California resident here. From what I hear from you and friends A/C is a huge electricity cost. We don't have A/C. Fortunately rarely necessary. We live within 5 miles of the coast and our electric bill runs $200 - 250 per month. That includes an extra refrigerator and a stand-alone freezer in the garage. We recently dumped Spectrum TV, but kept internet. We got tired of paying for DVR service and other fees. Signed up for UA-cam TV. Auto insurance is a killer. About $300/mo with older cars and good driving records.
Hi Bill, thanks for sharing that with us. You are lucky to live so close to the beach. That definitely keeps your electricity costs very low. Make a relay to your other costs. 😳
@@tomklock568 We like UA-cam TV. We haven't found any channels that Spectrum had that aren't included. At $73/month, no added tax or fees, it's a little less than Spectrum. Getting rid of all the cluttering boxes is a bonus. The user interface is a little different. For instance, there are no channel numbers.
We had no clue what ROKU was until we bought a cheap-O Walmart TV. "It's a free window on the world." We dropped satellite service. ROKU is sooo much better.
For two people, that is not bad. My expenses are what some people might consider high, I include my property taxes and homeowners ins. I also have my supplemental Medicare insurance, prescription coverage and Long Term Care insurance that I pay out, plus dental, vision as well, since regular Medicare does not cover it. My insurances are a big part of my monthly expenses, without them, I would be paying out very little. So my expenses would be much more than a $1000 per month than the YTbers in NC, Peter. I live in an older, smaller home than most people do, which is not particularly energy efficient. I still have oil heat which is about $250 per month in the winter months, electric $105 in summer. In winter my electric bills drop down to almost nothing. Water is around $45.00 in winter, and in summer is $65..00 per month. Cell phone $15 per month, use Tracfone, barely basic service, but that is all I need, I'm not a cell phone person. Groceries $300 per month. When I first retired, it was $265 per month, which was 4yrs ago. I know some people might ask why I have regular Medicare, its because I want to be able to receive medical care wherever I go, without the changes and restrictions associated with Medicare Advantage, I thought that would be a better option, although you pay out of pocket.
Thanks for sharing this with us Bern. It sounds like your expenses are much lower than ours. It’s nice to know that there are still parts of the country that are a lot less expensive to retire in than California. 😄👍
Living in PA the bills vary greatly by season. But our two biggest bills (outside of taxes) are cable @ $280 and cell service @ $170. We keep our AC at 71 and our bill is about $170. Now of course in winter our gas bill will take over the electricity bill. And like I have said before, we have down sized as well. And now live in a little town in the country. The metropolitan area we moved from, the bills would be much higher. An example our trash bill is quarterly @ $53. That would not even cover the cost of one month before.
Hi Stacy, your electric bill is incredibly low!! 😳 that is amazing now your prices can be so different just in the same state. Thanks for sharing that. 👍
Greetings Steve! I have been retired for nine years and live in far Southern Illinois so we have hot, humid summers with cool to cold winters, but little snow and rare cold snaps that get below 0 -- most winter days are in the 30s to near 40 with lows in the teens to 20s. My expenses are very modest in comparison to almost any retiree living in a large metropolitan area. I live in a very nice 750 square foot apartment in a security building with a rent of $560 per month that includes all utilities (heating and cooling). My monthly expense for automobile/travel trailer insurance (full coverage with $250 deductible) is under $200 per month (my newest vehicle is 32 years old and I drive less than 3,000 miles per year). My health insurance is through my retirement system (will not be Medicare eligible for a couple more months) and my premium is $350 per month. My monthly budget is $1,800, and as long as I do not eat out too frequently, I am able to stay below that number.
Hi Kevin, that is awesome. It’s so nice to hear that. There are still places in this country where you can retire, affordably. You are very fortunate. Thank you for sharing this with us. 😄👍
Evaporative "swamp coolers" used to be almost essential in the hotter, drier climate areas like The Coachella Valley. Cheap to cool the house with. We have both. The AC draws 2.8 KW, the swamp cooler about 1/8 that. Years we get dry, easterly winds off the desert Swamp coolers are really nice in addition to the lower operating cost. We sell our homes excess solar to the grid for 38 cents per KW, and buy it back at night for 12 cents per KW. Some advantages to living out here.
Hi Steve good video. You have good advice for a lot of people. Hi Jim you guys have a good shopping trip. I just came back from Walmart!!cost me $ 40.00. 😁👍
It's just a good comparison in general to see if there are any discounts for seniors Steve. Some things aren't based on income and some are geared to lower incomes. It might help if viewers know of any programs that help seniors on the state and federal levels. Have a great Labor Day Weekend to you and Jim!! 🇺🇸 Joan
I go over my bills in my head and get depressed, but the good thing is my electric bill last month was $127 and I run the AC 24/7 at 79 degrees in a 1900 sq ft house. Thanks for the Video and Good Luck!
In Illinois, I am paying $600 rent for a 1 bedroom house. $150 water and sewer every 3 months. $25 prepaid phone plan through Walmart. $29.99 wifi. Gas and electricity depends on the weather. Gas is $30 in the summer but $100- $200 in the winter. Electricity $150 a month in the summer. $60 winter. But I live a dirt broke lifestyle. If you want to live better, you pay more.
That is amazing Trr! I had no idea that prices could be so low anywhere in this country. Nothing wrong with being frugal. Hopefully you are at least covering all of your needed expenses. Thanks for sharing this with us. 👍
I couldn't afford to live in California nowadays. Lived there in the late 60's early 70's. I pay $147 monthly for electric. About $48 for water. Mortgage $748. I'll stay on the east coast where it's cheaper. Gas is around $3.05 a gallon depending on the station you use.
Hi Robin, that is excellent. You are very lucky. I had no idea how much more expensive it was here in California until I started reading some of these comments. 😳😲
Hi Steve, I found this really interesting. I moved from South Orange County a little over 6 years ago to Arizona just outside the Phoenix area to a new build at the time and because the house is so large (about 4800 square feet) I budgeted money from the sale of my California home to put in solar here. I'm really glad I did because the solar covers most of my electric bill. My bills are anywhere from zero to around $85 in the hottest summer months with two air conditioners running. My cable was getting more and more expensive so I got rid of that and put in an over the air antenna that picks up over 50 channels including the network channels and subscribed to a few of the streaming services. Here in Arizona things like homeowners insurance, property taxes and HOA fees are much less than California, it adds up to thousands of dollars in savings each year.
Hi Scott, thank you so much for sharing that. Someone else who watches this channel who also lives in Phoenix said that it’s 25% cheaper to live in Phoenix than in Palm Springs. I had no idea it was that much cheaper. I’m glad to hear a positive story about solar panels. Here in Palm Springs I’ve heard so many horror stories from homeowners who have paid to have solar installed, and then it just turned out to be a nightmare in lots of different ways. Including many, who are now paying more for their electricity after installing the solar panels. 🤪 and I just read the other day that one of our solar companies here in the desert just went out of business. 😳 Sounds like you lucked out! 😄👍
In my retirement research so far, cost of living for Palm Springs averages 25% more in most categories over Phoenix. On the other side of the spectrum, Tucson averages about 20% less then costs in Phoenix. It’s a choice how you spend your retirement dollars and where you want to spend your time. A lot to think about! ❤️ Paul
That’s awesome that you already did the research on this Paul. I had no idea that Palm Springs was so much more expensive than Phoenix and Tucson. You’re right. In the end, if you can afford it, then it really comes down to which you prefer. If you can’t afford it, then it’s nice to know there are more affordable options. Thanks for sharing this! 😎🙃👍
Good topic good video. I'm a homeowner have a mortgage and live in the suburbs of Sacramento but all of my bills are a bit less than yours. I don't have an HOA, But I do use my AC all summer long and keep it about 77 or 78 average. I also bought a portable air conditioner for my bedroom so I don't have to use my Central during the night while I'm asleep which helps jobs on my bill. I also am lucky I don't have PJ for electric only gas in my gas bill averages $12 a month. I think it may be higher living in the desert especially with the heat I could never survive leaving my thermostat at 80 but I'm sure it feels cooler to you guys considering how hot it is outside. Have a great weekend U2.
