Moving to Boston, MA area. Tips, tricks, advice?

[tivaclare]

Hello all!

My husband has just gotten a job offer in Brockton, MA! Yeah! We will be moving to the area from Illinois by November 1.

We will not be in Brockton, but are trying desperately to find something affordable nearby. I cannot believe the cost of living out there!!

If anyone could give me some tips on grocery stores and the like in the area, it would be much appreciated!

I am not new to coupons, but before now, most of my shopping has been at the military commissary. Are there stores that offer doubles/etc? Or are known for having good sales?

I am totally overwhelmed by all of this! The cost of living is just mindblowing and our rent alone is going to be insane compared to what we are used to. If I can save on groceries, that would help!!

TIA!

[Mothernature]

I am a Illinois native who lives just outside of Boston. We are waiting for my husbands transfer back home. The Cost of Living is killing us and my husband is a CPA!

The main grocery stores here are Shaws/Star Market (Jewel/Osco sister store here in MA), Stop N Shop, Hannafords and Market Basket.There are Big Y's and Price Choppers but they are located in far western Massachusetts.

The drug stores here are CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens.

There are a handful of Wal-Mart stores--Target dominates. Targets were recently converted to Great lands.

The warehouse clubs are BJs and Costco.

Shaws doubles up to six $.99 and under coupons per item. Stop N shop has unlimited doubles ($.99 and under). Once and while, both offer doublers. This is where a customer spends $15 and uses up to 4 $1 coupons- the stores double those coupons. Market Basket and Hannafords do not double. The good thing is Market Basket is the only store that carries $.99 Marcal tissue, tp and paper towels. With the $1/1, you do not have to pay for these items.

I've found it very hard to keep our grocery bill down without BJs. For example, a jar of pickles is $3.99 at Shaws. I can pick up a very large (three times the size) jar for the same price at BJ's. BJ's accepts manufacturers and club coupons together. Their basic membership is $45. The membership paid for itself in one visit. I do not purchase health care or drinks at BJs.

Rite Aid is the hot spot right now with the UP program. I suggest you read the forum to understand how the Rite Aid system works.

I was shocked to come home to 9.25% sales tax in Lake and Cook county. Sales tax rose from 5 to 6.25% here. There is no sales tax on food excluding prepared. There is no tax on clothing under $500.

If you are shocked by the COL, be prepared for the cost of car ownership. Many here drive like maniacs. Our car insurance jumped $250/ year. There is the yearly excise tax (which you must pay), yearly vehicle inspection (which you pay unlike IL) cost of $29 and the cost to switch your license/registration. It was $200+ for two license and one car in 2007.

Unfortunately, you'll notice the cost increases quickly. Gas is cheaper by $.20-$.30 a gallon (I last visited home earlier this month) but groceries are not. I went to Jewel and picked up 2 liters of Chill for $.59 when it was $1 here. The tag price of Chill in Buffalo Grove, IL, is $.79. Do not worry about signing up for a Shaws card. The cards are accepted at all Supervalu locations. I use my Shaws cards at Jewel scanners without issue--I received the sale prices too. Oh yes, there is the $.05 deposit on soda bottles and cans. A case costs an additional $.60. The recycle machines are located at the stores.

Before I forget--two things: there are a few Kmarts here. If one is close enough to your new residence, it might be worth the effort with doubles. MA is also a NBPR state on most rebates unlike IL. These rebates are nice and I'll miss them when we relocate.

If you need moving or other advice about the area, do not hesitate to pm me.

[amylynne01]

I live in central MA about 1.5 hrs from Boston/Brockton. I shop at Stop & Shop and Market Basket. S&S's official policy is to double up to 4 like coupons, but I have never seen it actually enforced. Market Basket's prices are significantly lower than many other stores, but like pp said, they do not double and often will not combine manfacturer and store coupons. Hannaford is expensive, and they do not double. Shaw's is too far for me to shop at, but they do have some good catalina deals that entice me all the time lol.

One nice thing about living in MA is that coupons reduce your taxable amount (don't know if it's the same as in IL). So if you buy a $3 item and use a $3 q, it will be free - no tax to pay! This is really nice for drugstores where you can walk out with 2 bags of stuff and having paid less than a buck.

I do not shop at BJs (mostly because of distance) and don't find it hard to afford certain items. Some people swear that diapers are least expensive at a club store like BJs or Costco, but I pay next to nothing at Rite Aid for diapers. With doubles at Stop & Shop or buying cheap stuff at Market Basket, I get by.

Is owning a car really cheaper in other states? I've only lived in MA, so having to pay excise taxes and stuff just seems normal. My insurance is $1200 a year for 2 cars - is that a lot?

[tivaclare]

Thank you both! I am excited about the move, but also very, very nervous about the cost. DH couldn't be more thrilled. The job itself doesn't pay significantly, but it is definitely one of those "stepping stones" that will lead to MUCH better things down the line. It's a government job with the VA, so we will have some great benefits, which we need. DD has chronic asthma and allergy issues and not having good health coverage scares the life out of me! Between us, we might make $53-55, so not much. Well, at first it sounds like "enough" to me, then I think about how we are probably going to spend $1500 + utils on a 1000 sqf APARTMENT!! EEEKK!

I currenlty live outside of St Louis and our COL is so-so. I feel our grocery stores are pricey and none of them really do decent doubles IMO. I think the limit is like .30-.40.

IL wants to charge me $200 to transfer my plates from NM, but since we're moving soon anyway, I guess I'll just hold off. I paid only $50/year in NM for a plate on my SUV. It was like $30 on our old little Geo. I disliked NM, but I am going to miss that!!

