20SOMETHING AND BROKE
Moving to New York, you come with this desire to make it. The friends you make, the job(s) you get, there's a destiny to it all. We're all in this together (cue High School Musical). But the thing they don't really tell you is, well, you're going to be broke 92.1% of the time.
I am officially B.R.O.K.E. I've just about sold everything in my closet that's sellable, I've hunted for every kind of odd job there is and produced for every freelance position in NYC. And even with an amazing new job, I'm still... broke. The crazy thing about it all- I'm not alone. My two roommates are poorer than poor too. We are literally three girls in this crazy, go-hard city, broker than shit. The other night my roommates and I sat down to discuss our party costs to disperse and pay back from the weekend. We soon came to find that we're so broke that not only could we not pay each other back right away, but we wouldn't be able to pay each other back for a long time. So we laid out our finances- open and honest, telling each other what we had, what we didn't and what we could pay back. Before we knew it, instead of being tense and upset, we were laughing hysterically out of the joke of our financial holes were.
I remembered a great article in the NY Times about how to make money online. Let's just say the googling got very weird. Things like virtual financial dominatrix, pole dancer, after-school tutor, call girl and go-go dancer all made the extensive list to make quick cash. After realizing there was no way we could do these jobs, although a twerk dance tutorial did happen, we moved on to inspiration. I wrote a quick message on our freshly-minted chalkboard wall which says, "GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUND$". Ain't it the truth?
So then, we got real. We realized the way we were living wasn't going to cut it anymore. Before this "discovery" of being financially decapitated, we went on a spending spree to redecorate our apartment- paint, home decor, liquor and the like. We've been going out drinking, going out to eat (or in my case, spending too much money on good cheese and lamb at the grocery to cook) and just being typical frivolous 20Somethings. We knew it had to stop.
So, here's our plan:
-We're holding each other accountable. Luckily, I live with some amazing roommates. Some of the most reasonable, amazingly nice and understanding females which helps in making each other accountable. We all know each other's situations so #heygirlhey we're gonna get out this hole, ya heard? -Since I'm more of the chef in the house, I'm responsible for cooking for the girls so they don't starve, oh and get some nutrients instead of crackers and marshmallows. Yeah. -Going out isn't really an option so unless it's Club Brunch, going out with a promoter or an OkCupid! date, homegirls aren't leaving this apartment. -We are really lucky in that we actually like each other so a bottle of two buck chuck and us crowding around someone's laptop to watch Law & Order: SVU or Revenge is a perfect night. So, I mean, that costs $2.99.
We're in our 20's, we aren't experts at making it in this city but what I figure is, outside of my roommates, we (including YOU!) really are all in this together. No matter if you live in Chicago, New York City or Kansas City, we all hit financial hurdles because we love to shop, we love to eat, we love to drink. Well shit, we just love to spend. So, if nothing else, I hope from this you take away that shit does get rough but you definitely aren't alone. There are so many resources including surrounding yourself with some bad ass friends to support.
I feel like it's all a part of being in this age. I just hope I get my shit together by the time I'm 30. Fingers crossed.