Hi Tripper, thanks for sharing your cost with us. Very interesting. And yes, we find it very weird that at 80°. We are often shivering is so cold in our house. I have no idea how that’s possible. 🤪
Interesting video Steve! I've always been frugal and often use cash for payment except for food and bigger items. I usually pay my property tax in November and auto/homeowners insurance monthly plus regular Medicare. As someone mentioned in the comments, I too have USAA auto & home insurance which is a plus. Since I own an old cabin (about 1,000 sq ft) I do renovations when needed. I don't have cable or streaming services except Amazon and Spotify. My internet is a rural company which costs $50 a month but it's probably not fast enough for what you and Jim need. I do Zoom and online classes so it works for me. I 'd watch so little on cable it isn't worth it and I can find what I need on the internet or pay per view from Amazon. My big splurge is when I go to the Palm Springs area to pick up food items and cat food or whatever I cannot get here every other month except during summer. I am also disabled so I don't travel and feel lucky to live in this area. I was interested in your Electric costs. When your temps are 115° and above, the high desert is often a few degrees behind you around 111° or close, but we often cool down more than Palm Springs at night. I had an evaporative cooler that came with the cabin. Our local water district is in bad shape due to not dealing with the infrastructure issues for decades. So now our water prices continue to rise to install new equipment. Two years ago I decided to put in a ductless Mini Split for cooling and heating but rarely use it for heating. The cost to run the mini-split is less than conventional air conditioning plus my water bill is no longer a concern. I have two mini-split zones, one in the bedroom, and one in the front room during the day. I keep the doors closed to the rooms I am not living in. When our temps are above 113° to 118° I will turn on both zones since the one mini-split has to run harder to cool the room down. From late June through July when we had the hottest temps my Electric was $236. My August bill was $223. I keep the temperature between 78° and 81° depending on how I feel. I'm guessing the cost would be $300+ a month running both full time at 80° and I also always have a fan running. If I move having a mini-split would be a plus. I've been told if I ran a solar system that I purchased to just run the mini-split it would be worth it but I'm not sure how long I'll be here.
Hi ER, thank you so much for sharing your expenses. It’s very interesting to compare. Our home is 1250 ft.² and we do have our pool pump running 8 to 10 hours a day, so it seems like our electric bills are very similar. we keep ours at 80° and we always have a fan running in the rooms that we are in. It sounds like you’ve done an excellent job being frugal with your expenses. Congratulations that’s awesome. 😄👍
@@theretiredlifewithsteve The pool pump is a necessity in the desert with all our wind. It is important to enjoy where we live. There aren't that many places in the high desert with inground pools except at high end homes and new Airbnb's. Yucca Valley has a community pool but you need to apply every year and not everyone is accepted.
Just as important is what you’re not spending money on. You rarely eat out, no expensive hobbies and just occasional travel. So I think you’re living pretty conservatively.
$8.14 for a Big Mac is expensive. Cashier at our local Walmart grocery market mentioned they sell out of 2/3 of most the stores basic groceries by 1 pm daily. "Not too many of our customers are eating out anymore."
Thank you for the video. I was watching with my 6-year-old granddaughter, while she was painting pictures, but she was also watching. She asked me, "why are his eyes so cute?" I told her because you have nice eyes and are a happy, friendly person.
I live in western NY. I have been a widow for a year so things have changed a lot. My food is maybe 125-50 a month. Gas for house about 60 on balanced billing. City owned utilities so about 55 a month for total electric, water, sewer, garbage and recycling. Taxes are about 2000 a year. Have state assistance that pays school taxes. No tv have free Roku. No newspapers or subscriptions. Incredible library with even a large selection of cheap books to buy. No charge for library card. Tracfone so about 15 a month. Land line and internet about 60 a month. Eating out is lunch at fast food or inexpensive restaurants with friends or just coffee at someone’s home. Cheap hobbies. Have a cleaning lady a couple hours a week. Need to use a walker to get around so need help otherwise I would do it myself. Lawn care by an individual who works pretty cheap. Snow plowing in winter probably big expense if we have a lot of snow. Entertainment is reading, seeing friends, computer, gardening when able. Great life without a lot of frills. Very small clothes budget. Do give moderate to more expensive gifts, church donations. Hubby and I used to travel but not by myself. Usually only need car gas once a month or so. Stores, Drs ect only about 4 miles away. Have savings that I don’t need to dip into, and a nice home I could sell if necessary. Feel very blessed and fortunate.
Yes 👍 keep doing a monthly expense video. I follow a couple other bloggers including the channel you mentioned. And they do monthly expense breakdowns every month. Enjoy the channel. With you 2 being seniors. Check with phone , water, garbage, and county property tax assesor for senior discounts. I’m in California and i know they give those types of discounts once you hit 65.
@@theretiredlifewithsteve 😉 good luck. In my city they give 15% off water. 20% off garbage. Property tax 15% and I have t mobile and they offer 55+ phone 📱 plans. Hope you’ll find offers in Palm Springs.
Yes, Steve! Southern California IS expensive. 😂 And some places are doing their best to carch up. If my electric bill is ever $500 a month, I won't have enough left for the rest of the bills. And they are talking about a huge increase. 😢 Good luck to us all. We are all going to need it. 🙏
I didn't fo this before, but think I will start keeping a total like you do. Interesting to see it written down. And I can plan better. Thanks for sharing this, guys ! I'm going to start today
Interesting video. Our bills don't run as high but we're in Florida. Our home owners insurance is quite expensive. I'm going to look at our monthly bills. Thanks.😊
With all of the hurricanes and flooding that you guys get, I’m surprised you can still get homeowners insurance at all. We are similar with all the fires and earthquakes we get! 😳🙁
@theretiredlifewithsteve My homeowners insurance has been grandfathering us in. They don't write anymore policies here in Florida. It's just a nightmare situation. Some people have no homeowners insurance anymore. It just costs too much. Plus, the political climate here doesn't seem to help.
I am interested in the tax rates. Our county sales tax is 5%, then, we have a special local option sales tax of 2% for schools. Our school taxes are high because we are a small rural county. We have 1 high school a volunteer fire dept. with a few salary employees.
Hi Steve and Jim interesting thanks for sharing ❤ California is pretty pricey but maybe your area isn’t to bad. But still higher than the mid west region ❤
Hi Jackie, I didn’t realize how expensive it was here until I started reading some of the comments. Viewers who are living in other states are pay substantially less for almost everything it seems. 😲
Hi Steve and Jim,I live here in Phoenix metro area so you know my aircon is on all the time,just got my bill on 31 Aug and it's for 170.40 for the month not bad,I keep it at 80 degrees all the time and use ceiling fans and I have sun screens on all windows,I'm very comfortable
We have one hard-to-get-filled prescription in the US. We park at the Q casino and walk over to Mexico and are surrounded by retirees and the under-employed heading over getting their prescriptions filled for cheap, Dental, and some medical treatments there.
80 degrees it’s hotter than blazes here in central Florida and we keep our thermostat at 75 during the day and no higher than 74 during the night and we have a 2800 sq foot house and was $370 last month.
Hi Steve. Do you have an electric dryer and stove/oven? Also your in ground swimming pool filter probably uses about $100 a month to run. Many people have gas dryers and stoves so it is hard to compare. I do agree that $500 is definitely a lot for an electric bill.
