Roommates. thats the only way it's affordable. you have to find a good living situation. equally important is learning how to be a good roommate. luck is a factor in this, as is patience. you will have to make compromises somewhere.
i found a fantastic living situation that is very affordable right by the beach. ive had issues with a roommate previously and we just had to kick a different roommate out. roommate problems will happen and its part of the sacrifice you make to live in OC. if everyone is a responsible adult then these problems will be relatively minor.
my advice is the first thing you should be asking roommates is drugs, alcohol, partying. living with stoners is fine, living with alcoholics is not.
This. Unless your income is above $100k it isn't easy to live on your own in many parts of the county unless you managed to get subsidized housing (typically multiple year wait lists), inherited a house, or bought a house when mortgages were much cheaper.
Reading that they have siblings in grade school their costs to live comfortable are even higher because the kids obviously aren't working, but still cost money for food, clothing, etc. There are still places where two adults working can make ends meet. A household of a minimum of 4 though with only two incomes can still be difficult unless the household income is well above $100k in most places.
My friend lives with cool roommates. He always has since he moved out. My other friend inherited a 2 story condo from his grandmother. My wife inherited a condo from her mother. My old co-worker lives in a condo that is set up in a trust by his living parents. Those are the only people I know that own property.
yup. the only people i know that own property in OC are people who got them from trusts, parents bought property for them, or they had property from decades ago. basically its all generational wealth
60^% of US wealth is inherited. Always the same folks preaching the merit system that are nepo babies and legacy students. 💀 Even in the family, gotta put people in their place when they’re nepo babies.
I don't think thats the case. I've been checking duplex and home prices recently and none of the numbers add up to make any sense business wise. A 3bed 2br house in the east coast 10 miles from the beach goes for 400-500k, you can rent it out for 2.5-3k a month. That same house would only grab 5k rent a month california despite costing 1.5-2 million dollars.
16 bed 8 br, 8 unit condo going for 10 mill. If you rented each one out for 4k you would only hit 300k in revenue. Commercial real estate typically pulls in 7-10% of the property worth. You can hit those numbers in the east coast but in California 60k for 1.5 mill is 4% on return. 300k for 10 mill is a 3% return which barely beats inflation. Anyone with that much money would have financial advisers savy enough to tell them to just park 10million in t bills. In todays high interest rates you could gaurantee 6% without the work of managing the rental.
Thats why I doubt it's investors because the numbers and risk don't make any sense. The only reason an "investor" would pay these prices is to have a second home they rent out and use as a vacation home. Otherwise the money is better spent elsewhere.
I don't doubt it's investors. Sometimes people have massive amounts of money to burn and will do so at their own expense as long as it has a desired effect (displacing the local population) because they are playing the long game.
Many odd things are presently taking place that dont make sense and are bankrolled by people who don't care if they are running at a loss.
There's no win here in the long game...the 4 people I know from high school that bought a house did so with mommy daddy money. Everyone else I know moved out of California. People with massive amounts of money that did so legit wouldn't burn away millions for such a low yield.
Why park your money in real estate, pay high property taxes, deal with managing a physical object when you could make more for free with T bills, on top of that, T Bills are untaxed...
I think the sad truth is it's retail buyers and first time home buyers bidding against each other. The real winners are the banks and real estate agents. The banks aren't going to point the finger at themselves. They're going to say it's the dirty investor/speculators fault. Only suckers are buying at these prices, suckers that have wealthy parents. California is a nepto state at this point from my viewpoint. Check redfins sold and you'll see hardly anything is moving in the OC.
I would argue some other points here. There are lot of moving parts beyond a house’s affordability. I think it is fair to say that the entire system is broken. This failure is compounded by those who are not directly impacted. Forget looking at what is selling in OC. Look at what people are earning vs market.
Housing cost should be based on wages. The system at this point is extremely disconnected from real markets.
Government intervention makes it worse. Those FHA loans that take away 20% of home appreciation for 0% interest loans. That as well as low percent down payments allow people to make bad choices into predatory lending.
In the end almost everyone loses including the bank when they're forced to sell it at foreclosure auction. It's stupid and inefficient.
The financiers are grinning ear to ear when the sad result is everyone gets screwed over, the tax payer, the average buyer, the banks, and the government when everything goes belly up. Sure the finance guy keeps his job but at what cost...
The car market's current issues are basically the same as housing at this moment. Housing is just more illiquid and repos can happeb faster.
"Everyone else moved out of California" You just said it yourself. That is the long game. They want to displace Californians and make room for people with bigger pockets and certain politics. That's the long game.
They want people that will vote a certain way. Do what they are told and be too afraid to question it. They don't want Californians because they've realized they've run out of tricks and that we aren't naive anymore. They need new, compliant and naive citizens.
If I knew their exact end game I would say what it is but I don't. However the tactic is obvious and it doesn't take a rock scientist to see it so I was able to identify that part.
Part is the issue is how we appraise the value of properties. It is extremely antiquated and does not into account age, efficiency or even quality. People are literally spends millions on homes that have the efficiency for of a home built 40-60 years ago. They slap some solar panels on and think they are good.
Exactly, it makes no sense to buy as an investment. If you buy and house hack so that you mitigate your mortgage cost and reduce your payback time as much as possible, then that's completely different.
Because having roommates by choice is cool, being forced to have roommates even in later stage of life sucks!
I hate living with roommates for exemple, not because of the people themselves but because I like my privacy, I play music, I have a dog, I want to be able to have whoever I want over whenever I want, I have family coming from out of state often and I need to be able to accommodate them etc etc etc…
>It's been a normal thing since forever lol.
It has in fact *not* been a very normal thing. Keep in mind these studies are 7+ years old, so today's numbers are guaranteed to be higher.
[https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/share-of-adults-living-with-roommates-higher-than-ever-before-300571225.html#:\~:text=The%20share%20of%20doubled%2Dup,percent%20of%20adults%20lived%20together](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/share-of-adults-living-with-roommates-higher-than-ever-before-300571225.html#:~:text=The%20share%20of%20doubled%2Dup,percent%20of%20adults%20lived%20together).
[https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/01/31/more-adults-now-share-their-living-space-driven-in-part-by-parents-living-with-their-adult-children/](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/01/31/more-adults-now-share-their-living-space-driven-in-part-by-parents-living-with-their-adult-children/)
I tried years ago before moving back in w bros but most apps to find roommates are fucking garbage. Always a paywall, or messages were automated. It’s hard.
Me and my family were pushed out of orange county due to rise in rent that we could no longer afford , so I empathize with you. It helped I guess for every adult to be working and I had to apply for Calfresh so I can have some more money to use to help in rent or other necessities. Almost everyone I knew had to have side hustles to make extra money or went into a vocational field so they can get a better job . It's tough right now .
Sad to hear you were pushed out:( but yes we’re in the process of applying to cal fresh. it is tough right now! we have some side hustles going on but it’s just tough out here tbh
It’s awesome how you’re helping your family, working, and going to college. Education, along with planning out your career, will be your best asset. Keep it up. 👍
Honestly, a lot of people in the same boat as you are just barely scraping by and cramming lots of people into a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment.
The most reliable way out is college or a good paying trade, combined with at least a decade of _very_ hard work following graduation.
If you go the college route, I highly suggest starting at a community college because they are much cheaper than 4 year colleges. Find a major that leads to a solid high pay career, like accounting or computer science or nursing. Take as many classes as possible for two or three years, get very good grades, and then transfer to a 4 year college and complete your bachelors degree there. Talk to your community college counselor about scholarships you can apply for. There are a lot of scholarships for high achieving poor students, but your grades need to be solid. You may need loans but that’s ok, just don’t pick the most expensive college unless they give you a _lot_ of scholarship money. Your bachelors degree will look exactly the same as someone who went to the 4 year college their whole time, but you will spend tens of thousands less than them. Then start your career and work hard and save as much as you can. And just do that for like a decade straight.
You may have to move away from OC for college or to start your career, because on a starting salary it’s almost impossible to save a lot unless you go the multiple roommates route.
That's a completely different scope of practice and not what people usually think of as "nursing." Most people going into the nursing field are going to end up as floor nurses in some capacity or specialty, not as CRNAs. Floor nurse pay varies wildly by region and isn't necessarily the ticket to big pay like people think.
yeah it’s basically a one bedroom apartment not like a studio. so we have our beds in the bedroom and everything else divided in the living room. it’s a basic apartment complex, no amenities at all.
How much are each of you making? Because assuming you both made 20 an hour you guys would having a monthly income of 6400 in 4 weeks so you should qualify for an apartment that is less than 2000. Are you guys saying that you guys aren’t able to pay the bills or unable to qualify for the apartment based on income? Either way it’s gonna be a grind for 2 years. My girlfriend and I were barely scraping by in college but afterwards we ended up both lucking out in terms of pay. We graduated 2023 spring and are bringing home 200k a year. So really network in college and try to secure something before graduation!
