429. MY FINANCES OR MY LOVE LIFE - WHICH IS MORE DISASTROUS?

I am sitting on the couch when I hear something being slid under my door. I look over and see a large white envelope on the floor. I wait a few minutes for the “slider” to step away and pick the envelope off the floor. My lease renewal – oh boy.

When I first moved into this apartment my rent was $1250. Which was a lot coming from Minneapolis. But the Banker pays $5,000 – for rent – sick and disgusting. And yes the building is NICE but it is not $5,000 worth nice – at least in my opinion.

The following year they raised my rent to $1295 – which was okay – I was not opposed to it going up, things cost money. And it costs about $800 to move in NYC – I mean if you use a legitimate moving company. So it was cheaper to stay. Plus back then Jack and Jane lived in Inwood – so that was nice. Last year they raised the rent to $1395 – which I thought was excessive and expensive. But I did not have my ducks in a row to even consider moving. This year though – the markets are tanking – rents are coming down and there are more apartments available than ever.

I rip open the envelope and gasp. They want $1450 for rent. Ack. That is DISGUSTING. I mean – this is Washington Heights. It is not the gentrifying Harlem or the UWS or UES. And it is in this moment I decide to move. I don’t really want to pay $1600 for rent, but I’d rather spend another $150 to $200 to live in a teeny tiny apartment in a “downtown” neighborhood than here. I’d like to have commutes that are 30 minutes not over an hour. I'd like to live near shops and tons of restaurants that deliver. I'd like to live in a neighborhood where cabs are bountiful. 

I toss the lease aside and look around my apartment, sigh and wonder - who bought all this shit?