Hi Ted, very good point. I should have been more specific about that. We have a gas dryer and gas stove. We have new pool pump that’s supposed to be incredibly efficient, but it does run eight hours a day so I’m sure that’s a big portion of the bill. There are so many variables from person to person and house to house that it really is difficult to compare apples to apples. When I do this again at the end of next month, I will definitely be more specific about things like this. Thanks for the heads up and feedback. 😄👍
We live in Texas and we also still have a mortgage and live in a big house, which we are getting ready to downsize. Mostly because maintaining it is becoming a chore and is also expensive. I know we will save on most utilities when we do this. Home insurance is going through the roof. It’s blamed on the cost of having Storm/ Hurricane risks. I don’t know all our household cost as my husband takes care of some but last month our electric was $470, our gas was $77, Mud tax which is water, sewage, trash pick up was $110. Our pool cleaner is $240 a month, gardener is $240 a month although it’s really $60 per visit as he doesn’t come every week depending on weather and needs. We cancelled cable and only stream now. We have Prime, Fubu and apple tv. I don’t know those costs as my husband deals with those along with the internet. Our cell phones are on our son’s plan as he gets a deal through his work. We pay him $90 a month. We used to be around $150 a month before that. Gas for the car varies, but I’d estimate $45-$60 for me and maybe double for my husband as he drives more. We also pay $40 a week for our dog’s daycare. He doesn’t go every week depending on the weather.
Hi Tartan, thanks so much for sharing those figures. It’s interesting to compare with different areas. Some of your fears seem very so much ours. That surprises me since another person from Texas shared there expenses, and they were much much less than ours. So I guess different areas in Texas have different rates for everything. I’m planning to do a video soon about downsizing to smaller homes after you retire. We definitely downsized before we retired. I’m glad to hear you mentioned that, since not many people have mentioned it in the comments. 😄👍
Steve, hi..! My cell is $55 a month, water is $38/month, electric, highest this summer, was $215. It's all pretty reasonable. I told you before that we go from approx $2.60 to $2.90 for gas, roughly. My dvr box is $15 and change. Internet/wifi is $50. We hear all the time that its very expensive to live in California. I couldn't afford to live there. At least not really comfortably. I come out, with everything, including groceries, to about $12 to 1300 per month. Not bad
We have Spectrum for internet and recently switched our cell phone service to them. Spectrum uses the same cell network as Verizon, but we now pay $30 per month for both our cell phones. I wish you would mention what city you live in and the square footage of your home to. get a better idea of your electricity costs. We have a 1200 square foot condo in Palm Springs and last month we hit a record of about $530, but we have an EV, so that includes the equivalent of our "gas" expenses. It's also been an extremely hot summer with temps often at 110 and above. I'm assuming you have no mortgage as you didn't mention it, if so congrats on that.
Hi T, thanks for the heads up. We have spectrum too! We will have to check that out and see if we can switch our cell phones over too. Sorry about not mentioning the city. I must’ve forgotten on this video. I usually start all my videos with. Hi, this is Steve Palm Springs. we also live in the city of Palm Springs and our home is 1250 ft.². We don’t have electric vehicles, but we do have a pool and the pool pump runs 8 to 10 hours a day, so that’s probably equivalent to the electricity you’re putting into your cars lol. 😳 And yes, everything is paid off. Thanks for sharing and thanks again for the reminder. It’s always mentioned where we live in the square footage of our house. It definitely helps on videos like this to be able to compare. 😄👍
Have you tried UA-cam TV Steve? I was tired of all the fees I had with directv and the price continually going up so I tried a trial period of UA-cam Tv and a trial period of Hulu’s comparable service and stayed with UA-cam TV for about $72 versus almost $180 I was paying with DTV. No separate boxes needed just a smart tv or firestick and DVR is built into the service.
Hi Jerry, we kind of looked into it, but we don’t have a smart TV. I also didn’t know that DVR was built into it. Thanks for the heads up. We will have to look into it again. 😄👍
@@theretiredlifewithsteve The Amazon Firestick will have the app on it if u decide to try it out. And the stick is only about $30. As long as your tv has an HDMI input I think it would work. 👍🏻
We went with the YOU TUBE cheaper service and Roku. Saves a ton of money for better service. ROKU adaptors are $19 for any TV and completely legal, no monthly additional cost.
We never realized that Medicare isn't free, it's deducted from Social Security. Also, their are further out-of-pocket expenses like a essential PPO supplement and additional coverage parts. It's worth it and better than the dual coverage premium healthcare we had. It's the Willie Wonka Golden Ticket when you roll into the ER. Starbucks hit $8.12 for a large simple coffee and a just-thawed donut that looked like someone sat on it so that's the first expense we cut. Home is paid off, electricity is solar and we drive an EV charged with that solar.
I know, right? I didn’t realize that about Medicare until after we retired too. 😳 thanks for the laugh about Starbucks. 😂 I just can’t imagine why anybody would pay more than a dollar for a cup of coffee! 😲 congrats on your house and for planning very wisely for retirement. Sounds like it is really paid off. 😄👍
After searching all over the US for a place to build or buy a home, we decided to pay the premium that comes with settling in New York. We are from the general region and wanted to stay where we know would fit in.
Hi Joe, wow you are very lucky. I heard that it was a lot cheaper down there. Our house is half the size of yours and we keep ours at 80° too. $550 a month this summer for electric! 😡
Hi John, we actually turned our AC off between 5 and 8 PM for about a month and it saved us about $20! 😩 If you are saving that much, then you must be living in a different area than us. We are in Palm Springs, California. Thanks for sharing with us. Congratulations. Sounds like you got the jackpot there. 😄👍
Paying for all the streaming services we all have is getting a bit ridiculous. Why can't everything be in one place. That would save a bunch of money for all of us. I pay for Peacock and my Twitch subscriptions. Soon I'll be paying for Hulu. My cellphone bill is $60 a month. Adulting is so much fun.🤣
Hi Jody, I know, right? Adulting definitely makes you long for the good old days when you were a kid, living at home with someone else paying all the bills. We had no idea how lucky we were at the time lol! 😂👍
My phone bill is $30 a month for my cell phone my electric runs about $65 a month I have Somerset Rural Electric also known as REA I told you before how I shop at the different stores my taxes break down to approximately 50 a month and again I live in a small community in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania but I think California does run a lot more than others from what I've seen and what I've heard in our gas for the car is about 3.69 gl. My internet and TV is $59 combined I have DirecTV and it includes my internet I got that about 10 years ago at a lock in car insurance is approximately $15 because I have it in a lockdown position ever since my husband died it has not been driven I just keep a little bit of insurance on it in case someone hits it I have my own well I'm going to need to fill my propane tank for gas for the stove probably once a year yeah y'all pay more than I do
Omg Debbi, you are so lucky. I had no idea that other states had such low prices on everything. Or the California was really that much more expensive than everywhere else lol! 😳😲
@@theretiredlifewithsteve yeah I live in a small community in Pennsylvania and things are not hi is what I see in California by no means an example I just went to a store called Roof Garden they have a little butcher place in there they have an actual butcher I got four prime rib steaks with the bone cut to order an inch thick I'll forward them together was almost 4 lb and it was $30 which is cheaper than what is in the grocery stores now some may think that that's too much to pay and no I don't buy them everyday but if you stop and think about it it's an actual butcher he knows what he's doing and the meat is excellent now we was going to go to Jersey Mike's our little town areas getting one of those but they haven't opened yet and if you think about it if you go and get a sub from Subway they were only $15 a piece cuz half the time the app don't work that they tell you to use but in the long run I'm getting more than one meal out of it has one steak will make me two meals so if you think about it that's enough steak for 8 meals it averages $3.75 for the meat per meal sometimes you have to sit and work it out but I think I did pretty good in the long run
Here in Maryland property taxes are only paid once a year I never had to pay property taxes but I do know about before 2000 to rent a house or apartment was cheap now days the rent and or mortgage is through the roof ! Here in Baltimore City if you own a house and you miss your water bill payment the city will forclose on your property food prices are high depending on where you shop
Cell service in CA doesn’t have to be so expensive. Both big carriers can be expensive but own resellers: at&t (cricket) and Verizon (visible). We have a backup phone from Visible for $25mo that includes unlimited talk/text/data with hotspot for one device. And there is a reseller US Mobile that has a $10mo plan with (choice of carrier from big 3) 2gb data, unlimited talk & texts (or under $20 for 10gb data). The point is you need to shop around ever couple of years. PS: you didn’t list cost for medical insurance (even Medicare Part B has a premium). Car insurance in CA is crazy.
