Planning to leave California!

[MissParker]

I am 42 and single. My dependants are my 72 year old mother and nine year old Basset Hound.
I work for a public agency and will retire with a pension from CalPERS. I also max out my contributions to our 403(b) fund at work and my Roth IRA account. I plan on retiring at 57 (which seems old compared to some of the posts I have read on this site) and relocating to Ohio. Why Ohio? I have family there and the cost of living is about 30% less than here in San Diego county.
I stumbled upon this site while trying to find a good retirement calculator and I have to admit that the wealth of knowledge here is impressive. I'm looking forward to wading through all of it.

 

[clifp]

Welcome Miss Parker

Considering the firestorm that is going through San Diego who can blame you for want to get out of the kitchen. As long as you can tolerate the weather I am sure Ohio will continue to be a much cheaper place to live.

Did you like FireCalc I found it to be one of the best on the web?

 

[MissParker]

I have tried the FIRECalc standard. I haven't tried the advanced one but it looks like a great tool. I will give it a go as soon as I have a little more time.
Right now I am eagerly watching the local news. You are right about the fires. I don't think I will mind having four seasons in OH. It will be better than the two seasons we have here (Summer and Fire).

 

[RetireeRobert]

I am 42 and single. My dependants are my 72 year old mother and nine year old Basset Hound.
I work for a public agency and will retire with a pension from CalPERS. I also max out my contributions to our 403(b) fund at work and my Roth IRA account. I plan on retiring at 57 (which seems old compared to some of the posts I have read on this site) and relocating to Ohio. Why Ohio? I have family there and the cost of living is about 30% less than here in San Diego county.
I stumbled upon this site while trying to find a good retirement calculator and I have to admit that the wealth of knowledge here is impressive. I'm looking forward to wading through all of it.

Welcome. You are well on your way to FIRE (no California pun intended) what with pension, maxed 403B, and (hopefully maxed) Roth IRA. With 15 years to go, if you also have funds to put in taxable investment accounts, you can be sitting pretty. Do Calpers folks also qualify for Soc Sec or not?

 

[bssc]

Welcome to the forums.

57 is still young and a good age to retire at. Retiring to Ohio makes sense, it means that you have to save less. As long as you don't root for Ohio State . Enjoy your visit here.

 

[aaronc879]

As a resident of the upper midwest I have to say that having 4 seasons is over rated. If you've never been out of southern cal. you'll be in for a rude awakening. The upper 80's with 70%+ humidity is very uncomfotable and you get 3 solid months of below freezing temps that make going outside, even for seconds, painful. You'll get barely 50 days a year of mostly sunny skies compared to 300+ in San Diego. That being said, housing is less than half the cost and family trumps all else. If Ohio is were your family is then it's worth the weather to be near them. Good luck.

 

[Danny]

Welcome from another Basset Hound family! Our present hound doggie is also 9 - she goes by Lily.
I'm 57 and retired at 50, but anytime you can cut loose and do your own thing is a good time to retire...
I left Cal in 94 and moved to Minnesota for the weather! I too love the 4 seasons... like walking Lily in the woods in winter - just gotta dress for it is all...Leaving for the Midwest made the finances of retirement easier.

Good luck in your quest.

PS. Wasn't "Summer and Fire" a James Taylor song?

 

[MissParker]

Thank you all very much!

RetireeRobert - Some CalPERS folks do qualify for SS. It depends on your agency's contract. I will get SS as long as it still exists when I hit 62! I max out my Roth IRA every year and I have some extra money that I'm not sure what to do with so I put it in CD's.

bssc - You wouldn't happen to be from Michigan, would you?

aaronc879 - I left Ohio when I joined the Navy so I do know what the weather is like. It is one of the things that I have missed the most living here. That and the fireflies. I am looking forward to being close to my family again.

DanTien - our Basset is named Agatha. Glad to here that you have no regrets about moving back to the Midwest.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

AUG. 1 Moved to our new home in Ohio. It is so beautiful here. It is so picturesque. Can hardly wait to see it covered with snow. I LOVE IT HERE

OCT. 14 Ohio is the most beautiful place on earth. The leaves are turning all different colors. I love the shades of red and orange. Went for a ride through the hills and saw some deer. They are so graceful. Certainly they are the most peaceful animals on earth. This must be paradise. I LOVE IT HERE.

NOV. 11 Deer season will open soon. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to kill such an elegant creature. The very symbol of peace and tranquillity. Hope it will snow soon. I LOVE IT HERE.

DEC. 2 It snowed last night. Woke up to find everything blanketed in white. It looked like a postcard. Went outside and cleaned snow off the steps and shoveled the driveway. We had a snowball fight today (I won).When the snowplow came by we had to shovel the driveway again. What a beautiful place. Mother Nature in perfect harmony. I LOVE IT HERE.

DEC. 12 More snow last night. I love it. The snowplow did his trick again that rascal). A winter wonderland. I LOVE IT HERE.

DEC. 19 Snowed again last night. Couldn’t get out of the driveway to get to work this time. I'm exhausted from shoveling. Damn Snowplow!

DEC. 22 More of that white sh*t fell last night. I've got blisters on my hands from shoveling. I think the snowplow hides around the corner and waits until I'm done shoveling. That *!&%!!!

DEC. 25 "White Christmas" my busted *ss. More snow. If I ever get my hands on that son-of-a-(*%)! who drives that snowplow, I swear I will c*str*te the dumb bastard. Don't know why they don't use more salt on this freaking ice.

