For the past eight or so weeks I have been very happy with my job, and this is a change for me. I usually start getting bored about now.
As a matter of fact, I started looking for a place to live. I guess since my job isn't stressing me out I had to find something to make me crazy.
I've been looking for about three weeks and it's not going well. The rents are crazy high anywhere near work, which is about 30 miles.
Now, I don't make the big bucks, I have a standard but steady job and I make a decent, or what I consider decent money. My friends would not agree with me. They would place me in the near poverty category. Although if you look up the poverty level wage it is a lot less. My friends just make a lot more money and most of them are married or live with someone so they don't get hit with the whole monthly cost. They seem to forget I have to foot the entire bill every month.
Now I understand why rents are high, it's all tied to the realestate market and what the public is willing to pay. But when the best excuse is that's what the area is charging, I start to wonder if any property owners remember how difficult it was when they rented.
So, since I couldn't get a straight answer, I started into my own investigation. Why are rents so stupid high so that an average wage earner, as defined by the government, can't afford a decent place to live. I don't want to live in a low income area in the slums, I don't qualify as a low income person and I don't want the indignity of living like that.
Thankfully, since I don't qualify as low income, I also don't qualify for low income housing. But the surrounding areas are the affordable areas. Low cost, and all the squaller. Somewhere I would need to expect my car would get broke into regularly, have loud neighbors and generally be a demilitarized zone.
And when I say low cost, it's still about half my monthly salary. This is another sticking point for me. As defined by some organization, I should expect to pay one third to one half of my monthly income for housing. Who thought that up? I looked up the current living wage as defined by living wage.mit.edu, it states for a single person a living hourly wage of $12.93.
As a matter of fact, I started looking for a place to live. I guess since my job isn't stressing me out I had to find something to make me crazy.
I've been looking for about three weeks and it's not going well. The rents are crazy high anywhere near work, which is about 30 miles.
Now, I don't make the big bucks, I have a standard but steady job and I make a decent, or what I consider decent money. My friends would not agree with me. They would place me in the near poverty category. Although if you look up the poverty level wage it is a lot less. My friends just make a lot more money and most of them are married or live with someone so they don't get hit with the whole monthly cost. They seem to forget I have to foot the entire bill every month.
Now I understand why rents are high, it's all tied to the realestate market and what the public is willing to pay. But when the best excuse is that's what the area is charging, I start to wonder if any property owners remember how difficult it was when they rented.
So, since I couldn't get a straight answer, I started into my own investigation. Why are rents so stupid high so that an average wage earner, as defined by the government, can't afford a decent place to live. I don't want to live in a low income area in the slums, I don't qualify as a low income person and I don't want the indignity of living like that.
Thankfully, since I don't qualify as low income, I also don't qualify for low income housing. But the surrounding areas are the affordable areas. Low cost, and all the squaller. Somewhere I would need to expect my car would get broke into regularly, have loud neighbors and generally be a demilitarized zone.
And when I say low cost, it's still about half my monthly salary. This is another sticking point for me. As defined by some organization, I should expect to pay one third to one half of my monthly income for housing. Who thought that up? I looked up the current living wage as defined by living wage.mit.edu, it states for a single person a living hourly wage of $12.93.
Another independent group whom I can't remember the name of did a more comprehensive study and determined that the real living wage for Rockingham county was more like $21.70. I agree with this number. Unless someone is willing to show me, with math, how a single person can live on $12.93/hr. I don't want to hear any critiques about my statements.
Any how, I find myself in a pickle. The places I can afford are not in good areas or beyond a reasonable distance from work. One option is to move back in with my parents, I don't want to do this, I should be able to take care of myself on what I make.
Ok enough rant for now.