Hi Karin, thanks for the heads up on that. We’ve never shopped around and we definitely should. Our medical insurance is paid for by Jim former employer. We are very luckily that we don’t have that expense. At the end of this month, I’m going to redo our monthly total and include everything, even the one time a year payments they get divided per month. There were quite a few items I didn’t include so I will do that at the end of this month. 😄👍
Wow. My electric (in SC where it's pretty darn hot) is $150 (ish) and that's with the air on 72 and I have an inground pool, so the pump runs at least 12 hours per day. Water is $40, internet 59.95. Verizon cell phone $83. No cable or satellite. Share streaming with a couple of other people, so I only pay $10 for hulu. I use someone else's Disney plus, prime, and netflix. Garbage is around $65 per quarter. Home insurance and taxes are both around $1200 a piece per year and are included in my $600/month house payment (at 2.25% interest - which is why I'll never move. Too close to paying it off.)
Sacramento highest electric was 188 not normally that high and that's not half that is full bill. Gas like 80 a month car insurance homeowner 350 a month 2 cars full coverage and homeowners. Cell 180 but with new galaxy 24 ultra insurance and Samsung watches so not bad.
Steve, it will be lighter in the morning for a while when you come off daylight savings. It will be darker in the evening on standard time. At least it is on Central time. I detest daylight savings time. If we stayed on it year round, it would be dark until 8 am in the morning during winter. 👎🏽
Hi guys...I don't know exactly what I pay ... probably over 1800.00. Monthly..toooo much .. LoL...I need to cut back somewhere..... happy Saturday...... take care.. Deborah 🇨🇦
California seems expensive. We are in Iowa, inflation has made things expensive but doable. We are not retired. We live below our means, no debt. The goal is to retire early. Our house is 1300 sqft, the highest bill this year with the air on was $188.
Speaking of the energy bill here. UA-cam mo ike isn't really friendly in editing comments. I'll try to itemize our expenses this month and going forward
Hi Sarah, that’s awesome. You sound like you are on track to have a nice early retirement. Pay attention to your bills, living below your means, and planning to add can really pay off. Congrats and thanks for sharing with us. 😄👍
California is only a dream. Texas has awful politics, but the cost of living is cheap. Our cable is 100 with basic & wifi, I’ve stuck with Xfinity for over 25 years, so I get perks. Our car insurance is cheap through Agriculture workers. (Being related to a veterinarian with Paul’s dad is a big money saver-1K for 2 cars a year.) Paul’s discounts with military USAA home insurance is a money saver too. 👍👍. Always get phone insurance.
My expenses are usually above my budget, there are to many surprises in life, someone is always raising prices. My expenses are just to make it day to day nothing elaborate, no luxuries, not expensive trips, just for basic living, it’s a sad world we live in.
I’m not retired… Will be 55 in a couple of weeks so have a ways go go before retirement LOL. I work from home so I suspect I’ll drive more when I retire. My husband travels around the area for work so he will drive less I’m guessing
We have a 900 sq foot house. We pay less.than 100 om winter and rall om average then in the summer it shoots up to around 200. We don't pay for water pr trash removal. Our cell phones are a more than yours but we need a good amount of Hotspot and we have tablets for ourselves and the kids . Stuff is so.so.so.expensiclve
Steve, you guys pay so much more for just about everything, it's crazy. I live in suburban Detroit and my monthly expenses are less than half of yours. I wonder why. Bob V.
Hi Bob, I’ve always heard the California was a very expensive place to live, but I really had no idea how much more expensive until making this video lol! 🤪 after reading all the comments, I realize we really are paying substantially more for just about everything. I thought it was just gas for our cars. Groceries seem to be the only thing that are about the same for everyone all over the country. Thanks so much for sharing your expenses. It’s really interesting and helpful to be able to compare prices and different states. And congrats on living in a much more affordable state than we do lol 😄👍
where I Live I got an Apartment thru a Hud, they pay 2 3rds of my rent because I'm on Disability. but with mt Apartment I get Electric and Trash and water so its all one flat rate, so when I pay my Monthly rent its all included. thanks for sharing, it is interesting to see what ppl pay in other states. as always Good to see you guys. God Bless and take care. 😊
I live on $942 and after bills I no longer can afford to get my medications nor buy food. I am being punished by our government for working only 20 hours a week and rasing a kid cause their dead beat dad refused to pay child support.
Excellent! At the beginning I was thinking “Steve & Jim are out and about at night!”…then I realized it was early morning. LOL
lol it was so dark we might as well have been! 😳😂👍
California resident here. From what I hear from you and friends A/C is a huge electricity cost. We don't have A/C. Fortunately rarely necessary. We live within 5 miles of the coast and our electric bill runs $200 - 250 per month. That includes an extra refrigerator and a stand-alone freezer in the garage. We recently dumped Spectrum TV, but kept internet. We got tired of paying for DVR service and other fees. Signed up for UA-cam TV. Auto insurance is a killer. About $300/mo with older cars and good driving records.
Hi Bill, thanks for sharing that with us. You are lucky to live so close to the beach. That definitely keeps your electricity costs very low. Make a relay to your other costs. 😳
How do you like UA-cam TV? I'm considering dumping mine too (Spectrum cable) if I can get decent TV
@@tomklock568 We like UA-cam TV. We haven't found any channels that Spectrum had that aren't included. At $73/month, no added tax or fees, it's a little less than Spectrum. Getting rid of all the cluttering boxes is a bonus. The user interface is a little different. For instance, there are no channel numbers.
We had no clue what ROKU was until we bought a cheap-O Walmart TV. "It's a free window on the world." We dropped satellite service. ROKU is sooo much better.
For two people, that is not bad.
My expenses are what some people might consider high, I include my property taxes and homeowners ins. I also have my supplemental Medicare insurance, prescription coverage and Long Term Care insurance that I pay out, plus dental, vision as well, since regular Medicare does not cover it. My insurances are a big part of my monthly expenses, without them, I would be paying out very little. So my expenses would be much more than a $1000 per month than the YTbers in NC, Peter.
I live in an older, smaller home than most people do, which is not particularly energy efficient. I still have oil heat which is about $250 per month in the winter months, electric $105 in summer. In winter my electric bills drop down to almost nothing. Water is around $45.00 in winter, and in summer is $65..00 per month. Cell phone $15 per month, use Tracfone, barely basic service, but that is all I need, I'm not a cell phone person. Groceries $300 per month. When I first retired, it was $265 per month, which was 4yrs ago.
I know some people might ask why I have regular Medicare, its because I want to be able to receive medical care wherever I go, without the changes and restrictions associated with Medicare Advantage, I thought that would be a better option, although you pay out of pocket.
Thanks for sharing this with us Bern. It sounds like your expenses are much lower than ours. It’s nice to know that there are still parts of the country that are a lot less expensive to retire in than California. 😄👍
Living in PA the bills vary greatly by season. But our two biggest bills (outside of taxes) are cable @ $280 and cell service @ $170. We keep our AC at 71 and our bill is about $170. Now of course in winter our gas bill will take over the electricity bill.
