Topic: cost of living in vermont/maine/nh

[fuzzybutt]

i am giving SERIOUS consideration to moving myself, the cats and my bike back to new england. the big question is, how far will an 828 buck a month disability payment go? how much more am i going to need to make to have a place to live with a garage on it?. i am beginning to HATE south carolina and unfortunately the wife likely wont want to go with me so that income wont figure in.

[Bob Wessner]

Beware of heating costs. The northeast/New England is generally very dependant on oil for heating and we all know where that's heading.

[super pasty white guy]

You could also try one of these cost of living calculators to get a rough idea.
http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html

[tramp]

my wife watches the work channel, hgtv
the houses in new england seem higher than normal in cost
actual cost of living is higher because when i travelled there for my job we got a higher perdium

[UnCrash]

I just did the cost of living calculator for fun. 

I'm in Portland Maine and was able to compare cost of living to Columbia, SC...

Here's what I found -

Groceries will cost: 9.464% less
Housing will cost: 43.981% more
Utilities will cost: 19.104% more
Transportation will cost: 0.967% more
Healthcare will cost: 4.828% less

The housing costs is a little misleading.  While I would agree that it is true for the City of Portland and surrounding coastal areas, you can find a place to live within a 15 minute drive of Portland (going west) for 30% less.

You should take a drive up some time and really check it out.  You also should be winter hardy, because they last just a little longer up here than in SC  .

If you find a place with a couple acres most likely there will be a wood stove in the house.  If you can run a chainsaw, or pay a local teenager to run one for you, your heating fuel will be relatively free. 

You can plan to spend $1500 - $2000 per winter to heat a 1200 square ft house for the winter if you're running oil for heat.

[Glenn Stauffer]

I lived up in Bangor for a while and Bath for a bit.  Coastal property is quite dear, so forget that.  If you go inland, and have a small place that you can afford to heat with wood, you can do well on a little.  There are plenty of older mill towns where real estate is very reasonable.  Income taxes on those who make more than $17,000 or so are a bit steep - around 8.5% which is almost triple what we pay in PA.

Overall, except for the cost of living in the winter, I liked Maine a lot.  It is a beautiful place, and has kind of a live and let live attitude where you aren't bothered by a lot of government or neighborly intrusion.

With regard to Vermont, costs are going to be significantly higher there.  You'd be better off looking at upstate New York.

[sparty]

i am giving SERIOUS consideration to moving myself, the cats and my bike back to new england. the big question is, how far will an 828 buck a month disability payment go? how much more am i going to need to make to have a place to live with a garage on it?. i am beginning to HATE south carolina and unfortunately the wife likely wont want to go with me so that income wont figure in.

New England living is not only more expensive, but your riding season will be cut in HALF!

Sparty

[ColinMc]

Yeah but with half the riding season, that gives us half the year to work on stuff without having to rush to get it done...although I usually end up procrastinating all winter then doing everything in march/april lol. I love upstate NY! But I hate salt...blah. My girlfriend lives in vermont for work and her cost of living is quite a bit steeper...and she's only 45 min away from me lol.

[BobbyR]

Yeah but with half the riding season, that gives us half the year to work on stuff without having to rush to get it done...although I usually end up procrastinating all winter then doing everything in march/april lol. I love upstate NY! But I hate salt...blah. My girlfriend lives in vermont for work and her cost of living is quite a bit steeper...and she's only 45 min away from me lol.

I would do my research. I travel to MA a great deal and will be up there this Sunday eve. I would look at NH for the simple reason they have no State income tax. This can mean a great deal if you are on a fixed incoime. They also have no sales tax on anything so that saves me 8% when I buy things up there and bootlleg them back to NY, which adds up.

[dusterdude]

fuzzy,what part of sc are you in now and whats wrong with it?

[Bob Wessner]

fuzzy,what part of sc are you in now and whats wrong with it?

He says it's too close to Virginia. 

[BobbyR]

fuzzy,what part of sc are you in now and whats wrong with it?

He says it's too close to Virginia. 

Bob, you need an map Bro. 

[Bob Wessner]

Just a joke, geographic accuracy wasn't the point. I never could tell a joke though.

[dusterdude]

damn bob,i forgot how funny you are.

[Bob Wessner]

See? Dusty got it.

[fuzzybutt]

Yeah but with half the riding season, that gives us half the year to work on stuff without having to rush to get it done...although I usually end up procrastinating all winter then doing everything in march/april lol. I love upstate NY! But I hate salt...blah. My girlfriend lives in vermont for work and her cost of living is quite a bit steeper...and she's only 45 min away from me lol.

