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I am not dissing California. I am just giving a honest opinion based on experience. I guess you don't like what you're reading.
I am back in California FYI. We moved back to be close to family. There's something more important than money & politics.
Call it what you like, but I didn't feel defensive by posting that comment. I was only countering your rather lengthy complaint list about California. In particular how I see more positive where you (and others) see negative. I often play the "tour guide" here whenever we have visitors. I enjoy sharing all there is to enjoy here, so that might come out in me sometimes. That's all...
Not feeling any "bit warm" either. In part because our weather here is so good, but again I recognize my wife and I are very lucky to be where we are here in California, because there are many parts of California I would not want to live in. I left southern California many decades ago to live in northern California and "never looked back" for many of those reasons.
Yes, family is important too and lucky for us our kids are not too far from us either. Happy and doing well working and living in the SF Bay area. My side of the family is also in California, though spread out between Southern California and Northern California. Welcome back and all the best to you and yours.
I'm really trying to hold out until I'm old enough to qualify for a program here that matches senior citizens with senior dogs and pays for their vet care, helps with food if necessary, etc. (I don't know how they afford it, so it may be defunct by the time I get there). It's horrible living without pets, though... I may have to break down and adopt another cat or two before then. Or maybe at least buy a "cheep" parakeet.
Our precious beautiful golden husky/wolf died on New Year's day after about 16 years with us. She was a rescue and just the best dog imaginable. We couldn't walk anywhere with her without people stopping us to ask about her. We walked everywhere with her...
Haven't brought ourselves to replace her yet and of course there really is no replacing her, but sometimes we get our doggie fix by having our kid's dogs stay with us when they need babysitting. Our son is very allergic so our next doggie will need to be hypoallergenic, but that aside I don't think we're ready to get another yet. We're wanting to do some traveling before getting another dog at least.
We pay anywhere from $10-$15 for a 4-pack of craft beer here in VT. The beer is very good but this is quickly moving outside my budget.
I'll buy a case of Sierra Nevada from Costco to help keep the cost of beer consumption down. I've also been drinking less as part of my efforts to reduce my elevating blood pressure. Thanks to the diet change and more serious exercise on a daily basis, I'm glad to say my blood pressure is back to within the normal range, so my quest to stay off drugs continues. Helps keep expenses down too!
Speaking of craft beer, we were at Starved Rock in Illinois years back, and we had a couple of beers after hiking about there. On their beautiful patio. Both were very tasty, so I took a picture of both of them that recently popped up on my computer screen saver. I decided to see if I could find a six-pack here locally and ended up buying a six-pack of this one for a little over $12 w/tax...
I am back in California FYI. We moved back to be close to family. There's something more important than money & politics.
I am planning to move back to California as well. Having spent almost my entire life there from a very young age, I have family and friends there and I miss them. I also miss the diverse and beautiful terrain. I don't care about money or politics either. That kind of trouble has been going on for 40 years now, at least.
For you who think California is a bunch of commies, think again. It is a LOT more conservative than you think. In my opinion, the problems started 40 years ago with both Republicans and Democrats contributing to the onset of huge problems. It's called corporate lobbyists and improper taxation policies.
As for saving money in retirement, I was recently in Southern California for 5 weeks, and I found ways to save. Largely, it's called surrendering to restraint.
I am planning to move back to California as well. Having spent almost my entire life there from a very young age, I have family and friends there and I miss them. I also miss the diverse and beautiful terrain. I don't care about money or politics either. That kind of trouble has been going on for 40 years now, at least.
For you who think California is a bunch of commies, think again. It is a LOT more conservative than you think. In my opinion, the problems started 40 years ago with both Republicans and Democrats contributing to the onset of huge problems. It's called corporate lobbyists and improper taxation policies.
As for saving money in retirement, I was recently in Southern California for 5 weeks, and I found ways to save. Largely, it's called surrendering to restraint.
Good for you and you are right about some parts of California being conservative, but of course the state is pretty blue generally speaking. Also a net contributor to federal taxes collected by the federal government (giving more than taking). Compared to the opposite case with many lower cost of living states in the country.
Many of the policies in California one might consider more liberal than average are also beneficial to seniors like us in retirement. As for when the "problems started," I really don't know, but I do remember how conservatives have been bashing California for it's liberal leaning ways for as long as I can remember. I happen to live in the one Bay area county that went with Bernie instead of Hillary the last go around.
I think a lot of the reason California is blue is because of Northern California. I live there for many years, in all the areas: East Bay, Peninsula, SF proper, and Marin County. It is a shame that the majority of seniors can no longer afford to live there, or move there. I lived there in the 70's, 80's and 90's so my co-workers, friends and acquaintances are all gone unless they bought homes 30 years ago. I recently calculated that if I were to move back to San Francisco and work in my former field at current salaries, 60% of my income would go toward housing. Probably more. It's unsustainable. I'd like to know how seniors on a fixed income are faring there.