And like I have said before, we have down sized as well. And now live in a little town in the country. The metropolitan area we moved from, the bills would be much higher. An example our trash bill is quarterly @ $53. That would not even cover the cost of one month before.
Hi Stacy, your electric bill is incredibly low!! 😳 that is amazing now your prices can be so different just in the same state. Thanks for sharing that. 👍
I remember when the FCC regulated Cable rates and we paid $7.75. Airlines too were regulated and it was $89 round trip to Hawaii.
Greetings Steve! I have been retired for nine years and live in far Southern Illinois so we have hot, humid summers with cool to cold winters, but little snow and rare cold snaps that get below 0 -- most winter days are in the 30s to near 40 with lows in the teens to 20s. My expenses are very modest in comparison to almost any retiree living in a large metropolitan area. I live in a very nice 750 square foot apartment in a security building with a rent of $560 per month that includes all utilities (heating and cooling). My monthly expense for automobile/travel trailer insurance (full coverage with $250 deductible) is under $200 per month (my newest vehicle is 32 years old and I drive less than 3,000 miles per year). My health insurance is through my retirement system (will not be Medicare eligible for a couple more months) and my premium is $350 per month. My monthly budget is $1,800, and as long as I do not eat out too frequently, I am able to stay below that number.
Hi Kevin, that is awesome. It’s so nice to hear that. There are still places in this country where you can retire, affordably. You are very fortunate. Thank you for sharing this with us. 😄👍
Evaporative "swamp coolers" used to be almost essential in the hotter, drier climate areas like The Coachella Valley. Cheap to cool the house with. We have both. The AC draws 2.8 KW, the swamp cooler about 1/8 that. Years we get dry, easterly winds off the desert Swamp coolers are really nice in addition to the lower operating cost. We sell our homes excess solar to the grid for 38 cents per KW, and buy it back at night for 12 cents per KW. Some advantages to living out here.
Hi Steve good video. You have good advice for a lot of people. Hi Jim you guys have a good shopping trip. I just came back from Walmart!!cost me $ 40.00. 😁👍
Wow, only $40. That’s great. 😄👍
It's just a good comparison in general to see if there are any discounts for seniors Steve. Some things aren't based on income and some are geared to lower incomes. It might help if viewers know of any programs that help seniors on the state and federal levels. Have a great Labor Day Weekend to you and Jim!! 🇺🇸 Joan
Thanks for mentioning that and for the heads up Joan! That’s something I never think about either, but might be very helpful to some viewers! 😄👍
Very informative as always, Steve. I'm a fan of you both.
Much appreciated Ken! 😄👍
I go over my bills in my head and get depressed, but the good thing is my electric bill last month was $127 and I run the AC 24/7 at 79 degrees in a 1900 sq ft house. Thanks for the Video and Good Luck!
Omg Lou, you are incredibly lucky to pay so little for your AC. I had no idea that our AC rates were so much higher than other places! 😲😩
Nice to read. AC is essential.
In Illinois, I am paying
$600 rent for a 1 bedroom house.
$150 water and sewer every 3 months.
$25 prepaid phone plan through Walmart.
$29.99 wifi.
Gas and electricity depends on the weather. Gas is $30 in the summer but $100- $200 in the winter. Electricity $150 a month in the summer. $60 winter. But I live a dirt broke lifestyle. If you want to live better, you pay more.
That is amazing Trr! I had no idea that prices could be so low anywhere in this country. Nothing wrong with being frugal. Hopefully you are at least covering all of your needed expenses. Thanks for sharing this with us. 👍
I’d love to see more of these videos!
Thanks for the feed Lam. it hasn’t been a very popular video, but I enjoy making it and plan to continue sharing at the end of each month. 😄👍
I couldn't afford to live in California nowadays. Lived there in the late 60's early 70's. I pay $147 monthly for electric. About $48 for water. Mortgage $748. I'll stay on the east coast where it's cheaper. Gas is around $3.05 a gallon depending on the station you use.
Hi Robin, that is excellent. You are very lucky. I had no idea how much more expensive it was here in California until I started reading some of these comments. 😳😲
Hi Steve, I found this really interesting. I moved from South Orange County a little over 6 years ago to Arizona just outside the Phoenix area to a new build at the time and because the house is so large (about 4800 square feet) I budgeted money from the sale of my California home to put in solar here. I'm really glad I did because the solar covers most of my electric bill. My bills are anywhere from zero to around $85 in the hottest summer months with two air conditioners running. My cable was getting more and more expensive so I got rid of that and put in an over the air antenna that picks up over 50 channels including the network channels and subscribed to a few of the streaming services. Here in Arizona things like homeowners insurance, property taxes and HOA fees are much less than California, it adds up to thousands of dollars in savings each year.
Hi Scott, thank you so much for sharing that. Someone else who watches this channel who also lives in Phoenix said that it’s 25% cheaper to live in Phoenix than in Palm Springs. I had no idea it was that much cheaper. I’m glad to hear a positive story about solar panels. Here in Palm Springs I’ve heard so many horror stories from homeowners who have paid to have solar installed, and then it just turned out to be a nightmare in lots of different ways. Including many, who are now paying more for their electricity after installing the solar panels. 🤪 and I just read the other day that one of our solar companies here in the desert just went out of business. 😳 Sounds like you lucked out! 😄👍
In my retirement research so far, cost of living for Palm Springs averages 25% more in most categories over Phoenix. On the other side of the spectrum, Tucson averages about 20% less then costs in Phoenix. It’s a choice how you spend your retirement dollars and where you want to spend your time. A lot to think about! ❤️ Paul
That’s awesome that you already did the research on this Paul. I had no idea that Palm Springs was so much more expensive than Phoenix and Tucson. You’re right. In the end, if you can afford it, then it really comes down to which you prefer. If you can’t afford it, then it’s nice to know there are more affordable options. Thanks for sharing this! 😎🙃👍
Always interesting to see breakdowns for other areas of the country.
Me too. Thanks for letting us know about your channel. Sounds interesting and I will check it out!!
Good topic good video. I'm a homeowner have a mortgage and live in the suburbs of Sacramento but all of my bills are a bit less than yours. I don't have an HOA, But I do use my AC all summer long and keep it about 77 or 78 average. I also bought a portable air conditioner for my bedroom so I don't have to use my Central during the night while I'm asleep which helps jobs on my bill. I also am lucky I don't have PJ for electric only gas in my gas bill averages $12 a month. I think it may be higher living in the desert especially with the heat I could never survive leaving my thermostat at 80 but I'm sure it feels cooler to you guys considering how hot it is outside. Have a great weekend U2.
Hi Tripper, thanks for sharing your cost with us. Very interesting. And yes, we find it very weird that at 80°. We are often shivering is so cold in our house. I have no idea how that’s possible. 🤪
Interesting video Steve! I've always been frugal and often use cash for payment except for food and bigger items. I usually pay my property tax in November and auto/homeowners insurance monthly plus regular Medicare. As someone mentioned in the comments, I too have USAA auto & home insurance which is a plus. Since I own an old cabin (about 1,000 sq ft) I do renovations when needed. I don't have cable or streaming services except Amazon and Spotify. My internet is a rural company which costs $50 a month but it's probably not fast enough for what you and Jim need. I do Zoom and online classes so it works for me. I 'd watch so little on cable it isn't worth it and I can find what I need on the internet or pay per view from Amazon. My big splurge is when I go to the Palm Springs area to pick up food items and cat food or whatever I cannot get here every other month except during summer. I am also disabled so I don't travel and feel lucky to live in this area.
