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Not to go too off topic but I find it funny the cigarette increases were meant to deter people from buying ultimately but what I see are a lot of people either moving to cheaper black & mild's (I've even heard some smokers say these are less harmful than cigs but I highly doubt this), or buying loose tobacco and rolling their own cigarettes.
There is another thing to consider. A new immigrant to NYC is hit with some HUGE prices, but the longer you are here, the more you can "figure the angles" and get more and more for your money. There's a learning curve to living in NYC.
If you have $300 G's to toss around, you don't need to learn a thing...but for $50K, you get wily and it gets easier.
You can spend $6.95 on a meal in a restaurant or you can spend $500. You can spend almost nothing on clothing or you can spend $5000 on an outfit.
You can see theater for $150 or you can see theater for $3.50.
And if you work at it long enough, sometimes YEARS, you can get an apartment for HALF the rate the newcomers will pay.
Start by throwing out the cell phone, throw out the car, throw out the cab rides, throw out the cleaning woman, learn to cook, invite people to your HOME to drink and eat instead of tossing $12 for a martini and a fortune on a meal.
You CAN work the City instead of having it work YOU.
But yeah, no denying it, $300G's is NICE, if yah GOT it.
It's true people on here exaggerate the cost of living. I lived on $38K after college quite comfortably and with savings. Also, I don't know anyone who pays rents as high as what some people on here consider normal for their neighborhoods.
However...
If you ever feel like crying, look at online rental listings for other cities. You'll understand pretty quickly why NYC seems unbelievably expensive for people who aren't used to it, and why even people who come in knowing that it's expensive don't initially grasp just how expensive. We think it's normal to pay $900-$1000 for a 1br in the absolute worst neighborhood possible. To other people this is insane. There are places in America where that will get you a whole house with a yard. Even in decent-sized cities like Philly or Chicago you can live in some of the best parts of town for that, and $1500 gets you a luxury apartment. Also I've noticed little things cost just a little more here, even "cheap" things like a regular coffee, deli sandwich, six-pack of Bud, etc. It adds up. The one thing where we have it cheaper is our transit system.
I think the people who claim this are the ones who are recent transplant themselves or those who splurge on an unsustainable/expensive lifestyle - How can you not when there are so much good things to do here and eat just around every corner? High taxes and expensive real estate is the driving force for everything that's costly in the city. You already notice the difference of cost in food/drinks when you go to different boroughs
If you're smart about it and live a frugal lifestyle, you can make it here even under $50k or maybe 40k too. If you attempt to live a sex in the city lifestyle, then of course that will be financially demanding on you. I'd like to think it's better to over-exxagerate than under-exxagerate, that way it will prepare you for a city like NY.
On another note, I've met a lot of transplants that either bunk up with roommates in a tiny Manhattan apartment/live paycheck to paycheck or bunk up with roommates in the ghetto/gentrifying neighborhoods (Crown Heights/Bedstuy/Bushwick). The Manhattan transplants will likely argue about the priciness, and the onthecusp neighborhood transplants will argue about having to live in the ghetto for affordable rents. From this alone, I can see where the varying viewpoints come from. That's what I've seen so far. But I agree, once you know the ins and outs after a couple of years and learn how to manage your finances it's not too bad here....Now another problem is figuring out how to tackle the rising rent issue across the city for some.
Start by throwing out the cell phone, throw out the car, throw out the cab rides, throw out the cleaning woman, learn to cook, invite people to your HOME to drink and eat instead of tossing $12 for a martini and a fortune on a meal.
Kinda defeats the purpose of moving for the NYC experience. If I move to NYC, I wanna experience the people, the atmosphere, the restaurants, the entertainment. Saving every penny is something I can do here where I live right now, too, where there's very little to do anyway.
I can invite people to my home if I live in Redneckville USA where there's nothing else to do. That's the last thing I would do in NYC...
In all fairness, your situation is more unique than the average waitress making minimum wage at a divey diner. The "chain" you work for most likely pays better hourly than most other places and I'm sure the tips are better there than if you worked at the corner coffee shop. Know what I mean? Also, you're sharing an apartment and not renting on your own so your portion of the rent might be lower than someone having to rent on their own. For a single person to rent their own apartment in a nice neighborhood might not be feasible because it's hard to find a 1 bedroom apartment or studio under $1000 in a good area in one of the boroughs. I would even exclude Manhattan. Wages in the food industry vary drastically. Waiters at The Four Seasons or Club 21 are probably making over $60k. I honestly don't think people intend to scare other posters but maybe trying to "keep it real". Sometimes people have this dilusional fantasy that if they can "make it here" they can make it anywhere but sometimes it's just not the case.
Yes. It IS expensive and people relocating should know the whole scoop. That said, One can make it here with a lot of hard work, determination and maybe having some contacts. And many who "made it" here must struggle first. That may mean living with several roommates, Working more then one job and living very frugally before paying one's dues and (hopefully) elevating themselves. I have encountered many younger folks esp where I work who did this and admire them so much for it. me, I have been in Brooklyn for 30 years and was on my own before i could legally buy beer. Worked 2 jobs, And it was hard so I understand how it is for the most part. As far as the "make it here make it anywhere" it is true, not always the case. Though i think having NY experience in some jobs will give an edge if one relocates again to a smaller city or town.
And overweight and "old." It's Logan's Run for them.
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