It was Friday afternoon, just after work, and Mr. M and I were discussing what to do with our evening. Suddenly we heard a loud bah-boom! What was that, we asked each other? Mr. M thought it sounded like a sonic boom. I suddenly realized what the sound was – the space shuttle coming in for a landing. Sure enough, with bad weather in Florida, they chose to land in California instead. The perpetual sunshine has its benefits, and its drawbacks.
As most people know, everything seems to cost more in California. The houses are more expensive, the gas and groceries cost more and don’t ask about the cost of daycare. This added cost of living has inspired its own term – the sunshine tax. It is the added cost to live in one of the best climates on earth, where the sun shines almost every day.
There are benefits to the great weather. We can grow a garden year round, in fact we just started our winter crop of broccoli, cauliflower and celery. Being able to grow a greater amount of our produce has some cost savings. The mild climate also means lower heating and cooling costs (not true for more inland areas like the high desert). In the LA basin many houses have no heating or cooling built in, because there is little need for it. In summer evenings we simply open the windows and the cool breeze soon cools the house. If we ever choose to go green and install solar panels on our house, the ever present sunshine will help pay off the cost. Then there is the intangible benefit on your mood, many people like myself find dreary weather depressing.
Personally I can’t imagine living anywhere else right now. I’ve established a career in the area which nets me enough to pay my share of “the tax”. But many others choose to leave for cheaper pastures, the high cost of living makes it hard to get ahead. This great weather, and beautiful sunshine, has its cost. So fellow Californians, do you think the sunshine tax is worth it?
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4 comments:
Thinking back on this, and conversations I've had with friends who moved out of state and want to come back, I'm at least a little glad that I don't know what it's like to have a lower COL than in SoCal. Intellectually I know it's pricy, but my financial reality/history has always been this so it's not as staggering as it is to out of towners.
In a nutshell? Worth it because I don't know better yet. :)
I'm not a Californian but I can relate to having to pay more to live in a desirable place.
For me it is worth it.
It's worth it now; but we've decided to look elsewhere for retirement.
I worry that my kids won't be able to do well here due to the high cost, but time will tell.
@Revanche - Mr M has always lived here too, so he has no frame of reference. I was born here but raised in Virginia, I get sticker shock every time I'm back there and realize how even that box of triscuits costs us so much more.
@Middle Way - it's worth it to me too, I just love the term sunshine tax and was looking for a way to work it in.
@Bucksome - interesting enough my parents were born and raised here, I was born here but not raised here. Then I came back, my parents probably thought it was financial suicide! But I've managed to make it just fine. Unfortunately living here does limit your career choices, you have to make a lot of money to get by and less lucrative careers are a non-starter.
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