I was interested in your Electric costs. When your temps are 115° and above, the high desert is often a few degrees behind you around 111° or close, but we often cool down more than Palm Springs at night. I had an evaporative cooler that came with the cabin. Our local water district is in bad shape due to not dealing with the infrastructure issues for decades. So now our water prices continue to rise to install new equipment. Two years ago I decided to put in a ductless Mini Split for cooling and heating but rarely use it for heating. The cost to run the mini-split is less than conventional air conditioning plus my water bill is no longer a concern. I have two mini-split zones, one in the bedroom, and one in the front room during the day. I keep the doors closed to the rooms I am not living in. When our temps are above 113° to 118° I will turn on both zones since the one mini-split has to run harder to cool the room down. From late June through July when we had the hottest temps my Electric was $236. My August bill was $223. I keep the temperature between 78° and 81° depending on how I feel. I'm guessing the cost would be $300+ a month running both full time at 80° and I also always have a fan running. If I move having a mini-split would be a plus. I've been told if I ran a solar system that I purchased to just run the mini-split it would be worth it but I'm not sure how long I'll be here.
Hi ER, thank you so much for sharing your expenses. It’s very interesting to compare. Our home is 1250 ft.² and we do have our pool pump running 8 to 10 hours a day, so it seems like our electric bills are very similar. we keep ours at 80° and we always have a fan running in the rooms that we are in. It sounds like you’ve done an excellent job being frugal with your expenses. Congratulations that’s awesome. 😄👍
@@theretiredlifewithsteve The pool pump is a necessity in the desert with all our wind. It is important to enjoy where we live. There aren't that many places in the high desert with inground pools except at high end homes and new Airbnb's. Yucca Valley has a community pool but you need to apply every year and not everyone is accepted.
Just as important is what you’re not spending money on. You rarely eat out, no expensive hobbies and just occasional travel. So I think you’re living pretty conservatively.
$8.14 for a Big Mac is expensive. Cashier at our local Walmart grocery market mentioned they sell out of 2/3 of most the stores basic groceries by 1 pm daily. "Not too many of our customers are eating out anymore."
Good point CD! 👍
Yeah, that is totally insane. 😳😲🤪
Thank you for the video. I was watching with my 6-year-old granddaughter, while she was painting pictures, but she was also watching. She asked me, "why are his eyes so cute?" I told her because you have nice eyes and are a happy, friendly person.
lol that is so sweet. Thanks for sharing that with me Sharon! 😄👍
I live in western NY. I have been a widow for a year so things have changed a lot. My food is maybe 125-50 a month. Gas for house about 60 on balanced billing. City owned utilities so about 55 a month for total electric, water, sewer, garbage and recycling. Taxes are about 2000 a year. Have state assistance that pays school taxes. No tv have free Roku. No newspapers or subscriptions. Incredible library with even a large selection of cheap books to buy. No charge for library card. Tracfone so about 15 a month. Land line and internet about 60 a month. Eating out is lunch at fast food or inexpensive restaurants with friends or just coffee at someone’s home. Cheap hobbies. Have a cleaning lady a couple hours a week. Need to use a walker to get around so need help otherwise I would do it myself. Lawn care by an individual who works pretty cheap. Snow plowing in winter probably big expense if we have a lot of snow. Entertainment is reading, seeing friends, computer, gardening when able. Great life without a lot of frills. Very small clothes budget. Do give moderate to more expensive gifts, church donations. Hubby and I used to travel but not by myself. Usually only need car gas once a month or so. Stores, Drs ect only about 4 miles away. Have savings that I don’t need to dip into, and a nice home I could sell if necessary. Feel very blessed and fortunate.
Yes 👍 keep doing a monthly expense video. I follow a couple other bloggers including the channel you mentioned. And they do monthly expense breakdowns every month. Enjoy the channel. With you 2 being seniors. Check with phone , water, garbage, and county property tax assesor for senior discounts. I’m in California and i know they give those types of discounts once you hit 65.
Thanks for the heads up. I had no idea they gave senior discounts on utilities like that. I will check those out. 😄👍
@@theretiredlifewithsteve 😉 good luck. In my city they give 15% off water. 20% off garbage. Property tax 15% and I have t mobile and they offer 55+ phone 📱 plans. Hope you’ll find offers in Palm Springs.
Yes, Steve! Southern California IS expensive. 😂 And some places are doing their best to carch up. If my electric bill is ever $500 a month, I won't have enough left for the rest of the bills. And they are talking about a huge increase. 😢 Good luck to us all. We are all going to need it. 🙏
Hi Marlene, yes, it does seem like they are all totally out of control right now for some reason! 😳😲🤪
I didn't fo this before, but think I will start keeping a total like you do. Interesting to see it written down. And I can plan better. Thanks for sharing this, guys ! I'm going to start today
That’s awesome Tigger. I was surprised how helpful it is when I started doing it myself. 😄👍
Interesting video. Our bills don't run as high but we're in Florida. Our home owners insurance is quite expensive. I'm going to look at our monthly bills. Thanks.😊
With all of the hurricanes and flooding that you guys get, I’m surprised you can still get homeowners insurance at all. We are similar with all the fires and earthquakes we get! 😳🙁
@theretiredlifewithsteve My homeowners insurance has been grandfathering us in. They don't write anymore policies here in Florida. It's just a nightmare situation. Some people have no homeowners insurance anymore. It just costs too much. Plus, the political climate here doesn't seem to help.
I am interested in the tax rates. Our county sales tax is 5%, then, we have a special local option sales tax of 2% for schools. Our school taxes are high because we are a small rural county. We have 1 high school a volunteer fire dept. with a few salary employees.
Thanks for sharing Belle. I will try to remember to mention our sales tax rates in the next month end video. 👍
Good day Steve &Jim. I hope you guys are doing good. Everything is expensive here.
Thanks, Rebecca and the same to you. 😄👍
Hi Steve and Jim interesting thanks for sharing ❤ California is pretty pricey but maybe your area isn’t to bad. But still higher than the mid west region ❤
Hi Jackie, I didn’t realize how expensive it was here until I started reading some of the comments. Viewers who are living in other states are pay substantially less for almost everything it seems. 😲
Water and electric in West Virginia is one of the highest in the US. On the other hand, property taxes are low, $1,100 a year.
$3200 a year for us with the Prop 13 limits. Car insurance is about $1100 per vehicle, no accidents nor tickets.
Thanks for sharing Rick. Sounds like they might balance each other out. 👍
Both of those are pretty low compared to us, Casanova! 👍
Hi Steve and Jim,I live here in Phoenix metro area so you know my aircon is on all the time,just got my bill on 31 Aug and it's for 170.40 for the month not bad,I keep it at 80 degrees all the time and use ceiling fans and I have sun screens on all windows,I'm very comfortable
That is incredibly low Teri! You are very lucky to have such low rates ! 😳😄👍
We have one hard-to-get-filled prescription in the US. We park at the Q casino and walk over to Mexico and are surrounded by retirees and the under-employed heading over getting their prescriptions filled for cheap, Dental, and some medical treatments there.
Thanks for sharing that with us Casanova. My mom used to do that with her retired friends too. 😄👍
80 degrees it’s hotter than blazes here in central Florida and we keep our thermostat at 75 during the day and no higher than 74 during the night and we have a 2800 sq foot house and was $370 last month.
Omg Ed, you are very lucky to have such low electricity rates. Congratulations. 🥶😄👍
Hi Steve. Do you have an electric dryer and stove/oven? Also your in ground swimming pool filter probably uses about $100 a month to run. Many people have gas dryers and stoves so it is hard to compare. I do agree that $500 is definitely a lot for an electric bill.
