First, this thread doesn't pertain to all Snowbirds, but to many. We know three Snowbirds. A couple (my brother/his wife) and a widow. Whenever I tell them about a snowstorm/blizzard hitting, all they can basically say to us, "Well, if you would've planned better, like we did, you could have two homes as well." They all had excellent paying, long-term jobs. I remember my brother telling me one time "when you find the job you want, you stay with it, no matter what. No matter the days, hours or shift, you stay with it." Of course the guy doesn't know about/care about lay-offs, a company closing or whatever. "None of that affected me, so I never thought about it". Any, many folks in Florida, where both have a winter home, really care less about snowstorms/blizzards in the north at winter. Just like, during summer/fall months, many people in the norther don't care about the tropical storms/hurricanes that hit along the Gulf and Atlantic states. Most people have to watch The Weather Channel to find out the weather in the northern or southern states. For the 5 1/2 years we lived here in Colorado before, we never once heard about any tropical storms/hurricanes that hit the southern coast-east coast states. Just wish that Snowbirds would have a little more compassion towards those that couldn't afford to get two homes and keep both up. For those that couldn't/wouldn't stay on one job for 30 years, no matter what.
Of course! Why not? All of us have some kind of "rant" going on. Guess you don't know any Snowbirds that could think you are nuts for living in winter weather? None of our immediate family live in a snow area, except us. But, some of my wife's cousins live full-time in Michigan and they know what I'm talking about.
My neighbor goes south in winter but not to Florida. Sometimes to Arizona, sometimes to Alabama. He tells me, not to brag but to have me keep one eye on his only place. I am not jealous. I think travel is kind of wasteful. I have everything I ever wanted and a little bit of money to get whatever I forgot, if anything. Hubby liked to travel and whenever we did, I would think of how many horses I could have boarded for a year on the money we spent for a week or two.
Have to be honest here, wife and I do, at times, get jealous of those that are Snowbirds. We really wish we could have two homes and the finances to take care of both, but.............. The Snowbirds we know, we know very well. The one Snowbird, whose wife is now deceased, had to stay in Michigan all winter while his wife, and, sometimes, her friend, would be sunbathing on the beach in Florida. She would be at their Florida home, near Daytona, for weeks at a time, while he would have to continue working/living at their Michigan home. Wife and I couldn't handle, and wouldn't handle, being away from each other that long at all.
Now, my other question would be, and, if I remember right, I done a thread asking this..........what happens to Snowbirds when one, or both, can no longer travel to their winter or summer home due to health problems that could happen. Actually, I think that is one question that most Snowbirds don't want to think about.
We met an 88-year-old man in an Rv park in Colorado Springs several years ago. His wife had died 8 years before and he decided to be a full-time snowbird/sunbird. He had a great big Class A and used a walker, but he got around like someone half his age. He planned to travel til he died. I hope he got to fulfill his dream.
While some people have a headstart through the fortune of having wealthy parents, others are born with aptitudes that give them an advantage, and still others are victims or beneficiaries of misfortune or luck, most of us are the products of the decisions we make. Life is a trade-off, and it's kind of silly to look back on the decisions we have made with regret. I have had a few jobs that would have given me a nice retirement plan had I remained on the job, and I have made enough money during my life that I could have invested for my retirement. However, I chose not to. Instead, when a job became boring or unsatisfying, I moved on to another job or even another part of the country where I could regain my interest in what I was doing. As a consequence, I have to work through my retirement or live on whatever I can collect from Social Security. Of course, I also have some assets that could be sold if it were necessary, and I have a home that is paid for, so I am unlikely to be homeless, and I don't think I'll starve to death anytime soon. It would be nice now to have a second home or enough money to do more traveling, but I don't think I would change a whole lot if I had it to do over again. I'd probably invest some money rather than giving it away or spending it frivolously but I have managed to spend my working life doing things that I enjoyed doing. For that matter, I could probably sell my camp and my land up north for enough money to buy a place down south if I chose to do that. But I kind of like my camp and my land up north. Maybe Millinocket is my summer place. Had I remained at one job throughout my working life, long after it bored me, in order to earn my retirement, I would be tempted to look back on that kind of life with regret, as well. A meaningful life isn't all about money and things.
Even being a "Lifer" is no guarantee: -Layoffs occur -Businesses get sold -Employees get forced out when they approach retirement age -Businesses and entire industries collapse I've moved around a lot with jobs, too, mostly out of the need for variety. I was lucky enough to live in the DC area as it grew, so I had lots of choices while keeping the same home my entire adult life. That was merely a happenstance of where I was raised. Having been outside of DC for so long, I've seen lots of money flowing around...LOTS of money. Those people may have 2 homes and all the trappings, but they could never buy peace of mind. Many times it brought a defensive, protective, miserable posture. When you get accustomed to a lifestyle reliant on that level of income (and all the attendant debt), you can't just do odd jobs to survive as many of us have done when you get laid off. People make $1Million and still live beyond their means. That's a pretty tall cliff's edge to be standing at all the time. I guess "wanting more" can be a healthy motivator, but it must always be tempered with a sense of gratitude; otherwise, it's never enough.
I know of some with the appearance of having it all but being in debt up to their eyeballs. I owe no man. I can change scenery just by camping in my piney woods out back. I wish I could still ride horses but don't wish for much else.
LOL…..That piece of whit and wisdom keeps roaming around in my head: The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence……..but it’s also harder to mow. Personally, I don’t care what another man has or on which limb of the tree he lives on. Envying someone else’s ability to do “Stuff” is like renting out space in your own brain; a space that should only be occupied by our own lives and our own families and not someone else’s. I have enough problems dealing with what I have right now on the limb I live on without wanting to skip around to see how many more problems I can come up with. And, so far as having two or more places of residence in separate states; It is extremely difficult to make one house a home let alone trying to make 2 or more houses homes. When I was younger, I had never had a home and moreover, didn’t know what one was or what the difference between having a house or a home was. I detest cities but where we live right now is about as close to a home as I have ever had so let the snow birds do what they do but no thank you, I’ll stick with what I have for however long that is.
Well, both "Snowbirds" we know (brother/his wife and widower) absolutely love having the two homes. Actually, the widower has three homes, which includes lakefront property in Michigan. Many will say "money isn't everything", but, to a point, it sure is and can make life much, much easier. There are heart patience in America that sure wish they had more money to be able to afford their heart meds. Many have to give up a lot in order to pay for their prescriptions. As for myself, I barely made it, financially. Because of my own doing, my highest paying job didn't come until I was 51. Yes, you read right, age 51! Would we like to have been "Snowbirds"? Heck yes! Have the finances to support two homes, let alone the other bills. Be able to live in weather that we'd enjoy and not have to live permanently in year-around weather.
We both had planned on traveling around once retired. Between my getting sick in 2017, the pandemic, and outrageous prices on gas, and other items we have not. We did travel off and on years ago, and enjoyed it . Really do not think I would want to do that now. I have never felt the need to own more than one home, and if I were rich still would only want one. Do not care what family or friends have, or what they think.
Having grown up with snow and the enjoyment to be had therewith, the idea of moving or traveling south to get out of it was never that appealing. That others can and do escape certain weather and climate patterns is just another benefit of living in the the U.S.A. That people have things that you may covet, such as homes in warmer climes, is your issue/problem and not something for which they need to show you any compassion. Should you be less than serious about wanting such compassion, try inserting some humor. By contrast, one might think you haven't accepted not being a snowbird.