TV: Part Two

[thistlechaser]

While I haven't posted about it here, my money situation is getting tighter and tighter. I live in one of the most expensive places in the country (more so than even places like New York City). My rent is significantly over 50% of my pay... and my rent keeps going up while my salary does not. Add on the endless medical crap that I seem to always be going through, and I'm losing $300-$1,000 in savings per month, every month. That's a serious problem.

Fun fact: My sister's rent for a four bedroom home is less than a quarter of my rent for a one bedroom apartment.

I had posted about turning off my TV service a couple months ago, but then I chickened out. Part of it was that I had months of Tivo service left, but most of it was that I just didn't want to let it go. However, Tivo is up for renewal mid-November, so this seems the time to do it. I discontinued that this morning.

My mother is coming for a visit. And while I love her, this is going to be a hard visit. She does not understand/believe that I'm having trouble with money. She thinks I "deserve" to live well and buy what I want -- I understand why she says it, but that logic drives me crazy. How much money you have, your spending ability, is not based on what you "deserve". She loves shopping (I hate it) -- for her it's just a fun activity to do. She has a very very rich long-term boyfriend who gives her money for whatever she wants, so I think that skews her view of things. Once she leaves, I'll be turning my TV service off. (Edit: Not to hide that I'm doing it, I already told her I am, but she likes watching TV so I want to have it while she's here.)

This shouldn't be a hard thing to adjust to (I hope). The rare times I turn my TV on, it's to watch something I Tivo'ed -- so I could just as easily download it or watch it online.

I just need to make a list of shows I want to catch (which will be surprisingly short, I think it's about three shows right now -- Great British Baking Challenge, Face Off, Ink Masters (four I guess, and whatever that post-Ink Masters show is called). Most of the rest of what I watch is on Netflix or downloaded.

Eventually, hopefully this December, I might get a promotion/raise at work (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE). If it's not this December, it will be next December, and I don't know if I can hold out that long. I mean technically I can, but it will be rough, and the idea of living paycheck to paycheck would keep me up at night.

Comments

[twissie.livejournal.com]

It's tough when someone close to you doesn't quite believe or understand your situation. Hang in there.

I'm sure you'll do fine without the TV service, there are so many alternatives these days :) Incidentally, what is Ink Masters? Is it a reality show about tattoo artists? :OOOO

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Thanks, hopefully I will. :)

And that's just what it is! A reality show about tattooing. I just wish it was more about tattooing and less about men comparing dick sizes (or, well, literally that would work too!). There's endless fighting, arguing, and near-fistfights on the show. I try to ignore it and just focus on the art.

[elo-sf.livejournal.com]

This is a brutal area to be living in as a renter. *hugs*

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yep. I'm hoping one day to maybe be able to move and work remotely, but that won't be for years yet, if it happens at all. (Which would also require me staying at the company *cough*). I do like this area, but the prices make it rather rough.

*hugs back!*

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

Housing prices in your area are brutal...my sister near San Fran spends more every month on her mortgage than my entire monthly budget. I hope you will be able to work remotely one day! I don't think we would be able to manage on our income living in CA.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yep, no one ever believes me when I tell them my rent prices. I guess that's one good thing about all this: I get to shock people with the prices here? :P

[changeling72.livejournal.com]

I hope things work out for you on the job front.

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

Good luck. I know how tough that general area is because my brother and his family are out there; they own (well, them and the bank) a crappy townhouse that is too small for them, but they can't afford anything better.

Paying over 50% of your income to housing is way too much, yeah. I hope you get that raise!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Me too. Thanks!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

They're building so much new housing (in the last six months, four major housing complexes are being built on my street!), but I suspect it will be a long, long time before that sort of thing helps the housing market, if it helps at all. We're such an industry-dense area, I could see housing prices never falling, not unless California does drop into the ocean and so all the tech companies move elsewhere.

[gonzostar.livejournal.com]

As a fellow Bay Area liver... I FEEL YA! I feel very lucky I managed to buy my home in the down market, and of course I went for Hayward cuz prices are the cheapest there than anywhere around. Still not awesome though!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's part of why my rent is so bad -- I live in the south bay, the worst of the Bay Area.

And having a house anywhere in the Bay Area is awesome! :D

[mousewings.livejournal.com]

I wish you the best and hope your job does give you a raise.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I have my fingers crossed, too.

