Leaving California
I LEFT CALIFORNIA !
The recent trend of “leaving California” is interesting for me. I already left ..... back in 2003.
For one glorious year in 2002-2003 I lived in San Francisco. I lived close to the Golden Gate bridge on 3rd and Clement. It was the best of times and reflecting back so many years ago, it was a time of individual growth and adventure.
Today the “Leaving California” trend seems more political than back in my day, but very similar.
The thing I miss most will always be the iconic Golden Gate bridge.
So why did I leave?
It's very simple. I left California because after a year of adventure, I realized thinking I was cool living in San Francisco interfered with actually saving any amount of money. Even 17 years ago as a young ambitious person, I quickly realized it was way too expensive to live in California.
The rent was $1,200 per month
I rented a room, yes just a small room, with 2 other friends in a house that was built in 1903. The rent was $1,200 per month and I had the smallest area so I paid the least amount. This “house” and space we all 3 shared was above average for the city. We were the envy of all our friends. But thinking long term, how can you compare this to other cities where $1,200 a month was more than a mortgage for a 3 bedroom 2 bath house?
This was 2003, I can't even imaging what the rents are today in 2020. So I left and started my journey to financial independence. It was the hardest decision back then to leave, but it was the best thing I did at the time. And I couldn't be more happier today that I made the decision.
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Photo Credits:
Photo by Utsav Shah on Unsplash
Photo by Vital Sinkevich on Unsplash