I REALLY do appreciate all the grocery and coupon info. I do drugstores/Target from time to time, but really have never had to do hardcore couponing dealing with doubles, etc.

I may have to look into BJs. We are a family of 4 and every little penny is going to count. The benefits with DHs new job are great, but they are expensive too! Our Blue Cross is going to cost $400/month!!

I don't want to sound like I'm whining, this is our first "real" job, lol. DH was in the Air Force for a year, where everything was taken care of, he's been a student for the last year, and life has been a struggle living on less then $2400/month, so to go from those things to both of us having good jobs with benefits and relocations, etc is just overwhelming and mindblowing. I'm so very greatful but anxious and stressed at the same time!!

Thank you all so much!!

[tacatcon]

Welcome to Massachusetts (almost)!

Well the good news on the tax is the sitting governor wants to roll back the sales tax to 3.5% or something like that. So maybe you'll get lucky!

Now not to scare you but Brockton is not the best town. (not that I can brag, I live in Worcester lol) So just make sure of what towns you are looking to live in.

How's your credit? Any chance of you buying a home? We pay less than that in mortgage plus tax plus home insurance for a 4 bedroom, 2200 sq ft house. So if you could (and you think you're going to be here a while) you might want to consider buying instead of renting. There are so many first time homebuyer programs still open and if he is military, i bet he qualifies for alot more.

I think you have to weigh the cost of living with the salaries in this area to be able to really compare. I know where my SO works, their counterparts in the southern states don't have anywhere near the cost of living we do up here but they also don't make the same wage. Our beer and wine tax is what gets me! lol

And down that way you won't be too far from the beaches which is worth alot!

[booklover]

I live in Illinois, just outside of St. Louis. Sorry you are moving, I've been looking for a local coupon buddy. Good luck in the move.

[kawakii]

Good Luck to your move to MA. I live just over the MA line in NH but lived in MA my whole life until we moved up here in college. I second getting a trial membership to BJ's or just signing up--the membership is worth the $45.00. At BJ's you are also able to use MFR. Coupons which is a great plus and will help keep cost down. they have a very liberal coupon policy. You can use more then (1) mfr coupon if the item has 3 individual packaged items inside such as a package of (3) cheeze -it boxes--you can use (3) 1.00/1 boxes of cheeze it coupons. You may also combine Mfr. coupons with Store (Bj's) Coupons.

The best thing about living north of Boston is you can take a quick ride over into the NH border and not pay any sale tax :) So, if you decide to take a weekend trip to NH buy your soda there and pay no deposit or buy big purchases like furniture, TV's, Christmas shopping in NH :)

You'll have a wealth of information on HCW for the Mass area --good involvement on the store boards such as Shaws and Stop N Shop. Good luck with your move.

Try to check out the area your going to rent in as many have mentioned parts of Brockton aren't so nice. . My Dad was a cop in Dedham for years he is retired now. We grew up in a Milton before we moved to Northern MA in my high school years. He now lives in Canton which I have always found nice. Parts of Norwood, Braintree, and Weymouth are nice as well. All towns have their downsides. What town is your husband job going to be in ?

[amylynne01]

I may have to look into BJs. We are a family of 4 and every little penny is going to count. The benefits with DHs new job are great, but they are expensive too! Our Blue Cross is going to cost $400/month!!

That's one thing about MA - healthcare is expensive pretty much anywhere you work. We just had a healthcare reform where every resident is required to have health insurance. If someone doesn't, they get a penalty on their state taxes. But instead of lowering healthcare costs, they've skyrocketed in the past 5 years!

How's your credit? Any chance of you buying a home? We pay less than that in mortgage plus tax plus home insurance for a 4 bedroom, 2200 sq ft house. So if you could (and you think you're going to be here a while) you might want to consider buying instead of renting. There are so many first time homebuyer programs still open and if he is military, i bet he qualifies for alot more.

I thought that too about buying a house. I think houses in general are more expensive in the Boston area than out where Tacatcon and I live, but it is definitely something to think about if you plan on being here for a while. But house prices are SO low right now because of the market that I wish we could buy an investment property to have for the future!

[BostonRed]

Welcome to Massachusetts (almost)!

Well the good news on the tax is the sitting governor wants to roll back the sales tax to 3.5% or something like that. So maybe you'll get lucky!

Actually, neither of the two main candidates for governor wants to roll back the sales tax to 3%, but it will be on the ballot in November.

Massachusetts Sales Tax: Do the Candidates' Views Matter?

[tivaclare]

Thanks all!

We will be renting a home. I'm not sure how long we will be in the MA area. I'm hoping for awhile, but we are also going to go where the money is, kwim? The job that DH is taking has had 4 replacements, so it definitely leads to bigger and better things. Like I said, it's more of a "stepping stone." They give us a 25% wage increase for cost of living, but that still only brings the salary to $42k for him. He will get a raise in a year and I work from home full time (medical transcription) so that will help a little.

As far as where to live, we are still deciding. Brockton is OUT. I've looked at the schools there and it is not going to work for us. DD is almost 4, but she has a language delay, so she will be in the schools. The program out here has been awesome, so I'm hoping to find something comparable there. She is in early intervention for her speech.

DH is being pretty picky about housing, which I understand, but is almost making me NUTS. We need rent around $1500 (less it better, lol) and he wants it be within 45 mins of Brockton and an hour of Boston. Let me tell you, that does NOT make for cheap housing!! We have already agreed that we are 99% sure to end up in an apartment. We have some bills to pay down, but after 12 months, we should be able to afford more for rent and move onto at least a townhouse or if we're lucky a single family home. Our credit right now, even if we wanted, would probably not allow for us to purchase a home.

That's a good tip about NH and sales tax. Thanks! :-)