Sally Redux

Traffic, crime and teen problems.

Michael

Personally I don't care much for LA but that may be because I didn't live in the beach towns when I lived there. Too much smog, too sprawling, and for me I had to drive long distances to get anywhere. However my son likes it along with many other people do so each to it's own.

Sally Redux

Oh sure. Some like it hot

Bob

Yes.

That would be a couple hours a day for a few days a week around here, if you're lucky.

If we're really lucky and we're able to get into the school district pre-school program, which is a lottery, after paying the non-refundable deposit, it would then be $2350 a year and that gets you 2 hours a day for either 3 or 4 days a week depending on age, during term time, no classes on half days or snow days and this is subsidised by the town. That's almost $10hr.

If we used a private facility, it would be double that, at least, though most places will be $1600-2500 a month.

Bob

Friends of ours who were researchers of a lab at one of the big hospitals that paid for childcare down at one of the bigger places down town stumped $1K towards costs a month, they still had to pay $2600 a month but this was full day care....there was a 3 year waiting list to get the kid into the place though.

GeoffM

Maybe all these wannabe immigrants should look at childcare in MA as a career prospect!

Bob

I think most of that is towards liability type insurance and licensing, it's not for teachers pay I don't think, made worse by most of the places that aren't home run requiring a masters in childhood education type degrees.

On the flip side, we've cousins up in Maine that paid a smidge over $400 a month for full time pre-school in their town.

It's why I'm a stay at home dad and squeeze working from home around the little heathens as it's barmy to pay someone else to ignore the little buggers when I could do that for free....

Pulaski

You need to move south, my friend! ..... There is a reason why there are so many New Yorkers and New Englanders down here.

Cherrysoda

Scarletino-I hear thousand oaks is pretty safe and good for families....I mean a single man may well find it boring but with kids sometimes boring is a fair price to pay for other pluses.
It may well be that your husband has some sort of job opportunity here in LA- so it is not like you can just move to some cheap town in Texas where indeed your money would go further....I am a high school teacher and I can say that I do find the teens different.Perhaps they are more compliant here but you do not feel the low level aggression you get in the UK....if your kid gets in with a good group.....I just find the teens here more respectful, compared to London teens you might encounter in shops or on the street. The weather is amazing although the sunshine can get a bit much in october when you just want it to cool off. Every city has its problems but if you can have a short commute LA can be a great place to live as long as you are making 80K as a household....there is no way we would have this quality of life on this money in London...we feel dread at the thought of ever having to return to the UK with its bleak weather all year. Every ex pat we know feels the same....a big group of us came out and none of us want to go back, even with the rubbish holiday allowance and my husband gets 4 weeks which he uses or loses...so happily we use them.

Sally Redux

Where in LA are you?

Bob

I thought CA was one of those states that you didn't lose accrued time and that if you didn't use it, it had to be paid out?

Hotscot

After 15 years in the LA area I'm dying to go back.
I consider life in the UK/Europe to be culturally far richer.

You can keep your incessant sunshine.

limeynus

Yeah, It can either be accrued to a max amount or can be paid out. But you can't lose it.

Pulaski

You're living large on $80k in Los Angeles? Interesting.
Somewhere without gangs, apparently.

Cherrysoda

That is the amount I think you need to have a perfectly nice life....but yes not much more and we lived on less than that for the first couple of years.Great life...no car payments though, no debt...but annual passes to Disney, 2 weeks holiday driving distance.....two cars....we do not feel like we struggle as we did in London.I get to stay home.What is living large anyway? We are not interested in keeping up with anyone so maybe that helps-but yes we are incredibly content living in LA-I never was one for living it large...overrated in my book....but I am one for not being near the gangs andthat for sure we are not...gangs of deer at our door is as large as it gets..oh yes and the black bear-he is quite large and living it large being 600 pounds ish....
No gangs anywhere- lovely botanical gardens down the road....so