+1 on having time to work on stuff. i was born and raised in connecticut but i havent really been back (except for part of the 05/06 winter) in 20 years. i would actually prefer as far inland as possible for housing and as long as i have a clean, dry, safe place for me and my cats and motorcycle i dont really care what i live in, hell i lived in a double wide in south florida through a bunch of hurricane seasons so i can handle most anything. and i figure, i got used to the furnace-like summers here in columbia so i can get re-used to new england winters. i usually have 225-250 dollar utilities bill monthly during the winter because of the high price of natural gas and i bet the summers there would be alot less expensive than summers here (it's been over 100 degrees for 4 days now) all that and i dont really want to be married anymore, i'm done with it.

[fuzzybutt]

fuzzy,what part of sc are you in now and whats wrong with it?

i'm in columbia. when people i meet when out of state ask me where i live and i tell em columbia they say "isnt that a 3rd world country?" and i agree and tell em that the columbia i live in IS a 3rd world country. it's hot, dirty, the racism here is horrible (going both ways)i was once refused a job because "sorry but youre white and you just wouldnt fit in here" there are some good thingd about south carolina such as pretty loose gun laws (no waiting period, they do an fbi check while you wait) the hunting is awesome with the giant over population of deer as well. BUT whereas there are alot of nice courteous, friendly people, seems like the majority are crazy, self centered and neurotic. i could fill pages with stuff i dislike about columbia in particular and south carolina in general.

[fuzzybutt]

well with all the research i've been doing it's looking more and more like new england is going to be out of the question because of the cost of living. i want to be someplace with a real change of seasons. turns out that michigan ( i looked at kalamazoo on the cost of living calculator) is VERY close in costs to the hell hole i call home now. the main problem i'm facing is that i'm partially disabled as a result of breaking my neck and back last year so i cant do physical labor anymore, though i WILL have to get at the least a part time job to take care of things. i have an old, super high mile saturn wagon thats still running strong, dead reliable with no oil usage, a 74 honda cb750k that will come with me, all my tools including the motorcycle lift and compressor and 4 cats. and though i still love my wife, we just dont need to be together anymore.

[Rocking-M]

Hey Fuzz, don't give up to quick on the marriage. Good luck.

[bender01]

What about Union or Inman SC. Spatanburg? Outside those places should have some affordable spots and not such a big transition. Isnt there a Michelin Tire factory there? Ive very much enjoyed the rural spots there in the past and its closer to fun roads to ride. Silver Springs? might be NC but close and it gets cold enough to enjoy it . Oh yeah Deer season starts here next friday!!! til Jan 1st. 5 bucks a day gun or bow If i remember right. There are some doe weekends and im not sure there limit but for 20$ you can take four anytime you like. Plus its alot closer to Cola if you and the wife are as you think. I have no advice on that....

[fuzzybutt]

i am taking a road trip first part of september on the 750 to bad axe michigan http://www.badaxemichigan.com/ i have friends in the vicinity and they'll give me a hand on getting started, getting something in an office for work. it's very inexpensive living there with the only thing significantly higher being housing (about 20% higher) they swear i can easily live on my disability and a part time job.

[bender01]

Well isnt the FN plant in Cola. Didnt they buy Winchester? And get a great Military contract? Arent they going to or have  revived the model 70?...  Im sure im wrong @ some of  that but with your interest in fabrication and precision  you should look there. ......They might be looking for you!..
  fire it 5k times .. dunk in muck .. again

[fuzzybutt]

i worked with a guy at Metalhead's shop that worked for them, he said theyre not the greatest company to work for, be3sides they do credit checks and after being out of work for 17 months for the most part, my credit rating has dipped below 400 with all the medical bills, student loans behind and other crap.

[Rocking-M]

   The grass may seam greener on the other side of the fence, but the fence has weeds on both sides.
 

I can second that, we made the mistake of living in Maine one winter. As a southerner it was culture shock.
We met some nice folks but as a whole found the whole bunch a bit odd. Don't even speak to someone in
a casual manner on the street, they'll think your nuts. They don't drink ice tea, damn heathens.
I don't like ice fishing. People from Massachusetts vacation in Maine, Maniacs don't even like em (plus one for Maine )
I pretty much made a vow to never cross the Mason Dixon Line again. If I go to Canada I'll have to take a long ferry ride
I reckon.

I guess it boils down to which weeds you grew up with and feel comfortable living with.

[BobbyR]

   The grass may seam greener on the other side of the fence, but the fence has weeds on both sides.
 

