Do it

Go to the pacific northwest and buy a place. You could be close enough to Seattle or Portland to get some contract work, but the home prices in smaller NW towns are not terrible.

I am a contract worker in tech, and I should warn you. "Part time" in the tech world means working hard for 4 months and then taking 3 months off, not working 2 days a week all year round. If you are OK with that, do it.

We also underwent this life-changing experience and I want to heartily endorese the idea AND the advice mentioned by some and put into effect by LJ, that you re-locate in a university community...its is crucial to having a richer fuller life in a smaller (read less expensive) environment, without giving up entirely the advantages of decent theater, restaurants and cultural activities. Plus you will want to meake friends so might even want to look for a university that has bench-strength in your particular area of expertise...in Ted and Tammy's case, sounds like computer engineering (?) Sorry I am a Market Researcher so I may have the faculties wrong!

Leaving DC for a university town, in all likelihood a smaller locale? The university setting, influences, pace of life, focus, opportunities, cultural life? After DC? People also say that living on a sailboat is interesting, to start - only it gets a foot shorter with each day. Have fun, and let us know how long it stayed fun.

Gainesville FL-1hr to Tampa/Orlando/Jax
Athens GA-1hr to Atlanta
both University towns with temperate climates, low real estate costs, highly intellectual communities, plenty of activities, and within an hour of major cities with International Airports.

It turns out a lot of people are in this situation, and bravo to the other North Carolinian who suggested volunteer work.

Let me tell you something about searching out university towns with lots to do, warm weather, low real estate: a lot of people are figuring this out already and, ta-da, property values are going up. The boomers and the dot-commies are "opting out" for the good life and bringing their money and their tastes with them.

We live in Chapel Hill. When we arrived 10 years ago, the average price of a house was about $150-175K and we bought ours for $280K (which was slightly too much, but we didn't know it). Ten years later, the average price of housing is around $225-250K and our house was just appraised at $410K.

It may not be the "hot" market of Boston or San Francisco, but it's holding up pretty well considering. While that $410K wouldn't buy us half as much of a house in the DC area, we're paying real estate taxes that aren't too different from wealthy suburbs further north.

If you move to this area, even with the sagging economy, you'll be joining all kinds of other people just like you, and you better do it now if you want to find any "bargains."

There are a lot of "tech" jobs in Omaha, NE. The cost of living is much lower than what you are used to in DC and Omaha is a small city, much less of a rat race. Nice place to live, clean city, nice people, nearby countryside...

There are a lot of similar small cities in the midwest where you may be able to find a job with the option of living in the country nearby.

If everyone semi retired and cut down their spending, at 45, like the posters, then our economy, which is based on purchasing lots of uneeded things, would go belly up.

Our standard of living as a country would go downhill and Fodors would go out of business!

Ted,My exact sentiments! My husband and I toss around the idea of not FULL retirement, but somehow, severely scaling down.We live in Westchester County in NY, and are successfully self-employed.Life here is also a total rat race; aggressive and competitive.The money to be made here in NY is excellent,but there's a steep price to pay. We work incredibly long hours six days a week. We don't work like animals to maintain a high lifestyle; it's to pay theses exorbitant costs. The "average" house is @ $450,000,property taxes @ $15,000 per year. Because we're self-employed, my health insurance costs us $1250.00 per month. I'd love to live some place a lot less expensive, but where? Just the thought of starting all over,after so many years of HARD work, makes me tired. And would we really be improving our quality of life, if we moved someplace cheaper and were unemployed? The thought of being without health insurance terrifies me.So many states in the US have less expensive cost of living than here in the northeast. Yet there are trade-offs.Inferior school systems (even if you don't have children,this will affect your property value),high crime rates etc. PLEASE~~ let us know what you decide, and where you wind up.

To the few D.C. lovers: I guess you just can't imagine anyone wanting to leave that disgusting place, can you? But MOST want OUT of the city and its environs, and I'm saying this as a native-born Washingtonian. My entire family left YEARS ago--and we would NEVER return!!!

Oh, Eric -- consume consume consume, that's patriotism? Or just a support-system for your Fodors habit. Yeah, that'll ensure that you'll still be able to get clean water and air for free in 2010.

If everyone who had made a bundle quit at 45 and downsized their spending AND went out to help educate the poorly educated, augment the underpaid and drastically overworked nursing staffs, provide housing for those who were laid off WITHOUT a corporate golden parachute, then a lot more consumers would be enabled to participate in this drastically topheavy economy of ours, AND our health and our future would look a little more secure.

And what about all those pre-45'ers who work the ridiculous hours for their inflated salaries? Their kids are growing up with only a passing knowledge of both parents and a deeply ingrained belief that material possessions and a fancy house are the reason for being. Ted and Tammy have begun to figure out the limitations of that philosophy. The true mark of their character will come when they start to get bored with themselves.

Well, 45 years is a long time to live on 600K (what if you live to 90, or longer?). The question is, do you have marketable skills that you could turn into a part-time career? I was able to do this, after having been a Systems Engineer at IBM. I had lots of big clients who paid IBM about $240/hour for my services. Now they pay me about a third of that. They save a ton of money, I have no overhead and I work when I want, which isn't much (averages about 10 hours a week). If I wanted to work 20 hours a week I could make about 70K a year, which is not bad for a part time job. If you could both become independent consultants and find a few good clients (I actually have only one, which I've had for 3 years), you'll be set. Just brush up on the latest technology, which was hard for me since I was completely out of the workforce for 8 years. My client let me come and use their equipment, etc. to get up to speed first.