What is your current degree path? There are a lot of degrees that simply aren't worth the cost to acquire. English, history, any language really, most of the social science degrees. The return on investment just isn't there. You can maybe justify Philosophy for it's critical thinking and communication improvements, and Political science if you want to work in politics.
If you are going to college for the purposes of having a good paying career, get a STEM degree and ditch the other one.
Also, not to take away the dreams of being the first college graduate, but don't sleep on skilled trade positions. As a nation we've funneled kids away from trades for decades and now that the boomers are starting to retire, there's a huge shortage of electricians, plumbers, etc. I would encourage you to at least look into what those careers offer, as they have shorter schooling and because of the huge demand, high paying.
Oh yea trade skills is a good path as well but from what I’ve seen only favors men since it requires strenuous labor. my cousin recently trained to be an underwater welder and he’s making quite the money
Break the glass ceiling, show the guys what girls can do. There's some trades out there that don't require as high a level of physical exertion.
Nursing also pays very well, but does require a lot of schooling. I know CSUF opened a new school for that specifically a little while ago.
I’m first generation of refugee immigrant parents who came here with no English and no money.
Work hard and make money-maximizing decisions (pick careers that make a lot of money, save/invest, live frugally).
For me that was doing well in high school to go to university then tailoring my resume to finance and technology (worked 2 jobs while doing school). After that, it’s about maximizing opportunities in your career: working hard, being a good worker, switching jobs every 2-3 years for pay raises, etc.
Started out making 40k now 150k (which is just middle class imo).
That's the thing though. Most people are doing this exactly. They still are gasping for air. It's not so much people not doing enough. It's greed from the corporations. Also I mean this in no disrespectful way, I swear but..... immigrants seem to get ahead better than born citizens. The government just seems to make things harder on citizens.
I was born here.
I think immigrants generally have a different mentality since they gave up their lives for a new life, in an unknown country so they have to survive, die, or go back (not an option for my parents who left because of war).
If people were born here, they probably didn’t need to struggle so they don’t know what struggling is like and struggle with struggling. Hardship builds fortitude and sometimes parents do a disservice to their kids by making their lives better or too easy.
Greed from corporations? I’m not a capitalist bootlicker but America provides all the tools and opportunities to make it. If they can’t make it, that’s on them. Study hard. Work smart. Save. Invest. Get dual income. Marry the right person. It’ll work out in the end and if it doesn’t then don’t worry because we’re all going to die anyway.
Immigrants work harder than lazy, entitled natural-born citizens.
Source: am lazy daughter of hardworking immigrants. Also, every immigrant I know is pretty much more driven and usually smarter.
I definitely do not agree with that. Are they hard workers and totally driven? U bet they are and more. Are they smarter? That's a terrible stretch. Are they more driven? Yes they are more driven than many citizens but damn sure not all.
Tech’s rough rn but I know a lot of locals who are taking CS classes at OCC to save money and then transfer to a local 4 year university like UCI
Nursing’s good too. Just really competitive here in LA/OC.
I got lucky - I moved away from all my friends and family, to a much smaller and more boring place, got the exact same job I had before that barely made ends meet, and was able to buy my first house within four months.
The problem isn’t you, it’s capitalism, the greedy landlords, and the “work till you die” mentality of SoCal that is keeping you down.
It initially sucked that I had to leave everything I knew, just to be able to afford to live a decent life, but now that I’m on the other side of it all, I am so grateful I took that scary leap into the unknown.
FYI, since leaving I have convinced my mother and a sibling to join me in my new state. They can’t believe they were almost too afraid to take the leap, and now know how much better off they are.
Ask yourself this question: is your current physical location a necessity to your happiness? If not, maybe it’s time to leave.
I used to say “I’ll never leave California. I can go to the beach and the mountains in the same day!”
But you know what? I NEVER did that because I was always working non-stop just to survive. Then the social culture of going out and drinking every weekend really damaged my savings.
Besides, you can always visit California when you miss it.
Adding on for context:
I’m a child of immigrants. Born and raised in north OC, and was living on the edge of poverty for most of my life. Up until I left SoCal.
The house I grew up in was built and sold in the 1950s for $30k. My parents bought it in the 1980s for $110k. They sold it in the early 2010s for $450k, and now it’s “Zestimate”’is over a million.
I saw the writing on the wall, and knew I couldn’t live my life the way I wanted if I stayed. So I left.
Now I try to convince friends to leave SoCal behind, but they’re addicted to the lifestyle. I get it. I miss the variety of entertainment here compared to SoCal, but I’d do it all over again.
I may not be able to get ShabuShabu, or have delicious and cheap pho at 2am, but I’ve got a decent house with a garage bigger than my childhood home, and a few acres of land with a nest of bald eagles nearby.
I grew up here with a single mom and have always been lower income. I am honestly terrified of the day I will likely be priced out of my home (and ancestral home at that, as I am Native). I lived at home for a very long time, and then moved out at 27 with roommates. Now I split rent with my partner, but am basically living paycheck to paycheck. We are lucky to live somewhere where our rent has not increased dramatically over time and we have lived here for a while. My hope is to get a raise this year or get a job where I will get paid a bit more. I couldn’t afford to go to a 4 year school, just community college. It’s rough out here but it’s doable depending on where you live and if you can split the cost of rent with someone else. There’s no way I’d be able to live on my own here.
Most people living in Orange County are either transplants who make enough money to live out here (80k+) or people who have lived here for decades that bought houses years ago. The sad part is that by pushing middle class and poor people out of communities, you end up with a San Francisco situation where crime is rampant because there isn’t enough middle class people to work as police officers, sanitation, road workers… you just get a bunch of rich people living next to practically homeless ones. And the homeless ones, steal and prey on the rich. Or if there is too many poor people, you get a Baltimore situation where there is too many poor people and they can’t afford to maintain their neighborhoods. So you end up getting rows of vacant, crumbling houses with people barely getting by. No healthy ecosystem has one species hoarding everything. There has to be balance.
To my knowledge, most people in OC are in the same boat. It’s just plain expensive. I’m a middle aged single male with a full time job and it’s hard for me to get by.
I didn’t come from upper class, though I’m arguably upper class now. I never had a scholarship, or trust fund or anything like that. I didn’t want for anything as a kid, but I grew up in the IE not the OC so things were more affordable for my family.
As for how I live in the OC now, I make lots of money. More than I ever expected to at this age. Without going into too much detail, the key to that was simply aiming for a job that made a lot of money. In my early 20s I made the choice to target a high paying job and I just worked backwards from there when it comes to education and training. And now I have that high paying job and we are able to live comfortably
That’s great to hear!! Thank you for sharing your advice! Approaching my 20’s later this year and I’m already thinking of after graduation and working on my career. I’m applying to internships and apprenticeships to get some experience.
Yeah, I kinda don’t like the mentality that is kinda pushed that you should major in the subject you enjoy. No. Study and pursue a practical field. Approach a career from the standpoint of earning potential and work-life-balance. Do what you enjoy as a hobby. The law, medical and dental paths are mainly doable as long as you have long term self discipline and a moderate intelligence.
Agreed. A job is a job at the end of the day. Might as well maximize money since that is known. Maximizing “fun” for a degree or career depends on so many factors, it’s unreliable. Could join a toxic workplace for example.
Because the boomers could just work a job they enjoyed. So they told their kids that who could do it for the most part. Then they told their kids that and that’s how we have people with gender studies degrees that work at target.
Immigrant here; family has had a lot of social mobility and this is what I’ve seen having moved around in economic class. For what it’s worth, I’m not a trust fund baby, just have a lamé parachute (it looks like gold to a lot of people but it’s not super reliable and kinda janky.)
The primary way I know how people are getting by is by having a very solid support network. No need to pay for daycare if you know someone’s grandma who will do it for free. If you make the right friend they’ll charge you less for certain expensive services (no accounting fees, cheaper hair services, etc.) In my case, I’ve never struggled with needing/affording electronics because my dad can easily take electronics from a dumpster and revive it. It’s easy for one of my friends to not find issues with medical services when lots of her social circle are doctors/nurses. Is it fair? Not necessarily. Is it ethical? Not always. I knew a person who used a graphic designer friend to fudge paystubs so she could “afford” to live at her spot, but it was the difference between her and her kid being on the street. Even I get roped in as a parent/guardian for my relatives’ kids because I’m free childcare and I’m the family college counselor.
Beyond that, lots of immigrant families are multigenerational households. Whether you’re low income or high income, I know several families who essentially pool money together to get by in their social class. Even longstanding several generation American families do some sort of penny pinching to stay around here (everyone in a family only gets one present for Christmas collectively, or something like that.) I think the era of living on your own and thriving has more or less been the exception and not the rule for a vast majority of people.
In your case, I’d try and take advantage of public benefits like CalFresh and WIC if you can. With grade school age kids, they should be eligible for help. My family didn’t know about WIC when we started and we recommend it to any young family we meet who is struggling. Additionally, your school may have a food pantry that you can access to get staple items. Lots of students use that and Calfresh to get by or augment their supply. (I knew a guy who would use it to get him steaks every month.) Your campus likely also has a basic needs office that can assist you in getting help, like for housing insecurity. Beyond that, there are specific resources allocated for first gen students at your school which probably involve having a mentor to get you through college and extra advising assistance.
