Today I have an appointment to look at an apartment that costs $300 more than what I'm paying now. I suspect it will be of an appropriate size and be pretty decent, and it's in the area I want to live. But I'm torn. I know people in the neighbourhood that pay less than that for what I'm looking for, but those cheaper apartments don't seem to be available right now. (Either no one wants to give up their sweet deals or there's some secret way to find apartments that I don't know about.)
In my current financial state, I am borderline. I can probably afford it with a scaled back social life and a lot of pennypinching. And, if I ever find a full-time job, I should be able to accommodate this higher rent more easily in the future. On the other hand, my paychecks are so varied and I only know if I can pay rent and bills the week before my next paycheck. And, the way those paychecks have been going, I wouldn't be able to pay that and do anything else: couldn't pay down my debt, no trips anywhere, no more going out at the drop of a hat, no buying anything that wasn't absolutely essential. The whole reason I went to grad school was to be able to afford to do stuff more easily and this rent increase would nullify that.
What do I do?
1) Keep looking for another month, hope for the best, and take something less desirable at the end of September if nothing cheaper comes through?
2) Just get it over with and pay the extra $3600 per year?
4 comments:
Me, I'd be worried about incoming students taking all the cheap apartments and I'd grab that one. I don't know if that's an issue for you.
Gah.
If you like it.... take it...you can always leave later if something better comes along...which is unfortunately unlikley at this time in the city. It is a hard one...but that is what I would do. in times of trouble I always ask my self ... what would Bruno do? he would take it.
It's a one-year lease, which is a huge issue. At the same time, I'm going to look at an apartment on Friday that I *can* afford, though is in Strathcona instead of Mt. Pleasant. Surely being a librarian is a better draw than having a student rent, isn't it?
Hmmm. If you get a cheaper apartment at the very least you would have the spending money so that you you could get out and about a lot. If you get a more expensive place you could end up staying in with the aforementioned lesser social life. Or have a lot of house parties and encourage people to come enjoy your lovely home?
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