downsizing: relocation & cost of living

[Notmuchlonger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Want2retire Just got back from shopping. Milk is $2.77 per 1/2 gallon, or $4.38/gallon. (This is at a medium priced "average" grocery chain.)

I used Baton Rouge as a comparison to Sacramento Ca. Since I dont know your nearest major city. Its interesting to me that the CNN calculator says Baton Rouge should be 20% less cost of living wise for groceries than Sacramento. Milk in Sacramento is 2.90 1/2 give or take a few depending on where you go. This one example is the farthest off from what I have found. Thank you for posting it. I realize I need a much large sample to compare this calculator but interesting non the less.

[W2R]

I am living in (the remnants of) the New Orleans metro area. Perhaps New Orleans does not count as a large city these days.

Baton Rouge is about 60 miles to the west, and is the closest large city other than New Orleans.

Milk has gone up this spring.

[Notmuchlonger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Want2retire I am living in (the remnants of) the New Orleans metro area. Perhaps New Orleans does not count as a large city these days. Baton Rouge is about 60 miles to the west, and is the closest large city other than New Orleans. Milk has gone up this spring.

Thank you, I am wondering if this is due to the after effects of the hurricane? Strange that the ACCRA calculator does not have New Orleans listed. Or could it be that it is a big tourist destination that it skews the results and New Orleans was not used.

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notmuchlonger Thank you, I am wondering if this is due to the after effects of the hurricane? Strange that the ACCRA calculator does not have New Orleans listed. Or could it be that it is a big tourist destination that it skews the results and New Orleans was not used.

Sarasota is also a big tourist area and milk was only $2.32.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notmuchlonger Thank you, I am wondering if this is due to the after effects of the hurricane? Strange that the ACCRA calculator does not have New Orleans listed. Or could it be that it is a big tourist destination that it skews the results and New Orleans was not used.

Food prices went up maybe 200% after Katrina (scalping was not allowed, but there were genuine extra costs in getting things into the area). They came down most of the way last year.

With the latest food price increases, they have gone up again. It seems to me that last month a gallon of milk was around $4.09, though I could be wrong. I try not to stress over individual grocery items' prices, and look more at overall price levels at different stores.

New Orleans is very seldom listed any more in various online calculators. I don't think it is because the world has given up on us (at least I hope not). I think it is because the population dropped under 250K according to the census.

[FANOFJESUS]

I live in Missouri. I was thinking if I moved to texas I would save about 4k a year would it be worth it? What does everyone think about living in amarillo texas?

[lazygood4nothinbum]

i don't know anything other than what i've read about texas (and some of that is suspect) but that $4k/yr could reduce by $100k the required portfolio to sustain such a draw, plus any money you might shake lose from existing home equity. or $4k/year buys a plane ticket out of texas and affords two or three months of vacation in thailand each year.

as to is the savings worth it: that probably depends as much on what you are leaving as where you are going.

[FANOFJESUS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazygood4nothinbum i don't know anything other than what i've read about texas (and some of that is suspect) but that $4k/yr could reduce by $100k the required portfolio to sustain such a draw, plus any money you might shake lose from existing home equity. or $4k/year buys a plane ticket out of texas and affords two or three months of vacation in thailand each year. as to is the savings worth it: that probably depends as much on what you are leaving as where you are going.

Good point does anybody know what the cheapest safe area of amarillo texas cost? Would 50k cut it? I only need a two bedroom. From what I have read property taxes are about 2.5% of value. I don't know what the rate is on cars?

[DAB456]

Left FLL in 2005. Cashed out in Coral Ridge and moved to GA. I'm considering returning to GVN next year. Also spent 2 yrs there in early 80s. It's hotter in the summer than FLL. Age distribution is bi-modal -- middle aged missing. But more people are retiring there. I live in college town now and it's bad at all. A welcome change from FLL/Wilton Manors. I think GVN still has a gay bar although the Spectrum is long gone. Good idea to take the SOH and run.

I also spend 2 months a yr in Uruguay. It's about 30% cheaper than US even with declining dollar. Look into Montevideo. Beaches and no hurricanes. I like it more than Buenos Aires. Smaller, more relaxed. I'm finally learning Spanish.

