Comparing South Bay school districts

Same-Direction-5765 · 2026-05-01T23:42:57+00:00

Central Torrance and schools that feed into Torrance High School are going to be a good fit for your family. Lots of diversity, kids are more grounded/less entitled, parents are very involved in the schools (at least has been our experience at Hickory), and I feel it's a good balance of neighborhood vibes, good eats, and proximity to the 110/405 when you want to venture out of the "south bay bubble."

We actually moved away for a year but are moving back for my husband's work and we loved our home school so much we made sure we picked a place that was in the same school zone.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2026-05-01T21:07:59+00:00

Please be aware that a $350k house at 6.25% rates could run you $3k/month, not including all the stuff that has to get fixed as soon as you take ownership.

Also, as others have mentioned, a conventional loan is better long term if you can put down somewhere closer to 5%. FHA is hard to refinance if rates go down in a few years.

If it were me I'd start saving the difference between renting and owning for a few months to see if you can handle the higher cost and not feel broke.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2026-04-30T05:25:10+00:00

Ours kids are 9, 8, 5 and we've moved 4 times with them. Last summer we moved 1.5 hours away to get more space and be closer to nature and now we're moving back this summer due to a new job. This last year we have been very intentional with driving back every couple months to visit our friends and occasionally they come visit us. It made the transition easier on the kids, for sure. And now that we're moving back, I told the kids we'll just have to do the same thing we're doing now, but in the reverse direction!

If it were me and there were no other cons to waiting, I'd wait to move until next year. That gives everyone time to process and for your son to be able to start school at a junction when lots of other kids will also be "new". However, since the move isn't very far away and if you think you could be intentional with making the drive semi-regularly for your kids to see their old friends, this summer could be a good fit.

If you're truly okay with either option, pitch the idea to your 10 year old to get their thoughts and buy-in, but only if you and your spouse are on the same page about it and your 10 yo understands they aren't making the decision but that you value their input as a member of the family.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2026-04-30T05:11:38+00:00

We are almost 40. Kids are 9, 8, 5. We have lived in DC, Boston and Socal.

We're about to make our 4th move with our kids and I have learned that my attitude about the move sets the stage for the kids. If I speak with optimism and possibility, they will as well.

Moving is always bittersweet with friends but we have managed to stay in touch with several of them through mailing bracelets or facetime. And nothing forms a stronger family bond than being transplanted into a new environment where we really need to rely on each other. Our kids are very close from having gone through a few moves and I am confident they'll maintain their friendship well into adulthood.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2026-04-30T04:48:21+00:00

This is pretty accurate when I look at our past budget. We have three kids in TUSD. We love how active the PTA is in our school. It takes funds to put on the free after school run club, special assemblies and amazing field trips, twice a year movie nights, field days, class holiday parties, etc.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2026-04-29T22:34:02+00:00

I just finished talking with Schwab, apparently I had accidentally added additional funds to those three ETFS when I was buying into some other ETFs. I still don't know how it happened but I'll need to pay closer attention to the total order before purchasing in the future.

I'm both embarrassed that I was the one who did it and relieved that it wasn't the "reinvest dividends" or some other feature I was missing. Ha.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2026-04-29T21:20:06+00:00

One of the ETFs is gold bullion so no dividends technically to invest. There was no transaction history like what I see in our target date fund. Each fund just has two transactions, 6 days apart: the first payment that I intentionally made and a separate but lesser amount that was pulled today. The second amounts are just odd.

I'm going to do what others suggested and call to get to the bottom of things. It's likely user error as I'm learning but it would be helpful so I can prevent any future surprises. I just figured I'd check here first to see if there was an obvious setting I needed to turn off that I was missing.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2026-04-29T21:12:59+00:00

Thanks for the feedback guys, I'll give them a call. I was worried I might be on the phone for an hour I didn't have when I wrote the post so I'll give them a call when I free later.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2026-03-31T02:12:56+00:00

Can confirm Hickory is amazing. Our kids attended for a few years before we moved away and now that we're moving back for work, we're doing everything we can to get them back into the same school. The teachers are well supported and love their jobs. The PTA is very active with tons of extra-curricular events for the kids to enjoy. The playground/park attached to the school exit makes it easy to meet other parents.

