Admitting Defeat/A Setback

One of the highlights of a depressing trip to my Gotham...Molly's Cupcakes.

Hello all.

            I have really depressing news that I’ve been trying to be okay with for the past couple of weeks.

            When the Boyfriend and I went to Chicago, we were blindsided by the state of the rental market. At our first appointment with an apartment broker, he stated that it was a huge mess, nearly pandemonium. He told us that our budget (no more than $1100 a month in rent, not including utilities) was going to be a challenge in the neighborhoods we were looking in: Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, Wrigleyville, the good part of Logan Square, etc. He sifted through the database with us sitting there, talked up an apartment, and in the time it took for him to do that, that very apartment was taken off the market. It was literally an hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute search. For every apartment we saw that actually was available, we were competing with groups of other potential renters for it. Our first broker told us that rental availability was less than 3%, and it bit us in the ass. With $4,000 saved up, two lessees, and cosigners with fantastic credit, we were rejected. A lot of it had to do with the fact that the Boyfriend and I don’t have jobs lined up in Chicago already. But the catch 22 is that it’s difficult to find a job in Chicago unless you’re already living there…and it’s difficult to get an apartment without a job.

            We could have kept looking, in less “desirable” neighborhoods more “within our budget”, but with it being an average of $60 per person for a credit check (including the cosigners) and application fees, our funds were dwindling fast. So after a lot of thought, argument, and a mini breakdown-from me, of course, the Boyfriend is far more laid back-we decided to postpone Chicago for a year.

            I’m still incredibly depressed about it, but I’m not longer wholly devastated. I have the tendency to be very negative when a lot goes wrong in my life at once, and in trying to break that obnoxious pattern, I’m focusing on carving an alternate route. We’re looking at Columbus now, our Plan B; it’s close to our families, a (little) bit cheaper than Chicago, and when I say the word Columbus people’s faces light up. Apparently it’s a popular place.

            Optimistically we’ll be getting full time jobs and saving up for Chicago Round 2 in a year or maybe less. 

             Pessimistically…the money we already have saved is going to go to the cost of moving/living while we find those jobs. The Ohio job market is…well, shit…especially for a BFA grad fresh out of college with practically no work experience, so it’s highly likely a job won’t come my way for a month or two, which terrifies me. And though rent isn’t devastating in Columbus, at least compared to “big” cities like Chicago, NYC, LA…we’re still going to be struggling our asses off to live, let alone save up for anything. Hopefully I’ll get a job that can transfer me to Chicago, or the market will be better in a year…I haven’t given up on Chicago. I never will. I love the place and I will live there. But when is anybody’s guess. Until then I’ll just tell myself I’m sticking with Plan B for a year and we’ll see where I end up.

            Love you all. There will be a more pleasant blog post to come.