Help me tolerate the HEAT! (Tampa, St. Petersburg: condo, house, landscaping)

[displaced23]

We're considering moving back to FL. We moved away because I HATE the heat. Now we live in the mid-Atlantic. Great for the weather we were looking for (some seasons but not too much snow), and I like the atmosphere (we're fairly liberal I guess). It's also not far to the mountains or to the ocean.
The problem? It's very expensive here and also my parents relocated to Spring Hill. We have two children and no family nearby so it's kind-of us by ourselves and only visiting my parents twice per year. This makes practical aspects difficult, like sick days for the kids and working, babysitting emergencies, and basic things like spending time with family. DH and I went to USF so we know the area well, and DH grew up in St. Petersburg. I'm okay with the area (not thrilled but I know it would probably be pretty good for our situation and our family). If we move for the financial and family benefits, I will personally have to find ways to tolerate the heat again. While growing up in S. FL I didn't mind the heat so much but being outside in 80-90 degree weather most of the year just drains me every time I visit now. After leaving the house even for 10 min I'm looking for ways to return inside.
Will I get used to it again or any tips on tolerating it? TIA!

[The Villages Guy]

IMO, if you are liberal and don't like the heat....moving here just for the lower costs would not be a wise move. No sense living somewhere you do not like, just because it is more affordable. You may be better off checking out other more liberal areas, which have what "you" would consider more tolerable weather. Maybe a suburb of Asheville, NC.

Only you can make this decision.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by PriusH8r

IMO, if you are liberal and don't like the heat....moving here just for the lower costs would not be a wise move. No sense living somewhere you do not like, just because it is more affordable. You may be better off checking out other more liberal areas, which have what "you" would consider more tolerable weather. Maybe a suburb of Asheville, NC.

Only you can make this decision.

I agree with Prius. If you are already feeling negative before even moving, you are going to be sick and sorry if you make the move. I would stay right where you are. This forum is filled with people who moved here despite having reservations and either moved again, are planning to move again, or stuck and come on here and vent daily. Please think about it before you do anything. You will not tolerate the heat any better, I guarantee it.

[tonyff67]

I don't kno you, so I don't know if it will help, but get in shape. My buddy was always complaining it was hot, and I always complained it was cold. He recently lost 20 lbs and is around my size now. Now he is always cold. Another reason to get in shape. The less you have to wear the more comfortable you will be. If your fat you probably don't want to walk around in shorts and a sport bra.
Don't be a wuss. Keep your house AC at 78. Don't use your car AC unless you are going somewhere dressed up or stuck in stand still traffic. You'll get accustomed to the heat very quickly. When you go out in the summer, don't just run back inside because its too hot. When leaving the AC it will take about 10 minutes for you to acclimate to the heat.

[Roscoe Conkling]

Originally Posted by displaced23

We're considering moving back to FL. We moved away because I HATE the heat. Now we live in the mid-Atlantic. Great for the weather we were looking for (some seasons but not too much snow), and I like the atmosphere (we're fairly liberal I guess). It's also not far to the mountains or to the ocean.
The problem? It's very expensive here and also my parents relocated to Spring Hill. We have two children and no family nearby so it's kind-of us by ourselves and only visiting my parents twice per year. This makes practical aspects difficult, like sick days for the kids and working, babysitting emergencies, and basic things like spending time with family. DH and I went to USF so we know the area well, and DH grew up in St. Petersburg. I'm okay with the area (not thrilled but I know it would probably be pretty good for our situation and our family). If we move for the financial and family benefits, I will personally have to find ways to tolerate the heat again. While growing up in S. FL I didn't mind the heat so much but being outside in 80-90 degree weather most of the year just drains me every time I visit now. After leaving the house even for 10 min I'm looking for ways to return inside.
Will I get used to it again or any tips on tolerating it? TIA!

I'm not sure what you personal circumstances are and how this affects you and I apologise in advance for repeating a previous post.
But losing weight is the single most important thing you can do to cope with heat and humidity.
It's easier said than done,I know,but overweight people suffer a lot more.
My other tip is to ration the A/C.
People move from A/C house to car to shop to office and never give themselves time to acclimatise to the outdoors.
Put on a fan instead and get used to the heat.
Personally I only use A/C at night to sleep and even then only sparingly.
Good luck.

[tonyff67]

Originally Posted by Roscoe Conkling

I'm not sure what you personal circumstances are and how this affects you and I apologise in advance for repeating a previous post.
But losing weight is the single most important thing you can do to cope with heat and humidity.
It's easier said than done,I know,but overweight people suffer a lot more.
My other tip is to ration the A/C.
People move from A/C house to car to shop to office and never give themselves time to acclimatise to the outdoors.
Put on a fan instead and get used to the heat.
Personally I only use A/C at night to sleep and even then only sparingly.
Good luck.

I beat you to it, Roscoe, by 60 seconds! .