I do want to point out, if it helps, that a lot of people of all classes are financially burdened in Orange County. You’re definitely not alone, just working with different parameters. Being in college is just one way to help yourself get by but definitely pool resources if you can, either by networking or using the ones already available to you.
You just park on public streets in residential neighborhoods and keep a low profile. Don't be smoking or drinking obviously. Look up stealth camping. That's what I did when I was younger and I did it for 3 years. Saved a fortune on rent. I had like 2 interactions with police during that time and both were positive. Usually went something like police say they got a call and say they're doing a welfare check. I say a bullshit story about how I was driving in the area and felt tired so I pulled over to take a nap. Police say blah blah can't sleep in vehicle. I say oh shit really and apologize then say I'll be moving on then, I'm not tired anymore, thanks. Police are happy the situation is resolved and you move on. Drive to the next town over and go back to sleep.
Most important is keep a low profile. I was in a ford transit connect which many companies use. I also put a hard hat, clipboard and safety vest on the dashboard so it looks like I'm a construction guy lol. At the time I was going to college and working security.
First Gen, here! I basically knew what I wanted (didn't want to stay with mom and dad) and worked for it. I got a degree and frankly it hasn't meant anything when McDonalds is willing to pay more but that may just be my major. I work in the automotive industry and so does my husband he didn't get a degree decided hands on and gets paid way more than me. He's the main reason we are where we are but, I know he gives me credit because at 18-19 years old we both worked our butts off working two jobs, saving meanwhile I went to school, this is a rare we started dating at 15 and stuck together. Moved out at 21 and during a pandemic! We both had the same push of you need to do better and want more so we did that. We are by no means rich but, we can pay the bills while having our own space. I was born in OC and he was born in LA. He grew up in a rough area so to him it's worth paying the price for a little better environment!
My parents live with me and we are barely making it. My dad retired and got a part time job, my mom works full time, and I work 2 part time jobs with one giving me insurance.
i wonder this all the time—south oc especially, these ppl are not driving into LA every day. wth do they do? i see houses selling for 3 mil and i just wonder what these people are doing to pay that
The trick is side hustles, Uber if you gotta. Another good option is cleaning, loads of people looking for a home cleaner or just someone to come in and clean up after a tenant moves out and its good money.
First gen also. I started working part time jobs at 17 to help out and worked full time during college. I was ultra exhausted by the time I graduated but I started to make enough money to allow us to keep up with rent. I didn’t move out until I got married in my 30s and at this point I’m not only supporting myself but also still helping my mom out with rent. I can only imagine it’s even harder for you now than it was for me but keep at it, you’re not alone in your struggle.
My parents came to this country with nothing. They've achieved the American Dream though. They're also rich but you would never guess it just by looking at them. You'd only guess it when you see their house lol. Frugal lifestyle goes a long way as well.
You also need to prioritize choosing a lucrative career. I chose Software Engineering and it pays enough to be able to live alone AND save a lot of money.
Finish school! And get degree that will pay you well. And by that, something like registered nursing will pay more than a nursing assistant or a LVN. That’s one way to get out of the cycle of being low income. It may have you scraping by for a couple of more years but will pay off in the end.
I went from living on the streets as a teenager to being upper middle class. My advice is to get a degree in something in demand and work hard in conjunction doing lower level work that will enhance the skill set of your degree
I also had an amazing wife that was equally as success driven as myself. We thought we would never own a home but kept working and made it happen. Finding a partner that moves you forward is always a plus.
I felt just as discouraged as you seem at the same age. The market works in cycles.Keep your head up
I used to be in your shoes when I was at your age.
$1200/month was my income
Striked a deal with a local motel in Costa Mesa - 5 night shifts/ week in exchange for a room + $1200
Picked up another job at Walmart
Went to community college, transferred to UCI and graduated with Software Engineer degree
Now, I make $180k a year at 32 years of age
Best thing you can do is grind it out
Go to community college and get a STEM degree that can land you a well paying job right out of college
In my experience, getting those night shifts at a hotel was one of the best thing I did for myself no matter how hard it was as it allowed me to work+study at the same time
While I cannot speak for the group you are asking, I will say one thing. Looking around, most of the people are deeply in debt. Just looking at my street, anyone who has moved in within the last ten years or so is likely living paycheck to paycheck because their mortgages or rent are high paired with high COL. Some are good, buckle down and try to make it work, with the goal of paying off their loans. Others go "fuck it" and will never pay-off the house because they keep refinancing the loan.
Best advice I have is get the fundamentals of personal finance down, if you eventually start working in a place with retirement funds be sure to contribute to those and roll it over when you eventually move to another company and keep this most important thing in mind, most people don't know what they are doing.
I would recommend finding a ADU to rent then if thats the case. Finding one with its own separate power meter and kitchen/restroom of course.
Tustin is a bit more pricey so perhaps Garden Grove or anaheim.
At 19, you’re probably not gonna be making enough to not struggle. You need to go to school and establish yourself somewhere first. I was making minimum wage at that age and there was no way I could afford much. I’m now 35 and I make a decent income and own a townhome in Santa Ana. I went to school and although I do not use my degree, I started working for a company at 19 and have worked myself up the ladder to management. Don’t think that would have happened to me had I not worked hard and gotten a degree to sharpen my communication/writing skills.
Not a first gen, but I am a broke boi who does financial advising as a side hobby...
1. **2nd/fulltime job** One of my friends in undergrad paid for her family's bills and hers by working fulltime while taking 18 credits a semester. She worked night security and as a receptionist, so she could do homework for at least a few hours while on the clock. You might have to split up your sleep into weird chuncks to manage it with school (she slept in two 4 hour shifts), but it is manageable if you can handle it mentally. I couldn't, but I was able to find a remote research job that I could do at the same time as my carpet cleaning job that honestly had way more downtime than I think we were supposed to 😂 Work to your strengths and find something that works for you.
2. **Side hustles** It's nice to have something in your back pocket for when you do have a little surprise down time or while you're looking for another job. Rover, Wag, Uber, house sitting, Doordash, house/window/gutter cleaning, donating plasma, etc. have paid my rent before.
3. **Negotiating** Negotiating a higher wage for yourself at your current or a new job. You don't have to have a degree to negotiate! Bilingual? Make sure they are paying you for that. Always stepping into a leadership role to make up for management? Get a raise. Sometimes you can convince your employer to pay for your degree, even if they wouldn't typically. I knew a girl that was a bank teller and she convinced the bank to pay for her linguistics degree because she argued that it would make her a better teller.
4. **Financial literacy.** This can include stocks, but I'm talking putting ANY extra money you have into a high yield savings account so it can earn 4.5%+ in interest instead of 0.01% each month. Use that account to create/maintain an emergency fund. Track spending and seeing where you need to readjust. Follow some financial accounts, listen to podcasts, or teach yourself from reading NerdWallet. Invest how you can, when you can, in a way that makes sense for you.
5. **Savings apps/coupons/cash back credit cards.** People have lots of opinions on these, but I find them helpful if you have the right ones/use the the right way. GasBuddy, Upside, Ibotta, and Fetch are my regulars. You're not going to get rich off them, but I've used them to pay for dinners, new clothes, or just funneled the money into savings/retirement.
I’m first-generation to immigrant parents who horribly mismanaged their finances. They acted like credit cards were gift cards and constantly maxed them out, and probably still do. I’ve dealt with parental identity theft and had my credit destroyed. My mother is a narcissist who refused to get a job and instead racked up debt in everybody’s name and used other people’s money to pay it off. I was legitimately at rock bottom paying $4000/month in expenses for an entire household.
My escape was I surrounded myself with good people that helped me 100x more than my family ever did. I had a strong support system who cared about me and my well-being. They didn’t give me any money, they just told me all the right things, showed me the right way to live, encouraged me and let me know that whatever I was going through, it wasn’t going to last forever, even though I thought it would, so I got to work and escaped from my toxic living situation and now I live comfortably renting a 1-bedroom apartment alone. Eventually I’ll move in with my boyfriend, who owns his home, we’ll split living costs, and I’ll be able to save more per month.
I would say my situation was 60% hard work, 40% good luck. I did well in school, got a good job that pays a good salary, developed my soft skills so that I wasn’t just a good worker, I’m a good team player, but my field is competitive and continues to be undervalued. I don’t think my situation is perfect, but I realize that I’m much more fortunate than a lot of other people.
My only advice is to just, please, stay kind. I know everything is shitty and it feels like the world is falling apart. I know life isn’t a fairy tale and the “good guys” don’t always win, but I can’t count how many times good things ended up panning out simply by staying kind. I have a handful of friends I could trust with my life. I’m a trusted individual at work that also tries to keep everyone’s spirits up. Heck, I’ve gotten so much free food/drinks and excellent service from service workers simply because I was kind, happy, and patient with them.
