vortex"?
As for lower COL, well, to me, the COL is actually quite high. Why? Because houses don't appreciate in price. Every year, we're further and further behind our coastal counterparts. It's a staggering hidden tax.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RosemaryT
Just got the personal property tax bill on my new Camry and it was $800 for one year. Real estate taxes for my little ranch are $300 a month. Homeowners insurance is $150 a month. Before buying this house, I paid $1,800 a month for rent.
Virginia is odd, in having an annual personal property tax on cars, based on their market value. On the other hand, I could register several "junk" cars in California (infamous for its high taxes!) paying lower fees than I pay here in Ohio, because California thinks that a 40-year-old Japanese compact car is worthless. In other words, tax-burden depends greatly on lifestyle choices. With some choices, the Midwest will indeed be fairly low-cost (depending on the state; they're not all alike). With other choices, it's the other way around.
Houses are inexpensive, but kids still have to have access to public schools. As a result, property taxes - a percentage of house market-value - are high... on the other of 3%.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RosemaryT
In the Midwest, people are more laid back and just have a more relaxed look on life.
It's of course all a matter of preferences. I find that cabbies in Manhattan could use a bit more vim and verve in their driving style. If I were behind the wheel of a powerful sedan with a V8 and rear wheel drive, I'd be spinning the rear-tires at every stoplight. With that sort of mentality, the Midwest - even Chicago - is going to feel a bit, uh, provincial.
I was remarking to someone just today that people in New England (at least in CT) are a sullen lot because we have 2 weeks of spring (don't ever go on vacation in April--you'll miss it), a short summer, and once September rolls around, we are mentally bracing ourselves for the cold and snow. We never know from year to year if....
Halloween will be cancelled because of a massive snowstorm that shuts down the state and results in power outages for days...
OR...
If the real winter weather won't begin until March and extend well into the end of April. By Christmas we're burnt out from all the stress of anticipation and dread...
AND THEN...
SAD kicks because we're driving into work before dawn and coming home in the dark.
I chose an area that averages 2 feet of snow, and actual seasons. Just enough time to get tired of "X" and then it changes.
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Gosh, we get 4 feet snow from Dec thru March at our house every year..That’s nothing. The county plows the road and we put winter tires on our Subarus. It’s nice having four seasons.
To those of us in the Southwest, many of us look forward to the 4 seasons in the desert as well. Fall and Spring can be glorious, winter too cold, summer too hot.
I was remarking to someone just today that people in New England (at least in CT) are a sullen lot because we have 2 weeks of spring (don't ever go on vacation in April--you'll miss it), a short summer, and once September rolls around, we are mentally bracing ourselves for the cold and snow. We never know from year to year if....
Halloween will be cancelled because of a massive snowstorm that shuts down the state and results in power outages for days...
OR...
If the real winter weather won't begin until March and extend well into the end of April. By Christmas we're burnt out from all the stress of anticipation and dread...
AND THEN...
SAD kicks because we're driving into work before dawn and coming home in the dark.
Funny, I live one state over from you in R.I. which I would think my weather can't be that different than yours, but most certainly my perception of it is. That being said I sure hope you plan to retire to a more suitable climate because it seems like CT weather is even more painful for you than the taxes there.
Funny, I live one state over from you in R.I. which I would think my weather can't be that different than yours, but most certainly my perception of it is. That being said I sure hope you plan to retire to a more suitable climate because it seems like CT weather is even more painful for you than the taxes there.
I'll second that. I thought as I got older I would less winter tolerant but actually I'm finding I'm less heat tolerant. But different strokes for different folks...
Jeez. I have a vacation home at a Vermont ski resort. I like the snow.
Personally, I have a tougher time with 95F and humid than New England winter.
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