I'm so glad I'm moving

[rusty_halo]

So I get home today to find that my roommate has broken my lamp. It's in the kitchen, and he tripped on its wire while doing laundry. Okay, but the glass part around the top shattered, and left shards of glass everywhere, and he did a crappy job of picking it up. There were bite-sized shards of glass next to my cats' food bowl. And he offered to pay for another glass rim part "if I could find one." Why do I have to find it? He's the one who broke my lamp!

Oh, and the reason the lamp was in the kitchen? Both of the kitchen lights stopped working. I replaced the bulbs; they still don't work. Something with the wiring. And I can't call maintenance because of my cats. Apparently I'll be cooking in the dark now.

And then I got my lease renewal notice. Rent is increasing by $200/month for one year, and $400/month for two years. $2800/month for a one-bedroom with a leaky roof and lights that don't work? I know Manhattan's nicely located and all, but I don't mind moving anyway because the culture is really going to suck when only insanely rich people can afford to live here.

Fuck it. Brooklyn, here I come.

Comments

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Well, that's with the $400 increase. And I have a roommate, so I pay half of the rent and bills.

The cost in Brooklyn will depend on the location (closer to Manhattan = more expensive) and whether I get a place on my own or with another roommate. On my own, I'm hoping for around $1100-$1200; with a roommate I'd like to find something between $1400-$1800.

I'd really like to get something rent-controlled, so that I don't get kicked out of yet another cool area as it gentrifies, but I know that's a long shot. And I'm hoping to avoid a broker fee (which is something like 15-20% of your yearly rent), but I don't know how feasible that is either. So I'm frantically saving every penny for this summer.

[estepheia.livejournal.com]

Makes me wonder, how much I'd earn in the US. Are the wages so much higher?
I suppose you guys don't get as much deducted for taxes, health insurance and pension funds...

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Well, New York City is *insane*. Other people in the U.S. also look at me like I'm crazy when I mention how much it costs to live here. But the culture/atmosphere/energy here is so wonderful and diverse and interesting--I'd never be willing to go back to suburbia or Middle America.