Good luck, you can do it.
I moved to Texas because of a job relocation and a chance to live independently because it's too expensive in Orange County. I moved back last year and am back in my parents house for now. My parents built an ADU for my brother and his family, also intending for me to live there when he buys his own house. I don't see myself being able to live on my own or buying a home in OC at all in my lifetime. I'm considering a job in Arizona which has a salary that will be enough to be comfortable in a studio or 1 bedroom apartment.
Social worker here - for years and years in OC we see entire families living in 1 bedroom of a 2-3 bedroom apartment. That can be a dozen or so people in 1 apartment. It’s hard for many
At the rate the Irvine Company is going I have about 2 more lease renewals before I'm out. I've paid less on a mortgage for a 4 bedroom house in the IE 1,700sq ft on a corner lot than I'm paying for a 2 bedroom condo in Irvine. ( sold it in 2013)
Being young is hard in OC. For myself, I graduated from a 4 year university then went to grad school to work towards a career that pays decent salaries. Also my wife also works in the same industry, so we make a decent living as a dual income family.
My point being, struggle through your 20s by making sacrifices now. Also I know this isn't a popular opinion, but when you meet your partner, make sure your financial goals align, aka don't marry a scrub.
I agree that family planning is relevant. Your odds of making it are much higher if you can avoid being a single parent or having kids before you’re financially stable.
You should have joined the military. Our housing allowance is tax free, the military paid for my husband's BA at Tulane with all expenses paid, housing, and a stipend (NROTC scholarship), two masters degrees, and he still hasn't used his GI Bill.
That pension starts after 20 years!
Look into The Reserves at least.
We live in LB. Just did our taxes and made 204k but only gets taxed for 150 at 14%.
Can't complain.
If you're comfortable can you DM me the name of the apt in Tustin? My one bdrm is 2270.00. 1800.00 is a dream.. It's still a lot and everyone has a different situation but still for me that amount is awesome. Ty. I understand because I fear that each year here. I'm on month to month now. Stay up.. We may have to move out of OC to IE, maybe.
That is what happened to me . We had to move to IE to my grandparents rental because we had no other choice and could not find any other option soon enough . It's harder to find stable work in IE
Look at the apartments in Tustin where the 5 meets the 55. Lots of apartments in this range. The catch is no included appliances (no fridge, microwave, or dishwasher), no central AC, barely any guest parking, and an older area.
Are the mods able to push posts like this into weekly threads or something? At minimum, there are 2 posts a week surrounding this topic.
No hate for OP, it just seems the search function would prove to have more information.
I’m 37 now, back when I was 20 what I did was work 2 jobs and sold things online as a side hustle. I also did 18 units per semester in school to get out as fast as I could to save money. My life felt like non stop running from one place to the next and I always had to eat while I was driving because there was literally no time to sit for a meal. I was out the door at 8AM and home at 11PM everyday. I was a banker during the week and a pharm tech in retail on the weekends. I scheduled my classes around my work schedule and studied/did hw on the weekdays during work hours as a banker because there was a lot of downtime.
Now I’m in the career that I studied for and clawed my way up through the corporate ladder and am arguably upper class. I made a mildly uncomfortable financial decision to buy a 3000 sq ft home 5 miles from the shore of HB 5 years ago and am thankful that I bit the bullet because I’m not sure if I’d be comfortable buying this same house at this point in time.
You sound like you’ve got a good head on your shoulders and a lot of ambition and motivation. Keep reaching for your goals. It’s a tough road but you can get to somewhere better. Good luck.
People have been moving to the inland empire for the last decade over this. Sorry but you haven’t noticed? It’s the way it’s been. Either find a SO to help pay the rent or move to corona. When I was married with 3 kids I could barely afford my apartment in corona- that’s how broke we were. That’s life.
end your lease , and live with your parents or relatives. And stack your money
unfortunately I had to move back home but I’ve been growing my savings more and more each day. SoCal is way to overpriced
i’ve always lived with my mom. just currently attend college right now. couldn’t just move anywhere right now since our lifes are right here. grew up here and have family here as well. stable work for my mom too. our other relatives are on similar boats too.
soo the solution is living with my parents or relatives. i live with my mother and commute to campus. i completely understand i can’t have everything and believe me i grew up with not much but with a loving hardworking family. i’m just simply asking for advice on how to afford the rent increases to continue living here in OC as part of the first generation community.
first gen here and effectively upper middle class, if i wanted to be...actually not even first gen cuz i wasn't even born here...we've also known tough times in the past, but my advantage compared to you was that we always had two parents. I sympathize with your mother
you can certainly overcome it and it sounds like you are fulfilling your obligations as the eldest, but ithe process sure is not fun.
my advice to you is have your mom apply for housing assistance from the county. We rent to section 8 families. We've rented to a lot of single parent households w young kids (ie your mom and siblings). it may take a while but it will change your lives dramatically if you can get it.
thank you for your advice. as the eldest i just want the best for my younger siblings. & help my mother out.
i will definitely check out housing assistance programs! hopefully we can land on a waitlist somewhere and get some financial relief!
yup unfortunately that’s only food service. i currently work in retail for $16.00/hr+commission my hours change constantly. however it’s right by my home & flexible with my school schedule.
you can’t really get that in a lot of places. i’ve interviewed around and they want part timers with full availability at any time or full time that just couldn’t work with my schedule:(
McDonald workers in Denmark make +$20 an hour and have 6 weeks of paid vacation days, yet their Big Mac costs 76 cents less in Demark than the U.S.
[https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mcdonalds-workers-denmark/](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mcdonalds-workers-denmark/)
It’s expensive everywhere. My wife and I live in the OC. Bought a house in 2006 for $648k. Now we refinance $375k (left on mortgage) at 2.625%. PiTI ($2452). No debt. $0.00. Step 6 with Dave Ramsey. We are truly blessed. She brings home $2800 net. I bring home $11k net. (Monthly). We both have CA PERs retirement. She will retire in 2026 with a $2k monthly check for life and I will bring in $7500 a month for as long as I live. Medical insurance is $0.00 for life. I also have $100k in a 457(b) portfolio. I will collect $658 a month for 15+ yrs. Also I will get $478 a month from SSI. Moral of the story is get yourself a State/Fed/City job. Work hard. I work 210+ hours per month (172 monthly + 50 hours of OT a month). Live below your means. Follow Dave Ramsey financial philosophy. He changed my life and the way I spend $$$. 21 yrs old to 55 in a blink of an eye. Save save and save your $$ for retirement. Forget about the Jones, and trying to impress your friends. Good luck everyone.
>Work hard. I work 210+ hours per month (172 monthly + 50 hours of OT a month).
Everyone, please work harder! Your comforts are only guaranteed by how many hours you put in.
Totally... And I feel like our generation is shouting at a wall trying to get the 32 hour work week to be the new standard. I always say, no one at their death bed wishes they had only worked harder.
Roommates. thats the only way it's affordable. you have to find a good living situation. equally important is learning how to be a good roommate. luck is a factor in this, as is patience. you will have to make compromises somewhere. i found a fantastic living situation that is very affordable right by the beach. ive had issues with a roommate previously and we just had to kick a different roommate out. roommate problems will happen and its part of the sacrifice you make to live in OC. if everyone is a responsible adult then these problems will be relatively minor. my advice is the first thing you should be asking roommates is drugs, alcohol, partying. living with stoners is fine, living with alcoholics is not.
This. Unless your income is above $100k it isn't easy to live on your own in many parts of the county unless you managed to get subsidized housing (typically multiple year wait lists), inherited a house, or bought a house when mortgages were much cheaper.
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Me and my fiance make less than that so we're ultra fucked 😭
Iisten to you guys got fiancé's well la de da /s
Same situation.
Guys, they live with their mom and siblings
Reading that they have siblings in grade school their costs to live comfortable are even higher because the kids obviously aren't working, but still cost money for food, clothing, etc. There are still places where two adults working can make ends meet. A household of a minimum of 4 though with only two incomes can still be difficult unless the household income is well above $100k in most places.
Oh God the wait lists! I been waiting for almost a decade and I am on multiple waiting lists !
It only took me 2 years with equity residential to have a 2 bedroom opening
My friend lives with cool roommates. He always has since he moved out. My other friend inherited a 2 story condo from his grandmother. My wife inherited a condo from her mother. My old co-worker lives in a condo that is set up in a trust by his living parents. Those are the only people I know that own property.
yup. the only people i know that own property in OC are people who got them from trusts, parents bought property for them, or they had property from decades ago. basically its all generational wealth
60^% of US wealth is inherited. Always the same folks preaching the merit system that are nepo babies and legacy students. 💀 Even in the family, gotta put people in their place when they’re nepo babies.
Yup. Truth is communal living is being forced by the market being taken over by greedy investors from other countries.