I think a lot of the reason California is blue is because of Northern California. I live there for many years, in all the areas: East Bay, Peninsula, SF proper, and Marin County. It is a shame that the majority of seniors can no longer afford to live there, or move there. I lived there in the 70's, 80's and 90's so my co-workers, friends and acquaintances are all gone unless they bought homes 30 years ago. I recently calculated that if I were to move back to San Francisco and work in my former field at current salaries, 60% of my income would go toward housing. Probably more. It's unsustainable. I'd like to know how seniors on a fixed income are faring there.
Believe me I know...
Both of my kids are working professionals here. My son and his significant other due to be married in August bought a nice condo and rented out two rooms to friends. This is helping them make the mortgage payments. Our daughter also lives and works in SF. Makes good money too, and she just got a rental in a nice part of the city for just over $3K/mo. Very tiny little apartment but freshly remodeled and in a good location. She's happy anyway but that's helluva lot more than I had to pay for my first apartment in the city. That's for sure!
Here where my wife and I retired, we wonder about how the older folks who have rented their whole time here do as well. Fortunately for us, we were able to "buy down" our mortgage to near nothing when we bought our house here along the Monterey Bay. I suppose we're like many seniors around here that couldn't retire so comfortably if we had to pay today's market rates for a roof over one's head. On the other hand, the value of our home has already doubled since we bought it about nine years ago, so to that end the appreciation helps into retirement as well.
We're very fortunate on all counts, because we have the homeless here too, and we hear about how difficult it is for so many people to keep up with the rising costs. At the same time, we have a housing shortage, so no lack of people forever buying or renting whatever comes up available. "Double-edged sword" sort of thing, and we just count our blessings we've been able to retire how and where we have. Like so many things and as I always point out, always there is the "good, bad and ugly."
Trying to figure out how we spend so much on groceries, and looking at Katharsis" post with her breakdown, I need to separate out household items, such as paper towels, from my grocery category.
A week's shopping trip would include:
Greens, etc for salads. We eat a big salad every night with dinner
2-3 quarts of Greek yogurt
2-3 pints of berries
Fresh vegetables
Dave's Killer Bread and/or Grace Baking Multigrain Bread with Quinoa
Oat milk for our cereal, whole milk for my lattes, half and half for my pour-overs
What drives up our total is:
Regular deliveries from Daily Harvest and Hello Fresh
Occasional deliveries from Vitacost
Senseo and Nespresso coffee pods plus whole beans---this alone adds up to $75 or so a month
What we don't spend money on that others might:
Sodas
Bottled water or canned fizzy waters
Snacks other than Skinny Pop---no chips, etc
Deserts other than cookies
Dining out is rare since Covid
While we don't buy everything organic, there's a lot that we do and the cost can be double to that of non-organic
We live in south central PA, surrounded by farms. Farmer's markets and Amish stands everywhere. In considering what I need to do:
Seek out these markets and take the time to shop there
Cut back on Hello Fresh ---most, if not all, of their dishes I could make from scratch
Any other suggestions? Don't ask me to give up my coffees!
While we can afford what we spend now, if something happened to my husband, my income would be cut in half. Thus, I am tracking our spending and trying to see where we can cut back.
I would never ask anyone to give up caffeine, but could you cut out the pods and just use beans? I've never used pods, but pretty sure they are not cheap? As for the Hello Fresh...also pretty sure those are expensive...making from scratch will surely save some $$$.
Call it what you like, but I didn't feel defensive by posting that comment. I was only countering your rather lengthy complaint list about California. In particular how I see more positive where you (and others) see negative. I often play the "tour guide" here whenever we have visitors. I enjoy sharing all there is to enjoy here, so that might come out in me sometimes. That's all...
Not feeling any "bit warm" either. In part because our weather here is so good, but again I recognize my wife and I are very lucky to be where we are here in California, because there are many parts of California I would not want to live in. I left southern California many decades ago to live in northern California and "never looked back" for many of those reasons.
Yes, family is important too and lucky for us our kids are not too far from us either. Happy and doing well working and living in the SF Bay area. My side of the family is also in California, though spread out between Southern California and Northern California. Welcome back and all the best to you and yours.
Ribbit ribbit.
Thank you.
You see more positive because of where you are (Monterey Bay). You live in a beautiful place in California, great weather, low crime and high economic standard of living. You are insulated from urban traffic, poverty, high crime, racial tension and while being economically well-off; the high COL and high taxes don't really bother you. Most of us can turn off the political differences when other factors out weights it unless a particular policy impacts your life style.
That's why I use the analogy of frog in boiling water. Life is good for you. Plus, you spent practically all your adult life in California so you really don't have a reference to compare to the "alternative". I was merely pointing out the difference, having lived in a lower COL and a far more conservative state, but it is unfortunate that you took it as negative criticism toward your beloved state.
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