Moving Out

I read an article recently about a high percentage of people moving out of certain states. While New Jersey was at the top of the list, Illinois was in second place, and New York pulled into third place. Having lived in all three of the top three states, I wasn't surprised by these findings.

New York (particularly the metropolitan area around New York City including the boroughs), as most people know, is just ridiculously expensive, so it's no surprise that people are moving. It's hard to pay $2000 a month or more for rent when you only make $50,000 (or less). It's a wonder to me how people who work low-wage jobs and/or have kids even survive in New York. When I lived there, I was getting by, but there wasn't much wiggle room. I had a nice apartment in a not-hip-and-trendy part of Brooklyn and the place was rent-stabilized, but it was still expensive for someone who didn't make a six-figure salary. I feared constantly that I was just one paycheck away from being on the street. I remember one time while I was living in Brooklyn that the direct deposits didn't go in for employees at my company at the end of the month due to some technical glitch (so they said). I was freaking out because I, like many people, depended on that end-of-the-month pay to pay my beginning-of-the-month rent. I had enough money to get my rent paid in the event that my paycheck was late, but not much beyond that. Thankfully, we all did get our paychecks and the crisis was averted, but the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth.

Most parts of New Jersey are also ridiculously expensive, particularly those parts in the central and northern part of the state that are within reasonable commuting distance to New York City. I lived in central New Jersey for a few years and commuted into New York where my day job was located. Back then, I was paying more than $200 for a monthly pass on New Jersey Transit plus about $50 a month to park my car at the train station. Thankfully, I didn't have a car payment at the time, but when I added my commuting expenses on top of my rent, and took the commuting time to and from New York five days a week into consideration, I decided it was more beneficial for me to move closer to Brooklyn where I'd be closer to my job and wouldn't have to spend more than two hours a day on the train and driving to and from the train station. I did miss my suburban New Jersey apartment with its dishwasher and in-unit washer and dryer, but sacrifices had to be made.

And last, but not least, there's Illinois. I've made it plain that I am not a fan of my current home state and I'd leave this place if I could. The government is a joke, Chicago is a mess, and I just don't see things improving around here anytime soon. However, it's my home for now, I have family here, and I have to try and make the best of a bad situation. Plus, I don't know where else I would go if I did leave. I often think about returning to Philadelphia, a city that I feel is affordable on the East Coast and not a bad place to live. Granted, I haven't lived in Philadelphia for more than ten years and I don't know how much has changed since then, but I largely enjoyed my time living there. I probably would have still been there if I hadn't taken the New York job.