Decisions
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 9:08 pm
On the surface, today seemed like any other day. I woke up, had some coffee, worked for a few hours in my pajamas, went out for an afternoon run along the East River, came back and worked a few more hours, then flipped on the Yankees game and made some dinner. But, in reality, today was very significant. For the first time in over a year, I was employed.
A few weeks ago, I talked with my biggest client and told them that I was going to be moving to Philadelphia this fall unless I had found a job here in the city first. I really wanted to keep working for them, but it just wasn’t making sense for me financially to be living in this, the most expensive of cities, just doing freelance contracting work. I was tired of not having health care and vacation and holidays, all those wonderful things that I had always taken for granted before going out on my own. Fortunately, they were able to bring me on board. The last thing that I wanted to do was have to go out and find a job in this economy. Plus, I’ve been doing work for them for over two years now and, for the most part, love what I do. I get along with everyone, there’s very little drama, and they only make me commute once or twice a week. Sweet gig. I’m very happy to have it.
Still, though, I worry about being here in Manhattan with the economy the way it is. I get my shit done at work and don’t piss anybody off, so I imagine that I’ll be fine as long as the company is fine, but who knows how long that will be? It seems like companies are dropping left and right. All you hear about is bankruptcies and closures. How could I possibly afford my rent if my new employer goes out of business and I’m out of a job? I’m still paying back debt from the Miami and Boston days (when I had really shitty jobs) and don’t have any sort of savings. It’s scary stuff.
So, now I’m trying to figure out where to live after my lease is up. A big part of me wants to just stay here because moving would be such a pain in the ass and also because I really love my apartment. Sure, I don’t need a big one-bedroom with a loft and a fireplace and sixteen foot ceilings and brick walls, but I love having it. It’s so good to have my own space and not have to deal with anyone unless I feel like it. And then there’s the hassle of changing all the paperwork. I not only would have to change my address on all my personal stuff, but all my business stuff too. (I’m keeping Ink Plant open and will continue to do small contract work on the side.)
I’ve been running the numbers, looking on Craigslist, talking to a potential roommate (a buddy from school) and have come to the conclusion that I could pretty easily shave $600 a month off my monthly expenses if we move into a two-bedroom apartment. We could even stay around here in the neighborhood, I wouldn’t have to move to the boroughs or Jersey or anything like that. $600 a month is huge. $7200 a year. $20 dollars a day. That’s like a weekend trip every month, or a couple nights of eating out each week, or, if I manage to save it all up, a decent start towards a down payment on a house.
What to do? What to do?