It seems that it’s becoming more and more difficult for the middle class to get by these days. Steadily increasing costs of living and predatory rent gouging combined with stagnant wages are a perfect recipe for everyday men and women to be forced out of areas in which they were once able to thrive. Take Brooklyn, for example. Just how is one able to get by on the average salary of, say, a bartender or barista? Well, here I’ll share some tips on how I’m able to live affordably through some simple life modifications, as well as living in the cabinet from the Cure’s “Close to Me” music video that I found in a dumpster on Burns St.
When trying to live comfortably in Brooklyn, it’s important to keep an honest tab on your lifestyle and spending habits. Are you doing your grocery shopping in upscale chains, or are you choosing the more affordable local markets? Are you cooking the majority of your own meals, or are you indulging a bit too much in the city’s variety of world cuisines that, while breathtaking, can be staggeringly expensive? Are you living in a lavish, single-room studio or squatting in a 7’ by 3’ by 18” piece of abandoned furniture with three other people? Such an assessment will guide you in identifying the areas in which you’re overspending and acting accordingly to ensure you’re able to enjoy life while keeping a few extra bucks in your wallet.
We New Yorkers know that life here can be both punishing and rewarding, and the sacrifices I’ve made to stay afloat here are certainly no exception. Living in a cabinet that was used in an iconic music video by the world’s most recognizable goth-rock band with three roommates can be tough and, at times, literally suffocating. However, I try to balance this challenge by focusing on the bright side. For instance, with the money I’m able to save on rent, I can take in a matinee once every other month! Also, I pay nothing in utilities by relieving myself with a discarded bucket kept outside the cabinet. It’s through circumventing these normally burdensome costs that I’m able to enjoy everything New York City has to offer. That is, when I’m not doing permanent damage to my spine from the awkward camel pose I’m forced to assume in order to physically fit in the confines of my home.
Hopefully, you have found this article helpful if you’re looking to move to New York City but are worried about whether you’ll be able to afford all that it has to offer. With a few practical life changes and smart spending habits, you too can afford to live here provided you come across an unwanted home from an old music video. I hear the building from Aphex Twin’s “Come to Daddy” has studio apartments for rent, so what’s stopping you?