The living situation

Is this revealing too much about myself?

I make a $40,500 annual salary, before taxes. After taxes and health insurance, I take home $2,548 a month. This is a very fair sum and easily lived on by a single person. That is, IF that person doesn't live in Los Angeles. In this city, my rent is $1,150 a month, or 45% of my take-home pay. Appalling, I know. This is not something I am proud of. I don't live an extravagant life. I live in a one-bedroom apartment with just under 500 square feet, a small balcony, and a parking space (important in LA). My building is safe, quiet, and comfortable. My apartment has a dishwasher and a garbage disposal. The laundry room is across the hall. I have central A/C and heat.

It is possible to live in Los Angeles for less than this. I did it for 15 months. Three months with a roommate when I first arrived in LA. That was $975/month for a nice apartment in a safe neighborhood with no dishwasher, no A/C or heat, no garbage disposal, and no parking space. However, I honestly prefer living alone. And I'm 30, which is a bit too old for a roommate, in my personal opinion.

Then I lived alone in a slum. $995/month for a 400-square-foot studio with no parking in a shady neighborhood. No dishwasher, no A/C (but a small space heater), no garbage disposal, no security in the building (front door didn't even lock), no laundry on premises, and a rowdy bar out back. Cockroaches, loud neighbors, overflowing dumpster, and, at the very end, mice. MICE!

Thus, I am more than willing to pay an extra $150/month to live in peaceful, quiet, safe, and sanitary conditions. We all have our priorities, and my home being a haven is mine. I pay for it, but it is money well-spent, in my opinion. I could save myself $200 a month and move in with a roommate. I could save $100 a month and live alone somewhere that I'm unhappy. However, it's not worth it to me. It's just that simple.

I hate that 45% of my income goes to the roof over my head. I am a house-poor renter. LA isn't easy. I pay a premium for the diversity of people, thriving art scene, and beautiful weather I enjoy year round. This is a choice I have made, and I am happy with it. There are those who cannot endorse my lifestyle. I don't blame them. But I have never been happier than here in LA, and I am over the moon about my apartment. This is my home, and it puts me at peace.

Sunset over the Pacific Ocean

Nonetheless, this makes saving and building a retirement fund on my modest salary a challenge. Hence, I don't go out much. I don't shop much. I cook at home and rarely eat meat. I buy generic whenever possible. I make coffee at home and don't buy Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks, despite how much I love them. And in return, I go for bike rides on the beach. I keep my windows open ten months out of the year. I hike at Griffith Park and look down on the city I call home. And other than a larger salary, I wouldn't have it any other way.

(Not my house)