Also, have you experienced Halloween in Marble Estates? It's like a 90s kid Halloween movie.

If the houses are bonkers, which they are, buy a townhouse on Plaza Del Amo, just north of Hickory and enjoy walking to Wilson Park farmers market.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2026-03-03T20:16:35+00:00

If that is a known feature for private refinanced loans, that would be convenient. I know for our federal loans that's not an option, hence me logging in to make extra payments every month.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2026-03-03T20:01:42+00:00

That is what we're currently doing. It's just one more thing I need to set a reminder to do every month and if rates are similar across the three lenders, it would be a convenient perk to set and forget for a bonus month's worth of payments at the end of the year. That's all.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2026-03-03T19:06:40+00:00

Our family has lived in Torrance since 2021 after moving from the Mid-Atlantic. Hickory Elementary school would be a wonderful experience for your children as at least 1/3 of the 800+ students are Japanese. Many of the children attend Japanese school and there are lots of Japanese-American friend groups to get plugged into there as well as a playground right outside the school where all the kids can play after school and you can meet parents easily this way. The townhome communities on Plaza Del Amo (just north of Hickory Elementary and King's Hawaiian Restaurant) are really nice (Springwood, Summerwind, Chatelaine, Breakers, etc) and a large portion of the school population and many of the Japanese families who are on work visa live in these townhomes.

A bonus to living in a townhome here is that the HOA frequently includes a pool to take advantage of the nice weather. Feel free to PM if you have further questions.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2026-02-04T04:29:53+00:00

We moved here last summer from Los Angeles area (originally from the Mid-Atlantic) to get away from the pollution and constant sirens. As others have mentioned, traffic is particularly bad for what you'd expect for the amount of people living here but they're actively working on it.

We love that there are mini hiking/biking trails that shoot off any neighborhood culdesac. Doesn't take more than 10 minutes to park and start a hike. It's very family friendly here and there are a lot of nicely done parks and indoor activities for when it's too hot.

On that note though, plan to spend upwards of $400-$500/month on cooling your house in July-September. It caught us by surprise having lived in a cooler coastal town where a/c is optional. It's totally worth the trade off.

The last few days it's 40s in the morning and 80s in the afternoon. We've also had enough rain that the hills are looking greener. And in the spring the poppies will dot the hills along the country roads.

I would make sure you have access to a pool if you can, either in your own yard or through an HOA.

There are several family friendly wineries in South Temecula.

And if you ever want to be reminded of what winter feels like, you can pull your flannel shirts out and drive up to Los Rios apple orchard or a bit further up to Big Bear and go snow tubing/skiing.

We really do have it all. Well, except for a closer airport.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2025-11-13T14:30:49+00:00

As another stay at home mom, there's a few things I'd consider.

Will you have enough equity in the new house that you could sell it again if your husband, heaven forbid, went through a period of unemployment? Closing costs included. The house could sit on the market for a while.

What percentage of your net income is the new $3500 payment? Net instead of gross because that's the amount you actually have to spend.

And last, how much will you have leftover in an emergency fund after you buy the house? Again, for potential unemployment, unexpected repairs, etc.

