Moving? Consider the cost of living first.
One of the most mystifying things that readers write to me about is when they鈥檙e living in a very expensive urban area and struggling with a minimum wage job or just above it.
I received a note not long ago from 鈥淛enny,鈥� who lived in San Francisco and made only $22,000 a year. She shared an apartment with three other people and had virtually no money. Her only spending money was money she received as gifts.
Where did Jenny work? She worked part time at a Starbucks and at a Home Depot.
Right now, she could move to Des Moines, work at Starbucks and at Home Depot with the exact same hours, and she鈥檇 have several thousand dollars more per year in spending money.
How is that possible? It鈥檚 all about the cost of living.
Check out . In Des Moines, as compared to San Francisco, groceries cost 19% less, housing costs 69% less, transportation costs 12% less, and health care costs 22% less.
It鈥檚 very simple: the income from a minimum wage job in Des Moines goes much further than it does in San Francisco.
My philosophy is this: you should live in the area with the lowest cost of living that gives you access to the type of job you鈥檙e working.
If you鈥檙e a tech wizard, it makes sense that you might want to live in Silicon Valley as you鈥檒l be able to get many jobs that utilize your skills.
On the other hand, if you鈥檙e a writer who works minimum wage jobs and write in your spare time or your focus is on raising your family鈥� why are you living in a high cost-of-living area?
No matter what your situation is, here鈥檚 an easy three step plan to trim away a significant amount of your spending by moving elsewhere.
First, figure out where you could potentially move while continuing your current career path and major lifestyle choices. Remember, access to things like 鈥渃oncerts鈥� can be achieved in a lot of metro areas. Access to specific cultural icons can be done via travel. Focus on the things you need as a regular part of your life.
Second, use 聽to compare eligible areas to the place you currently live. There are areas in the United States that have cost of living numbers that are less than half of the numbers in other areas. Compare whare you live now to other areas and you might be shocked as to what you can save.
Finally, start filtering through the eligible areas that meet your needs and save you significant money. Learn more about those alternate areas and what鈥檚 available there. You might just find that an area you鈥檝e previously written off actually meets your needs quite well.
Even if moving is the furthest thing from your mind, moving through this process can really open your eyes and is well worth doing. You might just find that a move really can change your life.
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