Im often curious why more people aren't moving too low cost of living areas. I don't know if I've just been fortunate, but I'm a college drop out who honestly hasn't tried very hard in my "career", but I moved out to Cincinnati which has a low cost of living at 23 (8 hours from my family) and I've managed to do very well for myself with a modest paying job (20ish an hour). I have 40k saved up and plan to buy a house this year. I wonder if other people who have went or started on a similar route are doing well for themselves.

And if you are in a high cost of living area, would you ever consider moving somewhere significantly cheaper?

  • StellarTabi [none/use name]
    ·
    1 year ago

    Im often curious why more people aren’t moving too low cost of living areas.

    You only move to low cost of living area when you have a high paying remote job and want to live nowhere. I'm specifically choosing to live in a forest.

    Otherwise, you're moving to a place where there are no jobs. Or if there are maybe a small number of jobs, you're moving to a place where your next job can be days to months to years away without moving away.

  • quarrk [he/him]
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Before I was married and had more going on in my life, it was relatively easy to save up in the low COL area I was in. That’s great that you got a head start; that is exactly what you should be doing right now because most people have more expenses as they get older. I, for one, grew sick of the college dorm lifestyle after about 8 years of frugality and started increasing my spending habits. It does slow my savings a bit, but I also believe that there is no point to working merely to sustain a meager existence. And of course, being married I can’t quite justify staying in and doing nothing in the same way that I used to (definitely healthy change, don’t get me wrong).

    • fawx [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      1 year ago

      My goal is to own a home and have it paid off by like 35 (8byeears from now). I've always been exceedingly frugal, but honestly that's just me more than a choice. Almost everything I like to do is free or very cheap, I illegally acquire 95% of my media, I like cooking so I almost never eat out, etc. I've already taken 2 years off work and coasted on my savings, I'm hoping shortly after I pay my house off I'll have saved enough to take another few years off.

  • infuziSporg [e/em/eir]
    ·
    1 year ago

    My money real good rn

    Working less than 15 hours a week and paying all my bills. Quit a full-time job to have a life and especially do more activist stuff. Took some time off to go live on a commune for 2 months.

  • HamManBad [he/him]
    ·
    1 year ago

    My house is cheap as shit which means my mediocre job gives me a surprising amount of financial security. That is the problem though, at least in my low cost of living area, all of the jobs are mediocre at best.

  • fawx [he/him]
    hexagon
    ·
    1 year ago

    Title should say "your", my phone's keyboard is busted.

      • fawx [he/him]
        hexagon
        ·
        1 year ago

        Jesus Christ, good. Such a simple thing for reddit to have never changed. Even if it was only like "new title can only be 5 characters off from original title" to avoid fucking around too much.