How to Live in California Without Going Broke

It’s no longer a secret. Living in California can be difficult for some folks because of the soaring cost of living. You aren’t the only one worried about how you’ll make a go of it in the land of milk and honey without struggling financially, but the following guide should help.

The Right Job

There is currently a teacher shortage in California and that means there are state-funded measures in place to help teachers afford the high cost of living. With this in mind, consider earning a California teacher credential and becoming an educator in the Golden State. The perks of teaching in California public schools also include great benefits like employer-provided healthcare and retirement pension. What’s more, being an educator is a rewarding career option that provides an invaluable service to society.

Cost-Effective Housing

Many people have gotten used to the idea that making more money permits them to start spending more on living expenses. You want to fight the urge to rent or buy a home that is more expensive just because you got a bump in your earnings. In California, with all the other costs you’ll be dealing with, you’ll want to stay where you are or downsize whenever you can. The smaller the home, the better your financial situation since these sorts of places are much more affordable. With low rent or mortgage, your money can be freed up so that you can do something else with it, such as building an emergency fund or investing in something you believe in.

Fall in Love With DIY

Another thing you’ll want to learn is how to do things on your own. No one can fix every issue with a home, but it doesn’t hurt to do most of the work yourself. You’ve got an enormous amount of information on the internet and instructional videos you can use to try to fix stuff in your home. You should call a professional when the issue moves beyond your expertise just to be safe. If you start to fix things on your own, you’ll be saving money, and it’ll prevent you from purchasing something else for your home.

Meal Stretching Smarts

In a place like California, eating out and being unable to stretch a meal is not good. This doesn’t mean you can’t eat out at all, but you’re going to want to minimize it at least until you feel a little more comfortable with your financial situation. Stretching out a meal may sound simple, but there is a bit of an art to it, so make sure you learn to do it using tutorials. For example, instead of cooking a steak and eating it in one sitting, maybe you should consider shredding that same stake so that you can eat it in various ways like in sandwiches, omelets, and tacos. These and other portion control measures are good for the body as well as the pocketbook.

Cut Your Spending

You must do your best to reduce spending. You’d be surprised how much unnecessary spending people do every day, week, or month. For example, if you have good pants that don’t have any issues, why would you consider purchasing new pants? You may also want to consider cutting things like streaming services, especially if you have one active one. Those who are still paying for a phone may want to switch to VoIP calling, which just uses your internet to make and receive calls.

These are some things you can do to live in California without facing financial hardships. This doesn’t have to be forever.  Just until you feel better about your finances in California.