The difference is, I have a big cushion, my husband works full-time and we have his benefits and insurance, but since you're both unemployed anyway, what have you got to lose? I would go for it. Just find someplace more low key but with enough of a business base to support your consulting. Good luck, and remember, you have nothing to lose!

Thanks for the replies!

The question of health insurance brought out some interesting comments. We bought self insured health insurance through Unicare and only pay $200 a piece per month for basically good coverage. When I was working I paid $60.00 a month but the employer paid the rest. (the total cost to the employer $250.00 per month. Those people (posters) that said health insurance would be over $1000 a month are telling a lie unless you have huge preexisting conditions.

Still looking for advice on places that have culture, part time work and cheap housing.

Ted & Tammy,

I'm very surprised at your comment that posters are "telling a lie" with respect to the price of their health insurance coverage.

You have come to this forum with a host of retirement questions, and posters have taken the time & effort to give you some very good advice in a generally polite and courteous manner. So how do you respond? By stating that you're the expert on everyone's health care bills and passing judgment by calling them liars??? How delightful of you. Your new neighbors will be in for a real treat.

For your information, individual healthcare insurance costs of $1000/month are not out of line. You don't mention what type of coverage you have, and whether it is a family plan or not. Just by way of example, we had to provide our own coverage for a time about three years ago. At that time, the best rate we could obtain in the northeast for Horizon HMO (Blue Cross/Blue Shield) with a high copay was almost $350/per person, or $700/couple. If we had needed to put kids on the plan, it would have been significantly higher. Also, if we didn't want a limited HMO, or a lower copay, it also would have been higher. And there have been substantial increases every year since then. There are so many variables, that it's hard to make a blanket statement. But of course that didn't stop you from branding everyone else a liar. It must be wonderful to be so righteous.

Unicare is an experimental system, available only in a few midwestern states, that survives by having huge co-pays and deductibles. I can't help wondering how selective they are in selling policies.

When I rsearched plans available to me in the northeast, I made a million phone calls and found that I was better-off sticking to my HMO, where I pay over $700 per month for myself and 2 kids, with no prescription coverage. We pay more for medical insurance and care than for all our housing expenses.

It's interesting to find the few DC haters, the ones ready to leave, never see the place again. These are no doubt the folks who never walked down the Mall and took time to find out about everything they're seeing. For eight years we worked with high school scholars who came here for a week to study government - it really opened my eyes to how special this city is. They were impressed - I'd prefer to view things through their eyes, and just ignore the negative types who dislike Washington so much.

Nobody denies that walking down the Mall and visiting the museums and monuments is delightful and an iportant part of any American's education. It's not Washington per se that they "hate." What they're complaining about is the experience of those who actually live there -- commuting, working conditions, etc. I love visiting DC but wouldn't dream of living there.

Suzy, how would one know about working conditions in DC whtout working there. If I were a tourist in your city, that would hardly qualify me to make statements like that. There are so many areas in the Dc area accessible to metro, anybody in a car in traffic can hardly complain. DC is no different than any other large metro area. We do offer some valuable perspectives on Amervcian life, and living here gives one the advantage of experiencing that. Coming as a tourist is fine, but gives a limited prespective. Be selective in accepting the negative stuff people spout about DC.

Well, I feel I have to respond again to the poster. You're making an assumption about people leaving DC because they "hate" it or who don't know it because they're only there as tourists - that's not what Ted was saying, nor me either - just saying the lifestyle of the working professionals was stressful. I personally LOVED the DC area when I lived there (and NYC for the 10 years I lived there too). It has nothing to do with hating the place and never wanting to see it again, but choosing a less stressful lifestyle. In fact, I return to DC 3-4 times a year on both business and pleasure trips precisely because I still do love it. I just choose not to live there any longer.

It's true, all I know about working conditions is what I read, or hear from friends.

But I didn't say I knew anything -- I merely reminded you what the DCers who were complaining had said. In fact, only one person (Norm) seems to have singled out DC with any particular venom. Even the OP's are just tired of the "corporate rat race" and are leaving DC mostly because of the cost of living. Friends who have worked in DC and in other cities describe the work ethic in DC as more focused on long hours than other cities they have worked in, ncomparable positions.

Since I live in Boston, actually even tourists in my city can see that commuting is hell here. That's one reason I retired!

Ted & Tammy,
I echo the above posters' sentiments regarding your cold response.
It is amazing that you could be so crass after having received so many thoughtful responses. People take the time to help you, with some very well presented answers, and you respond with a paragraph calling posters "liars". And then have the nerve to request more responses. No real comments or indications from you as to whether or not the responses have proved valuable to you or not. A thank you, at least, was given. And at least you
acknowledged the responses. My benevolence for you ends there.

I shall be as judgemental as you are and state the obvious, to me, about you:
You are seeking somewhere with "culture, part time work and cheap housing", well fortunately that place just doesnt exist, (so luckily no nice, unsuspecting person has to have you move in next to them).
I suggest you stay in Washington, keep looking for a job, and hope that you can be hired directly off your resume, because a face to face interview might reveal your poor personality traits.

You are obviously so self-absorbed, an expert on many topics, (hence your ability to call people "liars") and just plain know it all.

I also suggest you talk to an ACCOUNTANT! You probably dont have a clue how to manage your "retirement" fund, as is quite obvious, you dont have one. From your first statements it appears you only have the equity in your home. And even that I wonder about, you would only have 600k left after you have paid a mortgage for 15 years?!? You only managed to pay down 150K or so? What the heck did you do with your money? Not "manage" it, obviously.
You just may find yourself in "cheap housing" alright, sooner than you think, although I'm not sure these places would qualify as "cultured".

You have a nice day now, ahhhhh the life of the unemployed or is that the unemployable?