by Outcast_Searcher » Wed 17 Aug 2011, 17:07:11
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', '
')I love this talking to myself - yeah, I realize no one who will ever read this will take one second to actually consider moving to a lower "money state", they didn't in '06 and they won't in '11, but hey, at least I tried...
Pops, if you mean "low cost of living area/lifestyle" by 'lower "money state"', then Kudos. This is such a common sense solution that I find it baffling that it is so rarely utilized.
Whether this is by physically moving to where better housing can be had for perhaps 20% or less of the cost of housing in "popular" or "fancy" areas -- or simply by living in a modest apartment instead of a McMansion.
Another benefit, IMO, is a generally much lower stress type of lifestyle can be had -- far less traffic, for example.
....
One example:
About 5 years ago, I had a friend who said his dad had lived in San Jose (Silicon Valley territory) for 30ish years. He started to notice all his new neighbors had names like "Buffy and Jodie" and drove $100,000 plus cars, and wore really expensive looking clothes. Puzzled, he called a realtor and got an estimate on his MODEST run-down house.
The estimate he got was over $1 million to $1.3 million depending on how much work he wanted to do fancying it up to maximize the sale price.
6 months later, he was retired, living in some Idyllic North Carolina town in MUCH nicer house, with the over $800,000 difference having GREATLY enhnced his retirement income. No more job. No more traffic. Far less crime. Nicer neighbors. Etc. etc. etc.
And this was purely by accident. Imagine what a little PLANNING and SERIOUS SAVING could do for one's future? ... No, better to expect "benefits" to be doled out while maximizing spending all one's life (and then blaming it on evil job creators) -- it's "the American Way".

Given the track record of the perma-doomer blogs, I wouldn't bet a fast crash doomer's money on their predictions.