[QuilterChick]

Originally Posted by displaced23

We're considering moving back to FL. We moved away because I HATE the heat. Now we live in the mid-Atlantic. Great for the weather we were looking for (some seasons but not too much snow), and I like the atmosphere (we're fairly liberal I guess). It's also not far to the mountains or to the ocean.
The problem? It's very expensive here and also my parents relocated to Spring Hill. We have two children and no family nearby so it's kind-of us by ourselves and only visiting my parents twice per year. This makes practical aspects difficult, like sick days for the kids and working, babysitting emergencies, and basic things like spending time with family. DH and I went to USF so we know the area well, and DH grew up in St. Petersburg. I'm okay with the area (not thrilled but I know it would probably be pretty good for our situation and our family). If we move for the financial and family benefits, I will personally have to find ways to tolerate the heat again. While growing up in S. FL I didn't mind the heat so much but being outside in 80-90 degree weather most of the year just drains me every time I visit now. After leaving the house even for 10 min I'm looking for ways to return inside.
Will I get used to it again or any tips on tolerating it? TIA!

I truly feel your plain .... did something similar, bought a condo in SW FL and thought I'd about croak ... it was a very expensive mistake. If you are already on the coast of the Carolinas, would you be amennable to looking over here in western NC ? We have four seasons, but that 4th one is very mild and we love it that way. A little snow in the winter would be fine. We usually do get maybe a total of 12 inches or so over the course of a "winter", a little at a time or maybe just twice etc. but, we haven't had any for 2 years now. summers are mid 80's, very rarely gets into the low 90's, maybe a 2 or 3 day issue, but no big deal and my town is at 2500' above sea level. If you go higher, it's even cooler. Cost of living is a big consideration, it's a lot lower here. Only 4 hr. drive to Myrtle Beach if you really need a beach. Life is relaxed and not rushed here; there are many many people who go from the north to FL, then half way back to this area .. and they either have summer homes here, or are here to stay year 'round.

You could also investigate the foothills of the upstate in SC; Greenville SC is a lovely area and only 50 miles or so to downtown Asheville. Weather is warmer and more humid there though. So if you are looking for weather, decent cost of living, beautiful mountain scenery, incredible amount of arts, culture, crafts, entertainment, c'mon over. CarolinaLiving.com: Visitor, Relocation & Retirement Guide to North Carolina & South Carolina is one of the best websites to give you an idea of how NC is divided into areas of interest. From there, you can search by county for your various interests.

The schools in western NC are highly rated in most Counties as well. Look at Henderson County, very family oriented, excellent award winning schools for athletics, social interests for the kids, and caring teachers. We love to have the children and teens involved in all types of activities.

Best to you !

[algia]

The OP can benefit from being close to family. You can't discount that when you have kids.

We moved north, and didn't like the antics there and moved back. I don't like the extreme heat either....BUT....there are ways to avoid it. Evaluate what you do all day...are you supposed to be outside in the middle of the day? do you work outside? if not, then you can adjust your schedule, and the things you do, to work around the heat. I don't go out in the middle of the day anywhere year round, not just in the summer. We go out early in the am, and later in the evening, and the only exception is when we go to a theme park. However, in the summer we go early in the am and are out of there by 1pm, or go in the evening, as in get there by 5pm.

I only shop early in the am...ppl are to desperate when they shop here so I avoid them, and the shopping crowds. Plus aside from food, I get everything else online anyway.

We love the fact that we are back, and are closer to one side of the family that is always at our house, or we at theirs...so, you can't put a price on that really especially if yours is actually helping with sick days etc.

Move somewhere in Wesley Chapel, Trinity, that way you're still within good schools and civilization, but close enough that your family can swing by whenever.

If you go to the beach early, there is an awesome breeze, and you won't even know its July. When it gets too hot, we swing up to North Carolina and cool off for a few days...

[DUNNDFRNT]

I guess logistically speaking your job is not likely to be in Spring Hill, you figure your support system is going to be almost an hour away from the parts of Tampa Bay you are likely to live. I hate the heat myself but its manageable, to me i guess its feels more like I am in a science experiment going from heat to cold to heat to cold is what I find annoying. I find parts of Tampa to be very progressive, I live in S. Tampa the only times I see cars with confederate flags in my neighborhood they are on the bumpers of the landscaping trucks.

[algia]

THAT is very true.

Originally Posted by Roscoe Conkling

People move from A/C house to car to shop to office and never give themselves time to acclimatise to the outdoors.

In Europe I did not have AC, nor worked in a place with AC. I keep my temperatures on my phone in Celsius so I can compare and know what the temps are as if I was there....when it reads 30 degrees...sometime I astound myself thinking: "what the hell? I never had AC in Europe and this temp never bothered me there" Yes the "humidity" can feel suffocating...but if you adjust your schedule you can avoid it.

I agree with loosing weight...not only its hard to walk...but all that insulation will indeed make the heat feel worst.