[lazygood4nothinbum]

another lauderdalien. cool. welcome to the forum dab. sorry i missed your 1st post earlier. an xroomy of mine is in coral ridge (bought prebubble peek from an old queen who gave him like a $2-300k discount). i understand the dry lots there have since somewhat crashed, at least for now. you can even get a waterfront (on bayview at least) for under 1mm until this all sorts out. so you gained on that but in moving back to g-ville now you'll have missed your opportunity for portability. still, you're likely ahead of the game.

the manors seem to be holding up fairly well, considering. in fact i just did a random study yesterday on recent sales throughout gayberry rfd. of the five i happened to find: 209 nw 3 ave (west of powerline) 2004-2008 up 4.09% annually; 521 ne 26 dr 2002-2008 up 7.21% annually; 121 ne 21 ct 2006-2007 down 11.75% in total; 701 ne 21 dr 2003-2008 down 31% in total (a foreclosure?) but all told 2001-2008 up 9.83% annually; 356 ne 21 ct 2004-2008 down just 4% in total. all in all, not the bloodbath i thought it might be.

interesting observation on age distribution of college towns. one of my concerns about moving to g-ville would be that neither the old get younger nor do the young age, having an influx of new students every year. i don't know how professors do it. it must be like being stuck in a time warp.

so funny you mentioned spectrum. there were two bars back than, one just off university, east of campus, and another farther north, with a stage. that was spectrum, yes? any chance you were there circa 78-80. apple love was one of the drag queens. the owner must be 80 by now. i think that black shoe polished comb-over of his has kept me from ever coloring my hair.

think i'd hold off on college town until i'm in an ltr or when i'll be much, much older and just not caring so much about getting laid. i couldn't imagine having to rely on a college town gay bar to hookup. i'm already turning invisible in wilton alone. in g-ville i'd evaporate.

your time in uruguay sounds wonderful. is the area gay-friendly? would love to hear more about cost of living there. but more important than savings of course is: are the guys as hot in montevideo as in argentina? hey, ya gotta have priorities. anyway, hope you write more about all that.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rec7 I live in Missouri. I was thinking if I moved to texas I would save about 4k a year would it be worth it? What does everyone think about living in amarillo texas?

Clear everything off your kitchen table. Get down on your knees and position your head so that your eye level is just barely above the table top, looking across it. While admiring the remarkable uniformity of the scenery, have someone use the high setting on a hair dryer to blow dust across the table.

You now know what it's like to live in Amarillo*


*Spanish for "yellow", the sky color resulting from windblown dirt.

[ziggy29]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Clear everything off your kitchen table. Get down on your knees and position your head so that your eye level is just barely above the table top, looking across it. While admiring the remarkable uniformity of the scenery, have someone use the high setting on a hair dryer to blow dust across the table. You now know what it's like to live in Amarillo

No, that's only part of the Amarillo experience. For the rest of it, lay down in your bathtub, away from windows, and cover yourself with a mattress. You will get used to assuming this position.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ziggy29 No, that's only part of the Amarillo experience. For the rest of it, lay down in your bathtub, away from windows, and cover yourself with a mattress. You will get used to assuming this position.

Yep. And if you decide to buy yourself a manufactured home, be sure to spring for the optional roll bars.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Clear everything off your kitchen table. Get down on your knees and position your head so that your eye level is just barely above the table top, looking across it. While admiring the remarkable uniformity of the scenery, have someone use the high setting on a hair dryer to blow dust across the table. You now know what it's like to live in Amarillo* *Spanish for "yellow", the sky color resulting from windblown dirt.

I went through Amarillo once on a cross country drive. It was JUST like this! There was one difference. Imagine the tabletop covered with snow, making it even more uniform, and with that constant wind blowing falling snow and bitter cold in your face. Don't know if all winters are like that, but that is my memory of Amarillo in the winter of 1977-1978.

[ziggy29]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Want2retire I went through Amarillo once on a cross country drive. It was JUST like this! There was one difference. Imagine the tabletop covered with snow, making it even more uniform, and with that constant wind blowing falling snow and bitter cold in your face. Don't know if all winters are like that, but that is my memory of Amarillo in the winter of 1977-1978.

Let's just say that people who exclusively associate "Texas" with "hot" have never experienced an Amarillo winter.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ziggy29 Let's just say that people who exclusively associate "Texas" with "hot" have never experienced an Amarillo winter.

OK,...Amarillo*


*Also Spanish for "yellow", color of snow you should not eat.

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Yep. And if you decide to buy yourself a manufactured home, be sure to spring for the optional roll bars.

And be prepared to be flown/blown to Oklahoma...

[Cruisinthru]

Instead of Amarillo you might consider other parts of Texas. Some of the small towns in East Texas are very pretty and the cost of living is still low.

Rewahoo's description of Amarillo is pretty accurate. I am a native Texan, but you couldn't get me to move to Amarillo for any amount of money.

[FANOFJESUS]

You all had me laughing hard about Amarillo. What would be some good texas towns with low humidity?

[Texarkandy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cruisinthru Instead of Amarillo you might consider other parts of Texas. Some of the small towns in East Texas are very pretty and the cost of living is still low. ....

Texarkana, TX - 2nd fastest growing small metro area in the US per Forbes 2 years in a row - Also soon to be new home of a brand spanking new built from the ground-up 4 year Texas A&M campus

The highs are not so high as some places, but the lows sure arent so low. Life's still good here.

(We do have the humidity thing going on though - you might want to leave in July/August & just go somewhere if you don't have good a/c & a pool - the rest of the year's just fine though)