Lately my wife Cat and I have been thinking about buying a home, because it looks like by the end of this year we're going to have a little Actual Money, and enough with the renting already. The problem is that we can't afford to buy a home in San Diego, where lawn mower shacks go for $350,000--more if they have a window.

Check this out, for instance: Yesterday we went to painfully gorgeous downtown San Diego to check out condo prices. Typical of the places we looked was a 726 sq. foot, one-bedroom, one-bath, no laundry, no view condo for $490,000--PLUS $660 per month homeowners association fees.

Seven hundred twenty-six square feet is small. Moving there would mean only one of us could ever be home at the same time. Not that we could afford it anyway. So forget it. And, as I say, that unit was typical of the condos we looked at down there. And that's after housing prices have been dropping in San Diego for a while.

San Diego has the best weather in the history of beach towels. We love it here. But it's crazy expensive.  Neither of us has ever lived outside of California, though, so when we try to think of where else in the country we might like to live, sort of nothing comes to mind. We just don't have any experience anywhere else.

"Ask your readers for their input!" said Cat this morning. "Ask people to tell you about where they live--how much houses cost, what the weather's like, what it's like living in whatever weather they do. Maybe we should move to the Midwest! Maybe the Northwest! Maybe Tupelo, Mississippi! You've got up to four regular readers! Ask them if they'd recommend where they live, and why!"

Four readers. She thinks she's soooooo funny.

She knows I have five.

Anyway, if you're inclined to share with us stuff about where you live, and whether or not you think we might like to live there, we'd sure appreciate the input. Thanks!

drop us a line here