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You ain't alone

This is a timely thread in connection with my post about relocating back to California.

I'm fortunate in that I get to keep my same job but my pay is going to stay the same since the move was elective on our end. In essence I am taking a 20% pay cut on just cost of living. It will probably be more since I'll have to pay CA state income taxes. My wife and I have talked extensively about this and we know it is going to be tough. We believe it will be worth it in allowing our kids to be closer to their grandparents and we will be closer to our friends.

We've been working on changing our lifestyle to live more frugally as we can. It also helps that we've been pursuing the Dave Ramsey style of personal finance and have been working to reduce our debt as much as possible. Once we are free of that burden, things will improve also. Debt can be crippling, especially when it is avoidable. I am making it one of my personal financial missions in life to never finance another car again.

I wish you the best in making the right decision.

I didn't take a big pay cut but I took a step down as far as duties. Went from server admin/network admin at a school district to mostly end user/desktop support for a private company.

Sometimes I miss the other side of IT, but I get to go home not stressed out to the limits and the benefits actually make up for the pay loss (which has already been recovered by now through raises anyway).

And I got to move out of Midland :D