Hi Ted, very good point. I should have been more specific about that. We have a gas dryer and gas stove. We have new pool pump that’s supposed to be incredibly efficient, but it does run eight hours a day so I’m sure that’s a big portion of the bill. There are so many variables from person to person and house to house that it really is difficult to compare apples to apples. When I do this again at the end of next month, I will definitely be more specific about things like this. Thanks for the heads up and feedback. 😄👍
We live in Texas and we also still have a mortgage and live in a big house, which we are getting ready to downsize. Mostly because maintaining it is becoming a chore and is also expensive. I know we will save on most utilities when we do this. Home insurance is going through the roof. It’s blamed on the cost of having Storm/ Hurricane risks. I don’t know all our household cost as my husband takes care of some but last month our electric was $470, our gas was $77, Mud tax which is water, sewage, trash pick up was $110. Our pool cleaner is $240 a month, gardener is $240 a month although it’s really $60 per visit as he doesn’t come every week depending on weather and needs. We cancelled cable and only stream now. We have Prime, Fubu and apple tv. I don’t know those costs as my husband deals with those along with the internet. Our cell phones are on our son’s plan as he gets a deal through his work. We pay him $90 a month. We used to be around $150 a month before that. Gas for the car varies, but I’d estimate $45-$60 for me and maybe double for my husband as he drives more. We also pay $40 a week for our dog’s daycare. He doesn’t go every week depending on the weather.
Hi Tartan, thanks so much for sharing those figures. It’s interesting to compare with different areas. Some of your fears seem very so much ours. That surprises me since another person from Texas shared there expenses, and they were much much less than ours. So I guess different areas in Texas have different rates for everything. I’m planning to do a video soon about downsizing to smaller homes after you retire. We definitely downsized before we retired. I’m glad to hear you mentioned that, since not many people have mentioned it in the comments. 😄👍
Steve, hi..! My cell is $55 a month, water is $38/month, electric, highest this summer, was $215. It's all pretty reasonable. I told you before that we go from approx $2.60 to $2.90 for gas, roughly. My dvr box is $15 and change. Internet/wifi is $50. We hear all the time that its very expensive to live in California. I couldn't afford to live there. At least not really comfortably. I come out, with everything, including groceries, to about $12 to 1300 per month. Not bad
That really is incredibly low tigger! We are just incredibly high in California lol! Either way, you are very lucky! 😄👍
We have Spectrum for internet and recently switched our cell phone service to them. Spectrum uses the same cell network as Verizon, but we now pay $30 per month for both our cell phones. I wish you would mention what city you live in and the square footage of your home to. get a better idea of your electricity costs. We have a 1200 square foot condo in Palm Springs and last month we hit a record of about $530, but we have an EV, so that includes the equivalent of our "gas" expenses. It's also been an extremely hot summer with temps often at 110 and above. I'm assuming you have no mortgage as you didn't mention it, if so congrats on that.
Hi T, thanks for the heads up. We have spectrum too! We will have to check that out and see if we can switch our cell phones over too. Sorry about not mentioning the city. I must’ve forgotten on this video. I usually start all my videos with. Hi, this is Steve Palm Springs. we also live in the city of Palm Springs and our home is 1250 ft.². We don’t have electric vehicles, but we do have a pool and the pool pump runs 8 to 10 hours a day, so that’s probably equivalent to the electricity you’re putting into your cars lol. 😳 And yes, everything is paid off. Thanks for sharing and thanks again for the reminder. It’s always mentioned where we live in the square footage of our house. It definitely helps on videos like this to be able to compare. 😄👍
Have you tried UA-cam TV Steve? I was tired of all the fees I had with directv and the price continually going up so I tried a trial period of UA-cam Tv and a trial period of Hulu’s comparable service and stayed with UA-cam TV for about $72 versus almost $180 I was paying with DTV. No separate boxes needed just a smart tv or firestick and DVR is built into the service.
Hi Jerry, we kind of looked into it, but we don’t have a smart TV. I also didn’t know that DVR was built into it. Thanks for the heads up. We will have to look into it again. 😄👍
@@theretiredlifewithsteve The Amazon Firestick will have the app on it if u decide to try it out. And the stick is only about $30. As long as your tv has an HDMI input I think it would work. 👍🏻
We went with the YOU TUBE cheaper service and Roku. Saves a ton of money for better service. ROKU adaptors are $19 for any TV and completely legal, no monthly additional cost.
We never realized that Medicare isn't free, it's deducted from Social Security. Also, their are further out-of-pocket expenses like a essential PPO supplement and additional coverage parts. It's worth it and better than the dual coverage premium healthcare we had. It's the Willie Wonka Golden Ticket when you roll into the ER. Starbucks hit $8.12 for a large simple coffee and a just-thawed donut that looked like someone sat on it so that's the first expense we cut. Home is paid off, electricity is solar and we drive an EV charged with that solar.
I know, right? I didn’t realize that about Medicare until after we retired too. 😳 thanks for the laugh about Starbucks. 😂 I just can’t imagine why anybody would pay more than a dollar for a cup of coffee! 😲 congrats on your house and for planning very wisely for retirement. Sounds like it is really paid off. 😄👍
Here in Maryland our monthly expenses for my partner and I run about 3000.00.
Thanks for sharing that N. That sounds very reasonable. 😄👍
After searching all over the US for a place to build or buy a home, we decided to pay the premium that comes with settling in New York. We are from the general region and wanted to stay where we know would fit in.
Glad you found your purple place Lee! 😄👍
I have 2000 sq ft in La Quinta & my electric is $400 per mos in summer set @ 80. I have IID
Hi Joe, wow you are very lucky. I heard that it was a lot cheaper down there. Our house is half the size of yours and we keep ours at 80° too. $550 a month this summer for electric! 😡
Suggestion. Shop and hit the gym from 5-8 pm and your electric will only be $250 max. Huge surcharges on the bill during 5-8 pm
Hi John, we actually turned our AC off between 5 and 8 PM for about a month and it saved us about $20! 😩 If you are saving that much, then you must be living in a different area than us. We are in Palm Springs, California. Thanks for sharing with us. Congratulations. Sounds like you got the jackpot there. 😄👍
Great video
Thanks!
Paying for all the streaming services we all have is getting a bit ridiculous. Why can't everything be in one place. That would save a bunch of money for all of us. I pay for Peacock and my Twitch subscriptions. Soon I'll be paying for Hulu. My cellphone bill is $60 a month. Adulting is so much fun.🤣
Hi Jody, I know, right? Adulting definitely makes you long for the good old days when you were a kid, living at home with someone else paying all the bills. We had no idea how lucky we were at the time lol! 😂👍
My phone bill is $30 a month for my cell phone my electric runs about $65 a month I have Somerset Rural Electric also known as REA I told you before how I shop at the different stores my taxes break down to approximately 50 a month and again I live in a small community in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania but I think California does run a lot more than others from what I've seen and what I've heard in our gas for the car is about 3.69 gl. My internet and TV is $59 combined I have DirecTV and it includes my internet I got that about 10 years ago at a lock in car insurance is approximately $15 because I have it in a lockdown position ever since my husband died it has not been driven I just keep a little bit of insurance on it in case someone hits it I have my own well I'm going to need to fill my propane tank for gas for the stove probably once a year yeah y'all pay more than I do
Omg Debbi, you are so lucky. I had no idea that other states had such low prices on everything. Or the California was really that much more expensive than everywhere else lol! 😳😲
@@theretiredlifewithsteve yeah I live in a small community in Pennsylvania and things are not hi is what I see in California by no means an example I just went to a store called Roof Garden they have a little butcher place in there they have an actual butcher I got four prime rib steaks with the bone cut to order an inch thick I'll forward them together was almost 4 lb and it was $30 which is cheaper than what is in the grocery stores now some may think that that's too much to pay and no I don't buy them everyday but if you stop and think about it it's an actual butcher he knows what he's doing and the meat is excellent now we was going to go to Jersey Mike's our little town areas getting one of those but they haven't opened yet and if you think about it if you go and get a sub from Subway they were only $15 a piece cuz half the time the app don't work that they tell you to use but in the long run I'm getting more than one meal out of it has one steak will make me two meals so if you think about it that's enough steak for 8 meals it averages $3.75 for the meat per meal sometimes you have to sit and work it out but I think I did pretty good in the long run
Here in Maryland property taxes are only paid once a year I never had to pay property taxes but I do know about before 2000 to rent a house or apartment was cheap now days the rent and or mortgage is through the roof ! Here in Baltimore City if you own a house and you miss your water bill payment the city will forclose on your property food prices are high depending on where you shop
Yikes, that’s awful Tanya! 😲
Cars paid off home paid off makes a huge difference
It sure does Jeff 😄👍
Cell service in CA doesn’t have to be so expensive. Both big carriers can be expensive but own resellers: at&t (cricket) and Verizon (visible). We have a backup phone from Visible for $25mo that includes unlimited talk/text/data with hotspot for one device. And there is a reseller US Mobile that has a $10mo plan with (choice of carrier from big 3) 2gb data, unlimited talk & texts (or under $20 for 10gb data). The point is you need to shop around ever couple of years. PS: you didn’t list cost for medical insurance (even Medicare Part B has a premium). Car insurance in CA is crazy.