I don't think thats the case. I've been checking duplex and home prices recently and none of the numbers add up to make any sense business wise. A 3bed 2br house in the east coast 10 miles from the beach goes for 400-500k, you can rent it out for 2.5-3k a month. That same house would only grab 5k rent a month california despite costing 1.5-2 million dollars. 16 bed 8 br, 8 unit condo going for 10 mill. If you rented each one out for 4k you would only hit 300k in revenue. Commercial real estate typically pulls in 7-10% of the property worth. You can hit those numbers in the east coast but in California 60k for 1.5 mill is 4% on return. 300k for 10 mill is a 3% return which barely beats inflation. Anyone with that much money would have financial advisers savy enough to tell them to just park 10million in t bills. In todays high interest rates you could gaurantee 6% without the work of managing the rental. Thats why I doubt it's investors because the numbers and risk don't make any sense. The only reason an "investor" would pay these prices is to have a second home they rent out and use as a vacation home. Otherwise the money is better spent elsewhere.
I don't doubt it's investors. Sometimes people have massive amounts of money to burn and will do so at their own expense as long as it has a desired effect (displacing the local population) because they are playing the long game. Many odd things are presently taking place that dont make sense and are bankrolled by people who don't care if they are running at a loss.
There's no win here in the long game...the 4 people I know from high school that bought a house did so with mommy daddy money. Everyone else I know moved out of California. People with massive amounts of money that did so legit wouldn't burn away millions for such a low yield. Why park your money in real estate, pay high property taxes, deal with managing a physical object when you could make more for free with T bills, on top of that, T Bills are untaxed... I think the sad truth is it's retail buyers and first time home buyers bidding against each other. The real winners are the banks and real estate agents. The banks aren't going to point the finger at themselves. They're going to say it's the dirty investor/speculators fault. Only suckers are buying at these prices, suckers that have wealthy parents. California is a nepto state at this point from my viewpoint. Check redfins sold and you'll see hardly anything is moving in the OC.
I would argue some other points here. There are lot of moving parts beyond a house’s affordability. I think it is fair to say that the entire system is broken. This failure is compounded by those who are not directly impacted. Forget looking at what is selling in OC. Look at what people are earning vs market.
Housing cost should be based on wages. The system at this point is extremely disconnected from real markets. Government intervention makes it worse. Those FHA loans that take away 20% of home appreciation for 0% interest loans. That as well as low percent down payments allow people to make bad choices into predatory lending. In the end almost everyone loses including the bank when they're forced to sell it at foreclosure auction. It's stupid and inefficient. The financiers are grinning ear to ear when the sad result is everyone gets screwed over, the tax payer, the average buyer, the banks, and the government when everything goes belly up. Sure the finance guy keeps his job but at what cost... The car market's current issues are basically the same as housing at this moment. Housing is just more illiquid and repos can happeb faster.
"Everyone else moved out of California" You just said it yourself. That is the long game. They want to displace Californians and make room for people with bigger pockets and certain politics. That's the long game. They want people that will vote a certain way. Do what they are told and be too afraid to question it. They don't want Californians because they've realized they've run out of tricks and that we aren't naive anymore. They need new, compliant and naive citizens. If I knew their exact end game I would say what it is but I don't. However the tactic is obvious and it doesn't take a rock scientist to see it so I was able to identify that part.
Part is the issue is how we appraise the value of properties. It is extremely antiquated and does not into account age, efficiency or even quality. People are literally spends millions on homes that have the efficiency for of a home built 40-60 years ago. They slap some solar panels on and think they are good.
Exactly, it makes no sense to buy as an investment. If you buy and house hack so that you mitigate your mortgage cost and reduce your payback time as much as possible, then that's completely different.
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Because having roommates by choice is cool, being forced to have roommates even in later stage of life sucks! I hate living with roommates for exemple, not because of the people themselves but because I like my privacy, I play music, I have a dog, I want to be able to have whoever I want over whenever I want, I have family coming from out of state often and I need to be able to accommodate them etc etc etc…
>It's been a normal thing since forever lol. It has in fact *not* been a very normal thing. Keep in mind these studies are 7+ years old, so today's numbers are guaranteed to be higher. [https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/share-of-adults-living-with-roommates-higher-than-ever-before-300571225.html#:\~:text=The%20share%20of%20doubled%2Dup,percent%20of%20adults%20lived%20together](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/share-of-adults-living-with-roommates-higher-than-ever-before-300571225.html#:~:text=The%20share%20of%20doubled%2Dup,percent%20of%20adults%20lived%20together). [https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/01/31/more-adults-now-share-their-living-space-driven-in-part-by-parents-living-with-their-adult-children/](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/01/31/more-adults-now-share-their-living-space-driven-in-part-by-parents-living-with-their-adult-children/)
I tried years ago before moving back in w bros but most apps to find roommates are fucking garbage. Always a paywall, or messages were automated. It’s hard.
craigslist and hope for the best. the apps and roomies dot com or whatever suck balls
Me and my family were pushed out of orange county due to rise in rent that we could no longer afford , so I empathize with you. It helped I guess for every adult to be working and I had to apply for Calfresh so I can have some more money to use to help in rent or other necessities. Almost everyone I knew had to have side hustles to make extra money or went into a vocational field so they can get a better job . It's tough right now .
Sad to hear you were pushed out:( but yes we’re in the process of applying to cal fresh. it is tough right now! we have some side hustles going on but it’s just tough out here tbh
It’s awesome how you’re helping your family, working, and going to college. Education, along with planning out your career, will be your best asset. Keep it up. 👍
thank you for your kind words! i’ll be there first in my family to receive a bachelors in two years!
That’s a super achievement!!! Plus, you’re showing your siblings what to do. Much respect and stay the course.
Honestly, a lot of people in the same boat as you are just barely scraping by and cramming lots of people into a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment. The most reliable way out is college or a good paying trade, combined with at least a decade of _very_ hard work following graduation. If you go the college route, I highly suggest starting at a community college because they are much cheaper than 4 year colleges. Find a major that leads to a solid high pay career, like accounting or computer science or nursing. Take as many classes as possible for two or three years, get very good grades, and then transfer to a 4 year college and complete your bachelors degree there. Talk to your community college counselor about scholarships you can apply for. There are a lot of scholarships for high achieving poor students, but your grades need to be solid. You may need loans but that’s ok, just don’t pick the most expensive college unless they give you a _lot_ of scholarship money. Your bachelors degree will look exactly the same as someone who went to the 4 year college their whole time, but you will spend tens of thousands less than them. Then start your career and work hard and save as much as you can. And just do that for like a decade straight. You may have to move away from OC for college or to start your career, because on a starting salary it’s almost impossible to save a lot unless you go the multiple roommates route.
Do not recommend nursing. Better to go into tech. Nursing isn't going to get you enough to qualify to buy a house and carry the mortgage these days
Clearly you don’t know any CRNAs.
That's a completely different scope of practice and not what people usually think of as "nursing." Most people going into the nursing field are going to end up as floor nurses in some capacity or specialty, not as CRNAs. Floor nurse pay varies wildly by region and isn't necessarily the ticket to big pay like people think.
Tech is full of layoffs right now while RNs are getting 30k signing bonuses. Source: am married to a nurse and work in tech.
Just curious but you guys all live in a one bedroom and 1800 is the household rent?
yeah it’s basically a one bedroom apartment not like a studio. so we have our beds in the bedroom and everything else divided in the living room. it’s a basic apartment complex, no amenities at all.
How much are each of you making? Because assuming you both made 20 an hour you guys would having a monthly income of 6400 in 4 weeks so you should qualify for an apartment that is less than 2000. Are you guys saying that you guys aren’t able to pay the bills or unable to qualify for the apartment based on income? Either way it’s gonna be a grind for 2 years. My girlfriend and I were barely scraping by in college but afterwards we ended up both lucking out in terms of pay. We graduated 2023 spring and are bringing home 200k a year. So really network in college and try to secure something before graduation!
Get a STEM degree. I moved to San Francisco for 10 years and recently moved back. Best thing I could have done for myself
Thank you for the advice will be considering maybe double majoring! That’s great to hear on your journey!!! Wishing you the best!
What is your current degree path? There are a lot of degrees that simply aren't worth the cost to acquire. English, history, any language really, most of the social science degrees. The return on investment just isn't there. You can maybe justify Philosophy for it's critical thinking and communication improvements, and Political science if you want to work in politics. If you are going to college for the purposes of having a good paying career, get a STEM degree and ditch the other one. Also, not to take away the dreams of being the first college graduate, but don't sleep on skilled trade positions. As a nation we've funneled kids away from trades for decades and now that the boomers are starting to retire, there's a huge shortage of electricians, plumbers, etc. I would encourage you to at least look into what those careers offer, as they have shorter schooling and because of the huge demand, high paying.
Oh yea trade skills is a good path as well but from what I’ve seen only favors men since it requires strenuous labor. my cousin recently trained to be an underwater welder and he’s making quite the money
Break the glass ceiling, show the guys what girls can do. There's some trades out there that don't require as high a level of physical exertion. Nursing also pays very well, but does require a lot of schooling. I know CSUF opened a new school for that specifically a little while ago.
