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Originally Posted by ilduclo

nope, we gained it because the wages are high in Wa, and I got huge amounts of overtime. Plus the sales tax there didn't hurt much, since I've never been a real consumer. NO INCOME TAX in Wa!! Then, in Oregon, similar cost of living, way worse tax structure (IMO, but not according to many others). OR relies a lot on property taxes, which are horribly inequitable, even from house to house on a single block, let alone from city to city and county to county, etc. And then OR has a very non-progressive income tax, so that I pay the same rate as a really rich fuck, even though I'm far from that now, more mid-mid or lower mid now.....I did great in Wa, you can, too!

you're already retired no? so-- you have money to burn. plus you had different studies/industry/etc. retirees are the most affluent demographic.

his challenge right now as a millenial burdened with debt (i think) is to have savings and a positive cash flow for the move.

the 3 main areas of cost for a person in that situation usually are:

1) housing, 2) transportation, 3) food/groceries


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severales:

1) housing is easily solved by getting rid of STUFF. stuff requires space. space costs a lot of money in cities. space also requires heating and cooling and furniture, and all that costs money and moving expenses (trucks, crews, theft, etc).

solution: sell all, go digital, get a uniform/capsule wardrobe, rent a monastic cell in the new town and a bank box for your must-keep things.

the only great piece of furniture you need is a mattress. not even a bed proper.

rental can be a room in a shared house or a studio apartment or some sort of dorm situation like some tech workers have. tiny houses in people's backyards, in-law houses, etc. even in a city, one can get something small for $500/person or less. go to student areas if need be.

 

 

if you need more space, YOU'RE NOW IN A BIG CITY. use it.

as for cooking--you can do most cooking in a microwave oven. fuck stoves (i have a stove and it's ok but could live without it)

2) transportation: selling an extra vehicle gives you a nice nest egg for the move. better yet if you do it upon arriving as cars command higher prices in cities.

since you'll be applying for jobs first (you're sending resumes, whatever), the best option is to get rid of vehicular need by looking to live within walking/biking distance of work or easy access to public transportation. save tons in car payments, insurance, fuel, repairs, parking (pricey in cities), accoutrements (lol), etc. in some jobs, metro cards & such can be pre-tax. $200/mo TOPS. but with walking it goes down to $0, plus a free workout.

alternatively if you work home-based just live somewhere walkable where you can do most of your life there.

if you need the occasional vehicle maybe get a taxi/uber ride or look into zipcar or whatever it's called these days but you're not tied down to a monthly obligation & babysitting.

3) food/groceries: design a staple-based menu that fits nutritional requirements and is easy to make. if going vegetarian, you can easily go for $100/mo even in cities. brownbag all lunches and eat at home as much as you can. for $4/day one can actually eat well. just google "leanne brown cheap and good" for free pdf. you're welcome. eta: okay, here: https://cookbooks.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf <-- read the intro

again the microwave can take care of most things. a hotplate can be had for like $20, induction is like $100 and those rule. just don't blow the fuses w/ the microwave & hotplate in the same circuit lol. for some people like the japanese, a unitasker like the rice cooker is useful.

as for non-essentials:

entertainment - cities are blessed with abundant libraries and free opportunities like outdoor music, museums, & plenty of street theatre. get a basic internet for the monastic cell, but if i comes with a contract maybe your cell plan is enough while things get sorted.

if you plan to go out drinking some times, a flask in your pocket cuts costs significantly.

to go out to eat, lunch is cheaper than dinner and many hole-in-the-wall places have the tastiest foods

phone service - cell is an essental nowadays but "in theory" you could use an internet phone at home (google voice) for free with your ipod/ipad/laptop. as for cells sometimes the main providers have the best deals, but in cities all reception is good and look to pay-as-you-go services like republic wireless, virgin mobile, bla bla etc. shop around/sign no contracts/ look into android (i know, i know) if your iphone breaks.

[note: since i live in 1500 acres of forest far from utilities, i have satellite internet. my quota is 25GB/mo. tough? yeah. doable? sure. worth it for me? fuck the hell yes]

ONCE THE JOB IS STABLE and there's a steady positive cash flow and a clear career path, save some for emergencies/fuck-you money, pay off debts first, and then start building life according to what you have, not what you wish you had, and there is no limit from there.

some people who do this just keep saving so that they can fuck off to anywhere at the drop of a hat instead of "getting more stuff".

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac

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final words a la jerry springer: "broke" is relative. there's cash flow broke and net worth broke. avoid both. keep your cash flow always positive and use that to build your net worth. no matter the scale, the formula always works (it also works in the opposite, to fuck you up eventually if you spend more than you earn, no matter how much you earn, spending more than that will break you).