I can second that, we made the mistake of living in Maine one winter. As a southerner it was culture shock.
We met some nice folks but as a whole found the whole bunch a bit odd. Don't even speak to someone in
a casual manner on the street, they'll think your nuts. They don't drink ice tea, damn heathens.
I don't like ice fishing. People from Massachusetts vacation in Maine, Maniacs don't even like em (plus one for Maine )
I pretty much made a vow to never cross the Mason Dixon Line again. If I go to Canada I'll have to take a long ferry ride
I reckon.

I guess it boils down to which weeds you grew up with and feel comfortable living with.

Ah c'mon Rock I go up to Mass every few weeks and I will be there tomorrow actually. They are OK people. I also travel below the Mason Dixon line and have been doing it since the 1960's with NY plates and survived! Let a smile be your umbrella. Mainers are a bit odd, but I find them OK in the summer anyway. 

[Rocking-M]

   The grass may seam greener on the other side of the fence, but the fence has weeds on both sides.
 

I can second that, we made the mistake of living in Maine one winter. As a southerner it was culture shock.
We met some nice folks but as a whole found the whole bunch a bit odd. Don't even speak to someone in
a casual manner on the street, they'll think your nuts. They don't drink ice tea, damn heathens.
I don't like ice fishing. People from Massachusetts vacation in Maine, Maniacs don't even like em (plus one for Maine )
I pretty much made a vow to never cross the Mason Dixon Line again. If I go to Canada I'll have to take a long ferry ride
I reckon.

I guess it boils down to which weeds you grew up with and feel comfortable living with.

Ah c'mon Rock I go up to Mass every few weeks and I will be there tomorrow actually. They are OK people. I also travel below the Mason Dixon line and have been doing it since the 1960's with NY plates and survived! Let a smile be your umbrella. Mainers are a bit odd, but I find them OK in the summer anyway. 

What, Mainers are odd, did I say that, naw! Now down easter Mainers well that's another issue. 

Really I find the country folks anywhere pretty agreeable, it's just the city slickers I sometimes have trouble with. 
The rub with heading north is the interstate is about the only option. But, I'm figuring some back road routes
pretty much like Mosby and ol Quantrill did it. 

[BobbyR]

   The grass may seam greener on the other side of the fence, but the fence has weeds on both sides.
 

I can second that, we made the mistake of living in Maine one winter. As a southerner it was culture shock.
We met some nice folks but as a whole found the whole bunch a bit odd. Don't even speak to someone in
a casual manner on the street, they'll think your nuts. They don't drink ice tea, damn heathens.
I don't like ice fishing. People from Massachusetts vacation in Maine, Maniacs don't even like em (plus one for Maine )
I pretty much made a vow to never cross the Mason Dixon Line again. If I go to Canada I'll have to take a long ferry ride
I reckon.

I guess it boils down to which weeds you grew up with and feel comfortable living with.

Ah c'mon Rock I go up to Mass every few weeks and I will be there tomorrow actually. They are OK people. I also travel below the Mason Dixon line and have been doing it since the 1960's with NY plates and survived! Let a smile be your umbrella. Mainers are a bit odd, but I find them OK in the summer anyway. 

What, Mainers are odd, did I say that, naw! Now down easter Mainers well that's another issue. 

Really I find the country folks anywhere pretty agreeable, it's just the city slickers I sometimes have trouble with. 
The rub with heading north is the interstate is about the only option. But, I'm figuring some back road routes
pretty much like Mosby and ol Quantrill did it. 

The Interstates are my home. Jes put the Stars and Bars in the back winda, an 88 sticker on the bumper and the good ole boy Truckers will keep ya safe.

[fuzzybutt]

i grew up (till i was 20) in connecticut and yes the mainiacs (got that term from a maine native) are a strange bunch but then again........i'm weird as hell too. it would likely take me a couple of winters back to get used to it again. but after a bunch of research, theres no way in hell i'll be able to afford to go back. if i leave south carolina, the upper part of michigan is looking good to me.

[BobbyR]

i grew up (till i was 20) in connecticut and yes the mainiacs (got that term from a maine native) are a strange bunch but then again........i'm weird as hell too. it would likely take me a couple of winters back to get used to it again. but after a bunch of research, theres no way in hell i'll be able to afford to go back. if i leave south carolina, the upper part of michigan is looking good to me.

I found out one thing when trying to going somewhere else to leave whatever was bothering me. I always met myself at the airport.

[Rocking-M]

i grew up (till i was 20) in connecticut and yes the mainiacs (got that term from a maine native) are a strange bunch but then again........i'm weird as hell too. it would likely take me a couple of winters back to get used to it again. but after a bunch of research, theres no way in hell i'll be able to afford to go back. if i leave south carolina, the upper part of michigan is looking good to me.

I found out one thing when trying to going somewhere else to leave whatever was bothering me. I always met myself at the airport.

now ain't that the truth, well said Bobby.