Quote:
Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby
The Villages website has an actual outlay of the expected cost of living in the community.
Here it is:
Cost of Living in The Villages(R): Affordable 55+ Community
And it does NOT include your mortgage, food, cable, health insurance/health expenses. You need to include these things in your configuration, if you're planning on living ONLY on your social security check. If you only get $1900/month, and you pay $1000/month on "The Villages" - then you have only $900/month left for food, internet, phone service, maintenance on your home and vehicle, health insurance, and everything else. It doesn't leave anything to save for the day your car breaks down and needs costly repairs, or if a year after you move in, your insurance company says they'll double your premiums unless you get a new roof. |
My numbers for the items listed in their cost of living table plus car insurance comes to $1,000 per month in 2024 (it was a little less in 2023). So that leaves the $900/month that you identified.
I can't use my grocery spending since I go out frequently and don't worry about trying to save money. The internet says $400 per month per person is a good number. That leaves $500 per month. Granted, $500 is not a lot. On the other hand, steak for dinner, Culver's for lunch, and cable television are not necessities.
Again, the question isn't whether you can live comfortably or even live well, the question was whether you could live.