Getting Crunched by Housing Costs
Updated: Dec 23, 2024
"How much do you pay for rent?" That can be an interesting question and the answer can be an enlightening one that reveals much about a person, their housing, and the community in which they live.
In 2017, just prior to me moving to rural Northern Illinois, I had signed the lease on a studio apartment in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ultimately my plans changed and I got out of the lease agreement. While I don't recall exactly what I would have been paying each month for my apartment, I know that costs had impacted my thinking and resulted in my decision to get a studio apartment. Frankly, I thought that I had done pretty well for myself.
The apartment was in a relatively new building with a number of amenities including a swimming pool. It was dog-friendly, which was an important consideration considering that I intended to find a new canine companion. It was also close to my work as a fitness professional working for an orthopaedic practice. But while I could swing the monthly payment, I knew that I would have to manage my money wisely. I had a car payment, student loans, credit card debt, and other bills that needed to be paid.
I lived in Southern California for a year from July 1999 through July 2000 where the cost of housing is high and the availability of housing can be an issue. I was fortunate that my father offered me a rent-free place to stay and a construction job as an electrician's helper so that I could pay some bills off and save money to return to East Carolina University and could complete my undergraduate degree. While I could have paid my own way with the money that I was making in California including per diem pay, I certainly benefited from the arrangement and my father's desire to help me return to school.
When I returned to North Carolina in the summer of 2000, I moved into a two-bedroom duplex in Kinston, North Carolina with a friend. I was able to make the commute a few days a week to Greenville, North Carolina to attend my Spanish classes. Moving to the Triangle shortly after finishing up at East Carolina University, I moved into a house in Cary, NC with my youngest brother and his roommate. I lived in the Triangle until I left North Carolina in 2017.
Housing can represent a big chunk of a person's income, particularly in a desirable location or neighborhood. If I leave the rural Midwest, I will certainly have to contend with the costs of housing in my chosen area. I am a coastal, Southern guy at heart. I can see myself moving back to the Southeastern United States along the coast someday. One of the benefits of being a professional truck driver is the opportunity to live almost anywhere and make a decent living. Even so, I probably won't live on the water or in a beachfront home unless my finances and circumstances change dramatically. That's okay, as I can always walk or drive to the beach and any activities that I want to pursue on the water.
I am not in favor of the government regulating housing prices, but I acknowledge that particularly for people at the bottom of the income ladder, safe affordable housing represents a significant concern. I admit that I don't have an answer to high housing costs and a lack of affordable housing. I would, however, argue that a person expecting and wanting to raise a family needs to be realistic and acquire and develop some marketable skills that would mark you for more than a minimum wage job.
Check out the article below for a story about someone asking the question about how much people pay for rent.
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