Money Diary - SoCal

[itsme]

ETA: will likely delete later

[itsme]

Apr 14, 2017 18:09:35 GMT -5 mofongo said:

I need to know what your husband is getting from the gas station and what fast food does he eat often that's $10.44. lol, random questions!

He gets energy drinks, soda, Cliff bars, and random junk food. It's been his habit since I met him and he has tried to break it but it never lasts. He also complains about gaining weight. Hmmm.

His fast food is Waba Grill and sometimes Jack in the Box. A bowl and a soda from Waba. The bowls are in the high $7 range.

[itsme]

Apr 14, 2017 18:09:35 GMT -5 mofongo said:

I need to know what your husband is getting from the gas station and what fast food does he eat often that's $10.44. lol, random questions!

He gets energy drinks, soda, Cliff bars, and random junk food. It's been his habit since I met him and he has tried to break it but it never lasts. He also complains about gaining weight. Hmmm.

His fast food is Waba Grill and sometimes Jack in the Box. A bowl and a soda from Waba. The bowls are in the high $7 range.

ETA: I get an energy drink or two from the gas stations as well sometimes. He has a weekend ritual where he gets an energy drink and a pack of donuts and something for the kids.

[itsme]

Apr 14, 2017 22:14:41 GMT -5 farmvillelover said:

That PITI, omg! Sweet! lol

Yea, that makes me feel like we're stuck here because I can't fathom paying a ton more. H works in LA and the logical step would be to move closer but the mortgages hurt my soul.

[ellipses84]

Your PITI is amazingly low. I'm sure you'd make a decent amount if you sold but it would still be painful to up your housing costs to LA prices.

I feel like I need to do a money diary comparison. We moved from SoCal to TX and lower cost of living was supposed to be a major reason. People here always mention that to me, but sadly, it's not really cheaper where we are. We bought around the same time you did, so our SoCal mortgage was less than our rent is here, and it was 10 mins from the beach. Gas is less here, but car insurance is more. No state tax, but property taxes are higher, etc.

[itsme]

Apr 16, 2017 2:12:08 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

Your PITI is amazingly low. I'm sure you'd make a decent amount if you sold but it would still be painful to up your housing costs to LA prices.

I feel like I need to do a money diary comparison. We moved from SoCal to TX and lower cost of living was supposed to be a major reason. People here always mention that to me, but sadly, it's not really cheaper where we are. We bought around the same time you did, so our SoCal mortgage was less than our rent is here, and it was 10 mins from the beach. Gas is less here, but car insurance is more. No state tax, but property taxes are higher, etc.

We would make $140-160k on our house if we sold now but that wouldn't make too much of a dent in LA prices. Our house is newer and we'd likely end up having to downgrade. I have been checking out areas outside of LA, still with a commute but easier to manage.

H has been talking about transferring to TX because of cost of living. No clue what area but it'd likely have to be a large city. That is good to know about the difference in COL and knowing that really, it might not actually be cheaper.