The amount of wealth Guaraldi accumulated from his perpetual "Peanuts" scoring opportunities plus royalties from previous work allowed him to live comfortably in Mill Valley, California. His desire to continually perform at small, local clubs was not due to financial necessity but because he wanted it like that. The monumental success garnered from his "Peanuts" work resulted in lucrative offers coming in from all over the U.S., all of which he declined. "Once the "Peanuts" music became famous, Vince could have gone out and done a whole lot more," Mendelson said. "But he was very provincial; he loved San Francisco, and he liked hanging out and playing at the local clubs. He never branched out from there; he never really wanted to. He'd get offers, but he'd tell me, 'I just want to do this; I'm having a good time, and I'm satisfied with it'." Eddie Duran concurred, saying, "he did talk at times about moving to Los Angeles, but I think he really dug staying in the area, because he was sure of himself. When you're sure of where you are as an artist, you don't seek to go other places and prove it."