Long time no see! During this quarantine, I’ve decided to get back into the habit of journaling and blogging to keep both you and me entertained. It might feel like you’ve missed a lot, and I’ll do my best to catch up. In the meantime, stay safe and keep washing those hands.
So, today is day 50 of our time in quarantine. Yesterday, I talked about living comfortably in San Diego on a military salary. Can you believe we’ve been cooped up this long? I can’t wait for it to end, but I have to admit, San Diego is pretty great with its beaches and scenery.
Back to making it work on a budget here. A big reason we can manage is my husband’s housing allowance. He gets $3,165 a month tax-free because of his rank and marital status. That extra $468 we get because we’re married means I don’t have to worry about rent.
After covering expenses like RV rent, loan payments for the RV and truck, and insurance, we still have $1,800 left from the allowance before even touching his actual salary. Some people say living in San Diego is harder than, say, living in Arizona, which also has a Marine Corps base. I see it differently.
If we lived in Arizona, our housing allowance would be $1,350. Our loan payments for the truck and RV would remain the same. Even if we found a cheaper RV park for $300 a month instead of $900, the amenities wouldn’t measure up to what we have here. We’d save on RV costs but would still only have $550 left after the allowance, compared to $1,765 here. That’s a difference of $1,215, which offsets the higher cost of living in California. Other than the high gas prices (which are lower on base), living costs aren’t that different.
People often point to the “big three” budget items: housing, food, and transportation. In San Diego, we get $1,125 more tax-free for housing compared to Arizona. For food, we save by shopping at Mexican supermarkets and getting free veggies from the USO twice a month, which also gives us free dog food for our Great Danes. Our food budget is quite manageable at $200 a month.
As for transportation, we might drive more in Arizona and live farther from work. Here, even if gas is higher at $4 a gallon compared to $2 a gallon in Arizona, we only end up spending $50 more on gas each month. Overall, we have $1,165 more to work with living in San Diego than in Yuma, Arizona.
San Diego also has a lot of free or cheap activities. The beaches are amazing and free, Sea World offers free entry for military, hiking trails are abundant, and many museums have free days. We don’t need to heat the RV in winter either. Last weekend, we visited the harbor, saw some boats and fish, enjoyed the sand, and got a free sunburn.
Living in high-cost-of-living (HCOL) areas versus low-cost-of-living areas is really about how you handle housing and transportation. If you insist on the same living space in Manhattan as you would in Ohio or on keeping a car where parking is pricier than rent in rural areas, you’ll find it tough. For us, living in an RV means more money in our pockets instead of spending it all on traditional housing.
Because my husband makes a bit more here, we can tolerate the higher prices and occasionally treat ourselves to a nice dinner. HCOL areas can be great for increasing the difference between earnings and spending. Saving a smaller percentage of a larger salary often results in more saved money overall.
HCOL areas are commonly big cities or beautiful spots with lots of well-paying jobs. When I lived in a fancy part of Paris during high school, I could earn a high rate for piano lessons and tutoring. Even if you can’t save a ton in HCOL areas, you’re living in places people spend a lot to visit. So, take advantage of it!
I always find it surprising when friends in Paris don’t go to art shows or museums. They pay Paris prices but don’t enjoy the city. Here in San Diego, we enjoy the beach daily, own a kayak and bikes, get show tickets from military organizations, visit Sea World, and explore local parks. Every time I think about traveling to Hawaii, I remind myself, “You live in California, enjoy it here.”