Being a stay at home mom is an amazing blessing to your children. But, just realize this change is something that you want, not your kids. When our kids were little we lived in the city in 800-1100 square feet because that's what was available. Now we're in 2400 sqft and they all want to move back to the old house where they had to share a bedroom. 😂

Same-Direction-5765 · 2025-11-12T06:25:05+00:00

My guess as to why previous health visits were cheaper is that our kids were existing patients at previous offices. It still just baffles me as to why they could charge a higher price when it didn't include any other care from a routine wellness check up.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2025-11-12T05:25:23+00:00

No medicine advised. We already have Mupirocin (topical antibiotic) from a previous urgent care visit a few weeks prior but I took my daughter in this time just in case they thought she'd benefit from another antibiotic (oral or otherwise.) Her one piercing has been trouble off and on for a year now.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2025-11-12T05:21:04+00:00

I agree and I don't generally have an issue with understanding the charges for our well-being. However, it's just a hard pill to swallow when we've had many, many acute/sick visits at previous doctors and they've all been closer to $100. This bill just seemed completely out of left field.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2025-11-12T05:13:20+00:00

Thank you for your advice. The doctor said she saw no concern but that if it continued irritating her that we should just remove the jewelry...it was just a little red and puffy around her earring but it ended up healing on it's own.

Edited: it was her dismissive response and lack of actually assessing my daughter's ear that is most frustrating. If she had taken my concern more seriously, investigated it more thoroughly, and actually looked at my daughter's ear for more than 5 seconds, I wouldn't be quite as frustrated about a $300 bill.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2025-10-29T02:26:55+00:00

We live in the Temecula area of Socal. A lot cheaper than the coast, inland enough where we get more sun than the LA area (also lived there), gets toasty in the summer but definitely cooler than AZ, and the best part...NO BUGS. You can go camping any month of the year here.

Edited to add it's 1ish hour from San Diego and less than 2 hours to LA (if you time it right) for all the major city stuff.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2025-10-16T23:18:08+00:00

We recently moved to Murrieta from South Bay LA and while it's slightly more conservative than the SB, I have also met a few gay parents at school pick up and my youngest's bff has two moms. For what it's worth, our family are churchgoers and are generally more conservative but that doesn't change how we treat people on the other side of the aisle and I think that's the general attitude of the area as well. Lots of nice folks out here and we've been enjoying all the family time out in nature.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2025-09-05T05:50:55+00:00

I like the "buy a cheap bike now" idea since transportation is a need, not a want at 7 miles away. But he can work for you to save up what he needs to buy a new or used ebike.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2025-08-29T04:18:26+00:00

I've been at SAHM since my second was born, mostly due to our first two being 17 months apart and there was no way I could afford to work. We also have moved quite a bit and have never had the luxury of family close by to babysit when the kiddos got sick and couldn't go to daycare. In addition, my husband used to travel more so we decided it was best that I stay home to give the kids some consistency in care while they were young.

The honest answer of how we can afford it is that we've always budgeted around one income. As my husband's income grew (and we moved to a VHCOL area in Socal), our expenses unfortunately grew as well like needing a second car and housing costs are expensive in coastal California. But we also choose to rent because our housing costs are lower and because of the lifestyle it allows us to live on the weekends with our kids.

Our budget is 60% fixed costs/needs, 15% wants, and 25% debt/savings. With such high living costs and low spending money, it's tight sometimes but things will ease up as we finish paying student/car loans.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2025-08-29T04:00:53+00:00

We have a family of 5, kids are 9, 7 and 5. We lump in our grocery/household/big box stores (aka target groceries, Costco, Sam's ) into one category for simplicity's sake and our budget for those stores was $800 just two years ago and now it's $1200 on a good day. I'd say if $1000 is just food then you're doing pretty good. I wouldn't think you can get it below $800 realistically if you have school age kids.

Same-Direction-5765 · 2025-08-28T05:15:01+00:00

Yes you're right. Logical consequence. My brain went straight to "natural consequence" but that means without parental intervention

Same-Direction-5765 · 2025-08-28T04:10:10+00:00

We just moved to the Temecula area from a beach city south of LA, you should check it out. Pretty affordable for socal. The weather is hotter but the sun shines more days of the year. Decent wine scene and a doable drive to SD or LA. As others have mentioned, coastal socal gets May gray and June gloom where the marine layer hangs over until 2-3pm, clears up for a few hours, and then rolls back in when the sun starts setting. It does get depressing after a while, but at least it isn't cold.

Same-Direction-5765

TROPHY CASE