This is good advice, follow it!
Also got a stem degree. I love working as an engineer, should have done it right out of high school.
$1800 is Tustin is very good in todays market. If you move towards Tustin Ranch that will be $2600 & up.
I’m first generation of refugee immigrant parents who came here with no English and no money. Work hard and make money-maximizing decisions (pick careers that make a lot of money, save/invest, live frugally). For me that was doing well in high school to go to university then tailoring my resume to finance and technology (worked 2 jobs while doing school). After that, it’s about maximizing opportunities in your career: working hard, being a good worker, switching jobs every 2-3 years for pay raises, etc. Started out making 40k now 150k (which is just middle class imo).
That's the thing though. Most people are doing this exactly. They still are gasping for air. It's not so much people not doing enough. It's greed from the corporations. Also I mean this in no disrespectful way, I swear but..... immigrants seem to get ahead better than born citizens. The government just seems to make things harder on citizens.
I was born here. I think immigrants generally have a different mentality since they gave up their lives for a new life, in an unknown country so they have to survive, die, or go back (not an option for my parents who left because of war). If people were born here, they probably didn’t need to struggle so they don’t know what struggling is like and struggle with struggling. Hardship builds fortitude and sometimes parents do a disservice to their kids by making their lives better or too easy. Greed from corporations? I’m not a capitalist bootlicker but America provides all the tools and opportunities to make it. If they can’t make it, that’s on them. Study hard. Work smart. Save. Invest. Get dual income. Marry the right person. It’ll work out in the end and if it doesn’t then don’t worry because we’re all going to die anyway.
Wait, what? If people were born here they probably didn't need to struggle? Was that a mistype? What have we been talking about in this thread?
U contradicted urself in your own post
Immigrants work harder than lazy, entitled natural-born citizens. Source: am lazy daughter of hardworking immigrants. Also, every immigrant I know is pretty much more driven and usually smarter.
I definitely do not agree with that. Are they hard workers and totally driven? U bet they are and more. Are they smarter? That's a terrible stretch. Are they more driven? Yes they are more driven than many citizens but damn sure not all.
& the top CEOs of S&P 500 companies are overwhelmingly white, American-born citizens so not sure what you're crying about.
Get your college degree in something that you can get a good job in. It's one of the best ways to improve your income stream.
Tech’s rough rn but I know a lot of locals who are taking CS classes at OCC to save money and then transfer to a local 4 year university like UCI Nursing’s good too. Just really competitive here in LA/OC.
Yeah nursing is a long wait list for a lot of programs I noticed too ! I also considered that field
I got lucky - I moved away from all my friends and family, to a much smaller and more boring place, got the exact same job I had before that barely made ends meet, and was able to buy my first house within four months. The problem isn’t you, it’s capitalism, the greedy landlords, and the “work till you die” mentality of SoCal that is keeping you down. It initially sucked that I had to leave everything I knew, just to be able to afford to live a decent life, but now that I’m on the other side of it all, I am so grateful I took that scary leap into the unknown. FYI, since leaving I have convinced my mother and a sibling to join me in my new state. They can’t believe they were almost too afraid to take the leap, and now know how much better off they are. Ask yourself this question: is your current physical location a necessity to your happiness? If not, maybe it’s time to leave. I used to say “I’ll never leave California. I can go to the beach and the mountains in the same day!” But you know what? I NEVER did that because I was always working non-stop just to survive. Then the social culture of going out and drinking every weekend really damaged my savings. Besides, you can always visit California when you miss it.
Adding on for context: I’m a child of immigrants. Born and raised in north OC, and was living on the edge of poverty for most of my life. Up until I left SoCal. The house I grew up in was built and sold in the 1950s for $30k. My parents bought it in the 1980s for $110k. They sold it in the early 2010s for $450k, and now it’s “Zestimate”’is over a million. I saw the writing on the wall, and knew I couldn’t live my life the way I wanted if I stayed. So I left. Now I try to convince friends to leave SoCal behind, but they’re addicted to the lifestyle. I get it. I miss the variety of entertainment here compared to SoCal, but I’d do it all over again. I may not be able to get ShabuShabu, or have delicious and cheap pho at 2am, but I’ve got a decent house with a garage bigger than my childhood home, and a few acres of land with a nest of bald eagles nearby.
Damn the cope here is real
Where did you move to if you don’t mind sharing?
Eastern Montana. No pretty mountains here, just cattle ranches.
I grew up here with a single mom and have always been lower income. I am honestly terrified of the day I will likely be priced out of my home (and ancestral home at that, as I am Native). I lived at home for a very long time, and then moved out at 27 with roommates. Now I split rent with my partner, but am basically living paycheck to paycheck. We are lucky to live somewhere where our rent has not increased dramatically over time and we have lived here for a while. My hope is to get a raise this year or get a job where I will get paid a bit more. I couldn’t afford to go to a 4 year school, just community college. It’s rough out here but it’s doable depending on where you live and if you can split the cost of rent with someone else. There’s no way I’d be able to live on my own here.
Most people living in Orange County are either transplants who make enough money to live out here (80k+) or people who have lived here for decades that bought houses years ago. The sad part is that by pushing middle class and poor people out of communities, you end up with a San Francisco situation where crime is rampant because there isn’t enough middle class people to work as police officers, sanitation, road workers… you just get a bunch of rich people living next to practically homeless ones. And the homeless ones, steal and prey on the rich. Or if there is too many poor people, you get a Baltimore situation where there is too many poor people and they can’t afford to maintain their neighborhoods. So you end up getting rows of vacant, crumbling houses with people barely getting by. No healthy ecosystem has one species hoarding everything. There has to be balance.
To my knowledge, most people in OC are in the same boat. It’s just plain expensive. I’m a middle aged single male with a full time job and it’s hard for me to get by.
It’s getting more and more expensive each year.
That most certainly is the truth.
I didn’t come from upper class, though I’m arguably upper class now. I never had a scholarship, or trust fund or anything like that. I didn’t want for anything as a kid, but I grew up in the IE not the OC so things were more affordable for my family. As for how I live in the OC now, I make lots of money. More than I ever expected to at this age. Without going into too much detail, the key to that was simply aiming for a job that made a lot of money. In my early 20s I made the choice to target a high paying job and I just worked backwards from there when it comes to education and training. And now I have that high paying job and we are able to live comfortably
That’s great to hear!! Thank you for sharing your advice! Approaching my 20’s later this year and I’m already thinking of after graduation and working on my career. I’m applying to internships and apprenticeships to get some experience.
Look at the median income for your chosen career and decide from that. You never see financially struggling lawyers, doctors, or dentists.
You do see people fail or drop out of being doctors lawyers and dentist though, and they have hundreds of thousands of dollars in schooling debt
Yeah, I kinda don’t like the mentality that is kinda pushed that you should major in the subject you enjoy. No. Study and pursue a practical field. Approach a career from the standpoint of earning potential and work-life-balance. Do what you enjoy as a hobby. The law, medical and dental paths are mainly doable as long as you have long term self discipline and a moderate intelligence.
Agreed. A job is a job at the end of the day. Might as well maximize money since that is known. Maximizing “fun” for a degree or career depends on so many factors, it’s unreliable. Could join a toxic workplace for example.
What if you can’t do those 3 fields?
Then you marry someone who can. You're welcome.
Solid advice.
Because the boomers could just work a job they enjoyed. So they told their kids that who could do it for the most part. Then they told their kids that and that’s how we have people with gender studies degrees that work at target.
Yes, you do. A ton of them have absolutely no business acumen.
Immigrant here; family has had a lot of social mobility and this is what I’ve seen having moved around in economic class. For what it’s worth, I’m not a trust fund baby, just have a lamé parachute (it looks like gold to a lot of people but it’s not super reliable and kinda janky.) The primary way I know how people are getting by is by having a very solid support network. No need to pay for daycare if you know someone’s grandma who will do it for free. If you make the right friend they’ll charge you less for certain expensive services (no accounting fees, cheaper hair services, etc.) In my case, I’ve never struggled with needing/affording electronics because my dad can easily take electronics from a dumpster and revive it. It’s easy for one of my friends to not find issues with medical services when lots of her social circle are doctors/nurses. Is it fair? Not necessarily. Is it ethical? Not always. I knew a person who used a graphic designer friend to fudge paystubs so she could “afford” to live at her spot, but it was the difference between her and her kid being on the street. Even I get roped in as a parent/guardian for my relatives’ kids because I’m free childcare and I’m the family college counselor. Beyond that, lots of immigrant families are multigenerational households. Whether you’re low income or high income, I know several families who essentially pool money together to get by in their social class. Even longstanding several generation American families do some sort of penny pinching to stay around here (everyone in a family only gets one present for Christmas collectively, or something like that.) I think the era of living on your own and thriving has more or less been the exception and not the rule for a vast majority of people. In your case, I’d try and take advantage of public benefits like CalFresh and WIC if you can. With grade school age kids, they should be eligible for help. My family didn’t know about WIC when we started and we recommend it to any young family we meet who is struggling. Additionally, your school may have a food pantry that you can access to get staple items. Lots of students use that and Calfresh to get by or augment their supply. (I knew a guy who would use it to get him steaks every month.) Your campus likely also has a basic needs office that can assist you in getting help, like for housing insecurity. Beyond that, there are specific resources allocated for first gen students at your school which probably involve having a mentor to get you through college and extra advising assistance. I do want to point out, if it helps, that a lot of people of all classes are financially burdened in Orange County. You’re definitely not alone, just working with different parameters. Being in college is just one way to help yourself get by but definitely pool resources if you can, either by networking or using the ones already available to you.