[bacchuslives.livejournal.com]

I feel for you. It's been a long time but I've been there. Though, I've never lived anywhere where the cost of living is particularly high. Where I am now is positively cheap for New York State in general. My bro-in-law and fam live in Falls Church, VA which is I think in the top five most expensive. I don't even want to think about what their house cost...

Is it possible to move further to the outskirts? Lower cost but longer commute?

Shopping is a sport for my mom as well, my mother-in-law as well but maybe to a slightly lesser degree. It's unfortunate for my daughter in that she's been raised with that role-modeling being the norm. I think living through the poor post college years are going to be a challenge for her. I have been pounding in the "revolving debt is evil" message, hopefully it's sunk in a little.

I hope a pay raise is coming your way soon...

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Moving further away is an option, though I worry at the moving expenses as well. (Plus I do like my apartment and would like to stay here if it can work out.) Mostly I just have my fingers crossed for December.

I have been pounding in the "revolving debt is evil" message, hopefully it's sunk in a little.

For sure! I use my credit cards a lot, but I pay them off in full every month, no exception. I use them because it's easier than cash, not to spend more than I have. Hopefully she'll be able to stick to something like that as well.

[teaandfailure.livejournal.com]

Prices out there are crazy! Meej actually moved here from that area, and when I told her what my rent was down here, there was this silence on the other end of the phone and she said, "... did you forget to put a 1 at the beginning of that?"

I wish your business was located somewhere more reasonable! LIKE DOWN HERE. So we could go see movies together and then have fulfilled our social interaction quota for the entire month and be like THANKS FOR GOING OUT IN THE WORLD WITH ME NOW THERE IS TOO MUCH WORLD AND I WILL GO INSIDE WITH THE CAT FOR ANOTHER MONTH. >.>

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

How perfect would that be! I wish my company would move, but it's more and more impossible. They just not just bought, but had built from scratch just for us a pair of buildings for the new HQ. So they're unlikely to be going anywhere unless a comet destroys California...

YOU UNDERSTAND ME! YOU ARE MY PEOPLE!

[elfy.livejournal.com]

I feel you :-/

I have the money issue with my boyfriend. He earns much more than I do and can easily spend money on this or that and expects me to do the same often and gets annoyed when I say I can't. I actually owe him 2000 Euro or so and my best friend another 900 and my bank account wasn't in the blacks in 3 years or so, it's depressing. And with all that still regularly getting to hear him complain we should be getting a new kitchen ... meh.

Crossing my fingers for you to get a rise soon, too! And I hope your health gets better as well *hugs*

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I have the money issue with my boyfriend. He earns much more than I do and can easily spend money on this or that and expects me to do the same often and gets annoyed when I say I can't.

I hate situations like that! It's depressing enough to not have money, but when you (embarrassingly) have to keep reminding someone else that you don't...

Hope your situation gets better, too! *hugs*

[voidmagus.livejournal.com]

Seriously look around other parts of the country. I live in what is quickly becoming a new tech hub (we have gigabit fiber everywhere). Living costs are way low, and tech salaries are on the rise, with the job market bustling.

I've gotten offers to move to your neck of the woods - Bay startups, some big Valley shops, etc...Huge pay bumps, but when I do the math, most of that bump would go into living cost. I built a custom 2k sqft home here in a good neighborhood within walking distance of many things (including my wife's job at a big hospital) for 250k, mortgage is about 800/mo (stupid low interest rate). Water bill is typically around $30, power doesnt go above $100 except in freak subzero winter.

I discussed with a startup what they'd have to pay me to move out to California. Their response was to start researching moving their business here. Most of their current employees rebelled because they didn't want to leave Cali. People are nuts. Yes, our weather isn't as pleasant -- summers are humid and hot (we all stay inside with the air conditioning), winters are a bit colder (jacket weather, still no snow), and we don't have ready access to cheap + good seafood or good Chinese food. And our state consistently votes Republican (though here and Nashville buck that trend), which so far just results in no state income tax.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I wish my company would move, but it's just way too big (thousands of people). I'd so be willing to put up with bad weather for better prices!

My rent is $3,000 a month, for a small one bedroom apartment. How insane is that?

Once I have a couple more years of experience under my belt, I'm going to start looking around for more options. It's time to get the hell out of Dodge, if possible.