DEC. 28 More of the same sh*t last night. Been inside since Christmas day except for when "Snowplow Harry" comes by. Can't go anywhere. The car is buried in a mountain of white sh*t. The weatherman says expect another 10 inches of this sh*t tonight. Do you know how many shovels full of snow 10 inches is?

JAN. 1 Happy freaking New Year!. The weatherman was wrong (AGAIN). We got 34 inches of snow this time. At this rate it won’t melt until the 4th of July. The snowplow got stuck down the road and sh*t for brains had the balls to come to the door and ask to borrow my shovel. I told him I broke 6 shovels already, shoveling out the sh*t he plowed into my driveway. I broke the 7th shovel over his head.

JAN. 4 Finally got out of the house today. Went to the store to get food and on the way back a deer ran out in front of the car and I hit the damn *#! deer. Did about $3,000.00 damage to the car. Wish the hunters would have killed them all last November.

MAY 3 Took the car to the garage in town today. Would you believe the body is rotting away from all the salt they keep dumping all over the roads. It really looks like a piece of sh*t.

MAY 10 Moved back to California today. I can’t imagine why anyone in their right mind would want to live in the God forsaken State of Ohio.

 

[MissParker]

Cute fuzzy bunny - very amusing!
Honestly, I have no illusions about what it will be like. I will be moving to the southwestern part of OH between Dayton and Cincinnati which isn't as bad as the northeastern part of the state. Believe me, I've had experience with winter weather. Not only have I lived in Ohio but also northern Indiana and Illinois along Lake Michigan! I do plan on buying a snow blower and otherwise hibernating during the winter.

 

[TexasGal]

MissParker,

Welcome to the forum. It sounds to me like you have a wonderful plan. Kick back and make yourself at home here.

TG

 

[Danny]

Hey Bunny, did you write that whole thing by yourself?
Did you know they have a thing called a snow-blower. it's really cool!
I remember Walt back in Walnut Creek saying "...have fun shoveling all the snow back there in Minnesota!" When I told him about snowblowers, would be done in 20 mins (no sidewalks), and would probably only do it a dozen times, wouldn't have to spend an hour mowing the lawn like he would 52 weeks a year, the smirk slowly disolved into a frown...

we do have to many deer, but with 500,000 deer hunters and the city here hiring bow-hunters to thin the herds, and cars doing their part there's still too many!

Lily hunting deer in the back -

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Oh no, that thing has been going around for a long time. First time I saw it, it was about a 12th generation xerox, which had had so much white-outing and retyping of different states names that it was almost unreadable, sent to me in an interoffice mail envelope back in the 1970's.

Wow...thats some retro. Bet theres some folks saying "Whats a xerox?", "Whats 'whiteout'?", "whats a 'typewriter'?" and "whats 'interoffice mail'"?

 

[Danny]

Oh no, that thing has been going around for a long time. First time I saw it, it was about a 12th generation xerox, which had had so much white-outing and retyping of different states names that it was almost unreadable, sent to me in an interoffice mail envelope back in the 1970's.

Wow...thats some retro. Bet theres some folks saying "Whats a xerox?", "Whats 'whiteout'?", "whats a 'typewriter'?" and "whats 'interoffice mail'"?

Whiteout invented by Monkee Michael Nesmith's mother - I think she moved from the midwest to California after she made it big - heard that some in my office in SF were sniffing it...well thems were the 70's...

 

[kcowan]

We lived on the prairie for 8 years. The snow that started arriving in November would relocate when the winds howled. The streams and ponds froze over so we could skate on them (after clearing the snow). In April, I was clearing the slush off a part of the patio protected from the sun. A mosquito came by and gave me my first bite.

Nevertheless, we had fond memories of the place, and went back to visit 5 years later. That was a rude awakening. It is fortunate that our brains remember the good things. We will stick to the Pacific coast with all its faults.

 

[old woman]

Your mom will be 87 when you are 57 are you sure you can leave her? My mom is 81 now and I know I would feel bad moving more than 100 miles from her. She lost her mom last year just after she turned 80 and her mom saw almost 99. Watching her try to do anything for her mom from 240 miles away let me know I don't want to deal with the distance. Does your mom want to move to Ohio too?

 

[Fireup2020]

Welcome! Please post Agatha pics. I used to have a 4 legged furry child that was half bassett - love the breed!

 

[MissParker]

Hi Old Woman. My mom lives with me so she will go wherever I go. I couldn't possibly leave her.

Fireup2025 - ask and ye shall receive...

 

[Tom52]

We lived on the prairie for 8 years. The snow that started arriving in November would relocate when the winds howled. The streams and ponds froze over so we could skate on them (after clearing the snow). In April, I was clearing the slush off a part of the patio protected from the sun. A mosquito came by and gave me my first bite.

Nevertheless, we had fond memories of the place, and went back to visit 5 years later. That was a rude awakening. It is fortunate that our brains remember the good things. We will stick to the Pacific coast with all its faults.

Faults as in San Andreas Fault?

 

[kcowan]

Faults as in San Andreas Fault?

Among others. Pollution. Population density. Traffic problems. High costs.

 

[MissParker]

All of the above. Plus the fact that we seem to get gouged more than most of the country when it comes to gas prices. I payed $3.19/gal to fill up yesterday!

 

[Nords]

I payed $3.19/gal to fill up yesterday!

Oh, well if that's what you're looking for, e komo mai Hawaii...

 

[MissParker]

I did say "most" of the country, not all. You guys have it really bad. How much are you paying for gas?

 

[kcowan]

Well we pay $4.60/gal or more as part of our "sin" taxes but then we save on sunscreen and sunglasses...

 

[MissParker]

Good grief! That is highway robbery!