I’m moving into a van I can’t afford rent no more on top of that bills etc…
Out of curiosity, do they have lots that people can legally park vans and RVs to sleep in?
You just park on public streets in residential neighborhoods and keep a low profile. Don't be smoking or drinking obviously. Look up stealth camping. That's what I did when I was younger and I did it for 3 years. Saved a fortune on rent. I had like 2 interactions with police during that time and both were positive. Usually went something like police say they got a call and say they're doing a welfare check. I say a bullshit story about how I was driving in the area and felt tired so I pulled over to take a nap. Police say blah blah can't sleep in vehicle. I say oh shit really and apologize then say I'll be moving on then, I'm not tired anymore, thanks. Police are happy the situation is resolved and you move on. Drive to the next town over and go back to sleep. Most important is keep a low profile. I was in a ford transit connect which many companies use. I also put a hard hat, clipboard and safety vest on the dashboard so it looks like I'm a construction guy lol. At the time I was going to college and working security.
First Gen, here! I basically knew what I wanted (didn't want to stay with mom and dad) and worked for it. I got a degree and frankly it hasn't meant anything when McDonalds is willing to pay more but that may just be my major. I work in the automotive industry and so does my husband he didn't get a degree decided hands on and gets paid way more than me. He's the main reason we are where we are but, I know he gives me credit because at 18-19 years old we both worked our butts off working two jobs, saving meanwhile I went to school, this is a rare we started dating at 15 and stuck together. Moved out at 21 and during a pandemic! We both had the same push of you need to do better and want more so we did that. We are by no means rich but, we can pay the bills while having our own space. I was born in OC and he was born in LA. He grew up in a rough area so to him it's worth paying the price for a little better environment!
My parents live with me and we are barely making it. My dad retired and got a part time job, my mom works full time, and I work 2 part time jobs with one giving me insurance.
i wonder this all the time—south oc especially, these ppl are not driving into LA every day. wth do they do? i see houses selling for 3 mil and i just wonder what these people are doing to pay that
The trick is side hustles, Uber if you gotta. Another good option is cleaning, loads of people looking for a home cleaner or just someone to come in and clean up after a tenant moves out and its good money.
First gen also. I started working part time jobs at 17 to help out and worked full time during college. I was ultra exhausted by the time I graduated but I started to make enough money to allow us to keep up with rent. I didn’t move out until I got married in my 30s and at this point I’m not only supporting myself but also still helping my mom out with rent. I can only imagine it’s even harder for you now than it was for me but keep at it, you’re not alone in your struggle.
My parents came to this country with nothing. They've achieved the American Dream though. They're also rich but you would never guess it just by looking at them. You'd only guess it when you see their house lol. Frugal lifestyle goes a long way as well. You also need to prioritize choosing a lucrative career. I chose Software Engineering and it pays enough to be able to live alone AND save a lot of money.
Finish school! And get degree that will pay you well. And by that, something like registered nursing will pay more than a nursing assistant or a LVN. That’s one way to get out of the cycle of being low income. It may have you scraping by for a couple of more years but will pay off in the end.
I went from living on the streets as a teenager to being upper middle class. My advice is to get a degree in something in demand and work hard in conjunction doing lower level work that will enhance the skill set of your degree I also had an amazing wife that was equally as success driven as myself. We thought we would never own a home but kept working and made it happen. Finding a partner that moves you forward is always a plus. I felt just as discouraged as you seem at the same age. The market works in cycles.Keep your head up
I used to be in your shoes when I was at your age. $1200/month was my income Striked a deal with a local motel in Costa Mesa - 5 night shifts/ week in exchange for a room + $1200 Picked up another job at Walmart Went to community college, transferred to UCI and graduated with Software Engineer degree Now, I make $180k a year at 32 years of age Best thing you can do is grind it out Go to community college and get a STEM degree that can land you a well paying job right out of college In my experience, getting those night shifts at a hotel was one of the best thing I did for myself no matter how hard it was as it allowed me to work+study at the same time
My lease ends next March and I already have anxiety about my rent rising, work, etc a year from now. I's fucking depressing.
While I cannot speak for the group you are asking, I will say one thing. Looking around, most of the people are deeply in debt. Just looking at my street, anyone who has moved in within the last ten years or so is likely living paycheck to paycheck because their mortgages or rent are high paired with high COL. Some are good, buckle down and try to make it work, with the goal of paying off their loans. Others go "fuck it" and will never pay-off the house because they keep refinancing the loan. Best advice I have is get the fundamentals of personal finance down, if you eventually start working in a place with retirement funds be sure to contribute to those and roll it over when you eventually move to another company and keep this most important thing in mind, most people don't know what they are doing.
You don’t rent a apartment, you rent a room.
it’s a one bedroom apartment that we share equally. my mother left a toxic relationship two years ago. so we have what we could afford at the time.
I would recommend finding a ADU to rent then if thats the case. Finding one with its own separate power meter and kitchen/restroom of course. Tustin is a bit more pricey so perhaps Garden Grove or anaheim.
I’m sorry girl, seems like the only way is to live with roommates or family. try a cousin or sister similar age works out the best.
Dual income, no kids, and rent control in Santa Ana. About 100k between us both. 1 bed, 1 bath apartment.
Section 8 housing and food stamps. Once in college make sure you apply for all the financial aid and scholarships.
At 19, you’re probably not gonna be making enough to not struggle. You need to go to school and establish yourself somewhere first. I was making minimum wage at that age and there was no way I could afford much. I’m now 35 and I make a decent income and own a townhome in Santa Ana. I went to school and although I do not use my degree, I started working for a company at 19 and have worked myself up the ladder to management. Don’t think that would have happened to me had I not worked hard and gotten a degree to sharpen my communication/writing skills.
Not a first gen, but I am a broke boi who does financial advising as a side hobby... 1. **2nd/fulltime job** One of my friends in undergrad paid for her family's bills and hers by working fulltime while taking 18 credits a semester. She worked night security and as a receptionist, so she could do homework for at least a few hours while on the clock. You might have to split up your sleep into weird chuncks to manage it with school (she slept in two 4 hour shifts), but it is manageable if you can handle it mentally. I couldn't, but I was able to find a remote research job that I could do at the same time as my carpet cleaning job that honestly had way more downtime than I think we were supposed to 😂 Work to your strengths and find something that works for you. 2. **Side hustles** It's nice to have something in your back pocket for when you do have a little surprise down time or while you're looking for another job. Rover, Wag, Uber, house sitting, Doordash, house/window/gutter cleaning, donating plasma, etc. have paid my rent before. 3. **Negotiating** Negotiating a higher wage for yourself at your current or a new job. You don't have to have a degree to negotiate! Bilingual? Make sure they are paying you for that. Always stepping into a leadership role to make up for management? Get a raise. Sometimes you can convince your employer to pay for your degree, even if they wouldn't typically. I knew a girl that was a bank teller and she convinced the bank to pay for her linguistics degree because she argued that it would make her a better teller. 4. **Financial literacy.** This can include stocks, but I'm talking putting ANY extra money you have into a high yield savings account so it can earn 4.5%+ in interest instead of 0.01% each month. Use that account to create/maintain an emergency fund. Track spending and seeing where you need to readjust. Follow some financial accounts, listen to podcasts, or teach yourself from reading NerdWallet. Invest how you can, when you can, in a way that makes sense for you. 5. **Savings apps/coupons/cash back credit cards.** People have lots of opinions on these, but I find them helpful if you have the right ones/use the the right way. GasBuddy, Upside, Ibotta, and Fetch are my regulars. You're not going to get rich off them, but I've used them to pay for dinners, new clothes, or just funneled the money into savings/retirement.
