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In the personal finance world, we are always talking about ways to save money; cut out lattes, clip coupons, implement no-spend days, pack your lunch, etc. Some people have gone so far to suggest that people should move from high cost of living areas like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco to more affordable areas to save money. I don’t think that this is terrible advice, but I don’t think it works for everyone either.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California; not a cheap place by any stretch of the imagination. My studio apartment cost $1,000 per month and I had to have a car. Between gas, insurance, and repairs, it was a money sink. Living on a nonprofit salary wasn’t easy, but I did it.
Read more of my post on VOSA.com
Melanie Lockert is the founder of the blog and author of the book, Dear Debt. Through her blog, she chronicled her journey out of $81,000 in student loan debt. She is also the co-founder of the Lola Retreat, which helps bold women face their fears, own their dreams and figure out a plan to be in control of their finances. She is passionate about empowering women, helping others get out of debt, and focuses on the intersection of debt and mental health. Every September she organizes a Suicide Prevention Awareness Blog Tour, to help share resources for those struggling with debt and suicide. In addition to her love of personal finance, art and music, she is also a karaoke master and a cat mom to Miles and Thelonious.
Latest posts by Melanie (see all)
- Talking About Money and Mental Health - September 12, 2022
- Dear Debt, We’re Better Apart - June 27, 2022
- Announcing The Mental Health and Wealth Summit - May 4, 2021
5 comments
Thanks for the awesome take on living in an expensive city.
You’re welcome! Thanks for having me!
Yes, it is true that it could be difficult to live in expensive cities. But like you said, you did it. Proves that there are ways to make it. What self-discipline you must have!
I very seriously considered living in NYC but decided that my overall quality of life would go down. However, I did live in Paris for 6 months and it is more expensive than NYC-so I’m good!
This is amazing. I live in Montreal and I hate it. It’s not expensive to live but we don’t have a lot of goods and stores that other cities like Toronto have because of the language laws. It prevents companies from coming into Montreal and that sucks. I want to live in an awesome city where everything is within a couple of blocks walking distance. It’s no surprise my dream is to live in NYC some day.