Hi Karin, thanks for the heads up on that. We’ve never shopped around and we definitely should. Our medical insurance is paid for by Jim former employer. We are very luckily that we don’t have that expense. At the end of this month, I’m going to redo our monthly total and include everything, even the one time a year payments they get divided per month. There were quite a few items I didn’t include so I will do that at the end of this month. 😄👍
Wow. My electric (in SC where it's pretty darn hot) is $150 (ish) and that's with the air on 72 and I have an inground pool, so the pump runs at least 12 hours per day. Water is $40, internet 59.95. Verizon cell phone $83. No cable or satellite. Share streaming with a couple of other people, so I only pay $10 for hulu. I use someone else's Disney plus, prime, and netflix. Garbage is around $65 per quarter. Home insurance and taxes are both around $1200 a piece per year and are included in my $600/month house payment (at 2.25% interest - which is why I'll never move. Too close to paying it off.)
Wow, you are incredibly lucky to have such low expenses Kimmie! That is awesome. Congratulations. 😄👍
Sacramento highest electric was 188 not normally that high and that's not half that is full bill. Gas like 80 a month car insurance homeowner 350 a month 2 cars full coverage and homeowners. Cell 180 but with new galaxy 24 ultra insurance and Samsung watches so not bad.
Wow, you are very lucky to have such low electric bills! 😳😄👍
Steve, it will be lighter in the morning for a while when you come off daylight savings. It will be darker in the evening on standard time. At least it is on Central time. I detest daylight savings time. If we stayed on it year round, it would be dark until 8 am in the morning during winter. 👎🏽
I am with you, Ivan, I’ve never liked daylight savings time. 😳
Our air conditioners at 72 but we live in Florida so it gets very hot
Hi guys...I don't know exactly what I pay ... probably over 1800.00. Monthly..toooo much .. LoL...I need to cut back somewhere..... happy Saturday...... take care.. Deborah 🇨🇦
That doesn’t sound too bad. Happy Saturday Deborah. 😄👍
California seems expensive. We are in Iowa, inflation has made things expensive but doable. We are not retired. We live below our means, no debt. The goal is to retire early. Our house is 1300 sqft, the highest bill this year with the air on was $188.
Speaking of the energy bill here. UA-cam mo ike isn't really friendly in editing comments. I'll try to itemize our expenses this month and going forward
Hi Sarah, that’s awesome. You sound like you are on track to have a nice early retirement. Pay attention to your bills, living below your means, and planning to add can really pay off. Congrats and thanks for sharing with us. 😄👍
California is only a dream. Texas has awful politics, but the cost of living is cheap. Our cable is 100 with basic & wifi, I’ve stuck with Xfinity for over 25 years, so I get perks. Our car insurance is cheap through Agriculture workers. (Being related to a veterinarian with Paul’s dad is a big money saver-1K for 2 cars a year.) Paul’s discounts with military USAA home insurance is a money saver too. 👍👍. Always get phone insurance.
Hi Tex, that’s very interesting to know. I guess that’s why a lot of Californians are moving to Texas. 😳👍
Yep, I bought my 4 bedroom house for 120K in 2000. Paid it off 10 years ago & paid the cars off too. That’s helps a lot. 👍😉
My expenses are usually above my budget, there are to many surprises in life, someone is always raising prices. My expenses are just to make it day to day nothing elaborate, no luxuries, not expensive trips, just for basic living, it’s a sad world we live in.
So sorry yb! 🙁
I’m not retired… Will be 55 in a couple of weeks so have a ways go go before retirement LOL. I work from home so I suspect I’ll drive more when I retire. My husband travels around the area for work so he will drive less I’m guessing
Thanks for sharing with us Lam and happy early birthday! 😄🎂👍
At least I don't have diapers in my budget yet.
lol yes, let’s hope we keep it that way as long as possible! 😲😄👍
We live in south Georgia and our E M C electric inill was 509 And my bosses was 700Hundred Redivivus crazy
Wow, I guess different areas within the state must have different rates. That’s interesting to know. Thanks for sharing. 👍
We have a 900 sq foot house. We pay less.than 100 om winter and rall om average then in the summer it shoots up to around 200. We don't pay for water pr trash removal. Our cell phones are a more than yours but we need a good amount of Hotspot and we have tablets for ourselves and the kids . Stuff is so.so.so.expensiclve
I know, right? Sounds like you are making it work though which is awesome. 😄👍
Looks like we're paying about the same. But I also eat out a lot.
Not bad, but we almost never eat out. 😄
👍
Plus an over 850 credit score helps just don't use them.
❤❤❤😅😅😅😮😮😮
in san francisco it's quadruple that
Yikes! 😳
@@theretiredlifewithsteve u were just up there u should know rents start at $4000 a month
I must be doing something wrong. I spend over 8k a month on my monthly expenses.
Wow, as long as you got the money, why not! 😳😄👍
Steve, you guys pay so much more for just about everything, it's crazy. I live in suburban Detroit and
my monthly expenses are less than half of yours. I wonder why.
Bob V.
Hi Bob, I’ve always heard the California was a very expensive place to live, but I really had no idea how much more expensive until making this video lol! 🤪 after reading all the comments, I realize we really are paying substantially more for just about everything. I thought it was just gas for our cars. Groceries seem to be the only thing that are about the same for everyone all over the country. Thanks so much for sharing your expenses. It’s really interesting and helpful to be able to compare prices and different states. And congrats on living in a much more affordable state than we do lol 😄👍
California spends $4 for every $1 that most other states spends on road maint. We pay that at the pump and registration.
@@Dive-Bar-Casanova How much of the housing costs go towards the roads?
where I Live I got an Apartment thru a Hud, they pay 2 3rds of my rent because I'm on Disability. but with mt Apartment I get Electric and Trash and water so its all one flat rate, so when I pay my Monthly rent its all included. thanks for sharing, it is interesting to see what ppl pay in other states. as always Good to see you guys. God Bless and take care. 😊
Thanks for sharing with us Shannon. It sounds like you have a great deal. That’s awesome. 😄👍
@@theretiredlifewithsteve yvw!!! My Friends.
I live on $942 and after bills I no longer can afford to get my medications nor buy food. I am being punished by our government for working only 20 hours a week and rasing a kid cause their dead beat dad refused to pay child support.
Omg, so sorry to hear that Dorothra 🙁
Enjoyed again, Jim's smart, no need to tell us your expenses, California always high, What I like about fla ,NO STATE TAX😊
Hi John, is your sales tax a lot higher though?
@@theretiredlifewithsteve 8.5