This weekend it was bad:
We went out for brunch and after, since the weather was so wonderful, went for a walk around Brooklyn Heights. It was lovely - the light wind, the smell of trees and plants. We were walking on tree-lined blocks with old brownstones and I was thinking that trees and birds are such a luxury. It is amazing to have a flat in a quiet area and see trees out of your window. So I looked again in the windows of real estate agencies, and lovely (yet not large) 1-2 bedroom co-ops or condos in the area are in the 1.3 million range. Looking at the listings one gets the impression that if all you can afford is 500K or less you are "bottom of the barrel" and should not even be looking at real estate. It is so frustrating.
My dream of 700-800sf apartment with trees outside, permission to have a washer, a kitchen that would fit a 40" table, and not more than 1 hour commute is out of reach. Not to mention a place with some charm/character...
I was in Ikea yesterday, looking at some furniture and room setups. And I saw things like walk-in closet, double sinks, room for shower AND a bathtub... it would be absolute luxury to have space for that. Most of the furniture I would consider would not even fit in my apartment. Not to mention things that I can't consider - such as kitchen islands... I cannot get any of this because it all hinges one one premium and super-expensive item - SPACE. at $1,000 or more per square foot it is not the cost of the furniture thats the issue.
We make relatively good money, but whenever I think about these things I feel so poor. During this walk all I could think of were people who lived in these condos, and how I have little chance of ever being one of them. It made me miserable. I have to work on myself, it is just hard sometimes...
Feeling poor and miserable
May 27th, 2008 at 04:33 pm
May 27th, 2008 at 04:45 pm 1211906701
May 27th, 2008 at 05:01 pm 1211907713
Unfortunately I would not be able to find a similar job with similar benefits anywhere but NYC or DC. Yes, it is a choice - it is just not a good choice - between a career, good job with good benefits and decent living conditions.
May 27th, 2008 at 05:40 pm 1211910020
May 27th, 2008 at 06:25 pm 1211912700
May 27th, 2008 at 11:58 pm 1211932716
May 28th, 2008 at 03:52 am 1211946735
May 28th, 2008 at 04:28 am 1211948905