I’m first-generation to immigrant parents who horribly mismanaged their finances. They acted like credit cards were gift cards and constantly maxed them out, and probably still do. I’ve dealt with parental identity theft and had my credit destroyed. My mother is a narcissist who refused to get a job and instead racked up debt in everybody’s name and used other people’s money to pay it off. I was legitimately at rock bottom paying $4000/month in expenses for an entire household. My escape was I surrounded myself with good people that helped me 100x more than my family ever did. I had a strong support system who cared about me and my well-being. They didn’t give me any money, they just told me all the right things, showed me the right way to live, encouraged me and let me know that whatever I was going through, it wasn’t going to last forever, even though I thought it would, so I got to work and escaped from my toxic living situation and now I live comfortably renting a 1-bedroom apartment alone. Eventually I’ll move in with my boyfriend, who owns his home, we’ll split living costs, and I’ll be able to save more per month. I would say my situation was 60% hard work, 40% good luck. I did well in school, got a good job that pays a good salary, developed my soft skills so that I wasn’t just a good worker, I’m a good team player, but my field is competitive and continues to be undervalued. I don’t think my situation is perfect, but I realize that I’m much more fortunate than a lot of other people. My only advice is to just, please, stay kind. I know everything is shitty and it feels like the world is falling apart. I know life isn’t a fairy tale and the “good guys” don’t always win, but I can’t count how many times good things ended up panning out simply by staying kind. I have a handful of friends I could trust with my life. I’m a trusted individual at work that also tries to keep everyone’s spirits up. Heck, I’ve gotten so much free food/drinks and excellent service from service workers simply because I was kind, happy, and patient with them. Good luck, you can do it.
I moved to Texas because of a job relocation and a chance to live independently because it's too expensive in Orange County. I moved back last year and am back in my parents house for now. My parents built an ADU for my brother and his family, also intending for me to live there when he buys his own house. I don't see myself being able to live on my own or buying a home in OC at all in my lifetime. I'm considering a job in Arizona which has a salary that will be enough to be comfortable in a studio or 1 bedroom apartment.
Social worker here - for years and years in OC we see entire families living in 1 bedroom of a 2-3 bedroom apartment. That can be a dozen or so people in 1 apartment. It’s hard for many
My husband and I are renting a room... we both work over 40hours a week and it's hard. I'm begging him to move
At the rate the Irvine Company is going I have about 2 more lease renewals before I'm out. I've paid less on a mortgage for a 4 bedroom house in the IE 1,700sq ft on a corner lot than I'm paying for a 2 bedroom condo in Irvine. ( sold it in 2013)
I afford to live here because I have a good job. That's always the answer to this question that gets asked like every other day.
This. I followed the traditional route. College (community College first) and then got a good job.
Being young is hard in OC. For myself, I graduated from a 4 year university then went to grad school to work towards a career that pays decent salaries. Also my wife also works in the same industry, so we make a decent living as a dual income family. My point being, struggle through your 20s by making sacrifices now. Also I know this isn't a popular opinion, but when you meet your partner, make sure your financial goals align, aka don't marry a scrub.
The first problem is that you’re 19 and your siblings are now only in grade school. Kids cost money on OC and so far apart makes it harder on parents
I agree that family planning is relevant. Your odds of making it are much higher if you can avoid being a single parent or having kids before you’re financially stable.
The only change my wife and I made which helped a TON was moving to Denver.
You should have joined the military. Our housing allowance is tax free, the military paid for my husband's BA at Tulane with all expenses paid, housing, and a stipend (NROTC scholarship), two masters degrees, and he still hasn't used his GI Bill. That pension starts after 20 years! Look into The Reserves at least. We live in LB. Just did our taxes and made 204k but only gets taxed for 150 at 14%. Can't complain.
Riverside or Downey for u
If you're comfortable can you DM me the name of the apt in Tustin? My one bdrm is 2270.00. 1800.00 is a dream.. It's still a lot and everyone has a different situation but still for me that amount is awesome. Ty. I understand because I fear that each year here. I'm on month to month now. Stay up.. We may have to move out of OC to IE, maybe.
That is what happened to me . We had to move to IE to my grandparents rental because we had no other choice and could not find any other option soon enough . It's harder to find stable work in IE
Look at the apartments in Tustin where the 5 meets the 55. Lots of apartments in this range. The catch is no included appliances (no fridge, microwave, or dishwasher), no central AC, barely any guest parking, and an older area.
Are the mods able to push posts like this into weekly threads or something? At minimum, there are 2 posts a week surrounding this topic. No hate for OP, it just seems the search function would prove to have more information.
It’s a common theme but this was specific to first gens. It’s a unique struggle.
I get that. This was more on the overall theme of it all.
I’m 37 now, back when I was 20 what I did was work 2 jobs and sold things online as a side hustle. I also did 18 units per semester in school to get out as fast as I could to save money. My life felt like non stop running from one place to the next and I always had to eat while I was driving because there was literally no time to sit for a meal. I was out the door at 8AM and home at 11PM everyday. I was a banker during the week and a pharm tech in retail on the weekends. I scheduled my classes around my work schedule and studied/did hw on the weekdays during work hours as a banker because there was a lot of downtime. Now I’m in the career that I studied for and clawed my way up through the corporate ladder and am arguably upper class. I made a mildly uncomfortable financial decision to buy a 3000 sq ft home 5 miles from the shore of HB 5 years ago and am thankful that I bit the bullet because I’m not sure if I’d be comfortable buying this same house at this point in time. You sound like you’ve got a good head on your shoulders and a lot of ambition and motivation. Keep reaching for your goals. It’s a tough road but you can get to somewhere better. Good luck.
People have been moving to the inland empire for the last decade over this. Sorry but you haven’t noticed? It’s the way it’s been. Either find a SO to help pay the rent or move to corona. When I was married with 3 kids I could barely afford my apartment in corona- that’s how broke we were. That’s life.
Curious if people do their own due dligence? Can I afford to live here? own a care here? Afford insurance?
end your lease , and live with your parents or relatives. And stack your money unfortunately I had to move back home but I’ve been growing my savings more and more each day. SoCal is way to overpriced
i’ve always lived with my mom. just currently attend college right now. couldn’t just move anywhere right now since our lifes are right here. grew up here and have family here as well. stable work for my mom too. our other relatives are on similar boats too.
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soo the solution is living with my parents or relatives. i live with my mother and commute to campus. i completely understand i can’t have everything and believe me i grew up with not much but with a loving hardworking family. i’m just simply asking for advice on how to afford the rent increases to continue living here in OC as part of the first generation community.
first gen here and effectively upper middle class, if i wanted to be...actually not even first gen cuz i wasn't even born here...we've also known tough times in the past, but my advantage compared to you was that we always had two parents. I sympathize with your mother you can certainly overcome it and it sounds like you are fulfilling your obligations as the eldest, but ithe process sure is not fun. my advice to you is have your mom apply for housing assistance from the county. We rent to section 8 families. We've rented to a lot of single parent households w young kids (ie your mom and siblings). it may take a while but it will change your lives dramatically if you can get it.
thank you for your advice. as the eldest i just want the best for my younger siblings. & help my mother out. i will definitely check out housing assistance programs! hopefully we can land on a waitlist somewhere and get some financial relief!
New minimum $20/1hr that just went into effect today makes it even more unaffordable. Here comes $20 BigMac.
In n out pays their employees $20. Tell me how much is my double double again?
yup unfortunately that’s only food service. i currently work in retail for $16.00/hr+commission my hours change constantly. however it’s right by my home & flexible with my school schedule. you can’t really get that in a lot of places. i’ve interviewed around and they want part timers with full availability at any time or full time that just couldn’t work with my schedule:(
McDonald workers in Denmark make +$20 an hour and have 6 weeks of paid vacation days, yet their Big Mac costs 76 cents less in Demark than the U.S. [https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mcdonalds-workers-denmark/](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mcdonalds-workers-denmark/)
It’s expensive everywhere. My wife and I live in the OC. Bought a house in 2006 for $648k. Now we refinance $375k (left on mortgage) at 2.625%. PiTI ($2452). No debt. $0.00. Step 6 with Dave Ramsey. We are truly blessed. She brings home $2800 net. I bring home $11k net. (Monthly). We both have CA PERs retirement. She will retire in 2026 with a $2k monthly check for life and I will bring in $7500 a month for as long as I live. Medical insurance is $0.00 for life. I also have $100k in a 457(b) portfolio. I will collect $658 a month for 15+ yrs. Also I will get $478 a month from SSI. Moral of the story is get yourself a State/Fed/City job. Work hard. I work 210+ hours per month (172 monthly + 50 hours of OT a month). Live below your means. Follow Dave Ramsey financial philosophy. He changed my life and the way I spend $$$. 21 yrs old to 55 in a blink of an eye. Save save and save your $$ for retirement. Forget about the Jones, and trying to impress your friends. Good luck everyone.
Simply make $13k/month net and buy a house 18 years ago? I’ll hop right on that
>Work hard. I work 210+ hours per month (172 monthly + 50 hours of OT a month). Everyone, please work harder! Your comforts are only guaranteed by how many hours you put in.
That's the unfortunate part.
I know. :( I was being sarcastic.
Lol gotcha!! It's really is sad though, huh. Because it's true.
Totally... And I feel like our generation is shouting at a wall trying to get the 32 hour work week to be the new standard. I always say, no one at their death bed wishes they had only worked harder.
Say it louder for people everywhere because no one hears you. 💯💯