It's another beauiful day in Los Angeles. Clear and sunny skies, temps in the mid 70s. It's really nice to live so close to the beach where the air is clean, a blessing to have such gorgeous weather all year round. But, the land of Los Angeles has been a struggle for a while, and sometimes I think about leaving. Why would I, living only 4 blocks from her work and just 5 miles from the ocean, ever what to move? Because it costs a bloody fortune, that's why.
Don't get me wrong. I do not have an extravagent lifestyle. I live in a modest 3 bedroom house with a yard and a garage converted to a cozy studio. It's not a palace, but it's nice & I've done my best to make it look good. Big enough for all my stuff but small enough to use one plug to vacuum the entire house. A bigger place means more to clean. This is just enough for me.
Yes, I like it alright, but still costs a bunch to keep it up. Combined I make enough money with my live-in partner to cover our expenses, so we get by. We cover the rent and the utilities. We gas up our cars. We splurge on cable. I love that the third bedroom is also my office. I really like where I live and I don't want to move.
But, to cover the cost of my share of everything, I have to work. My last several employment gigs haven't worked out as planned, so now only I'm working part time. I've had to cut all of my expenses to the bone, but that's not a big deal. I can give up Starbucks, no prob. Shouldn't buy their over priced coffee anyway. I can skip going to the movies, even the $5 matinee theatre down the street. We have an amazing TV and all of the movies will eventually be on cable, the one extravagance that we do indulge at least until our contract expires next March. Plus the theatre's projection quality is pretty crappy - our TV and the surround sound stereo actually looks and sounds better. I'm not shopping, even at discount stores like Target or Big Lots. I'm not even browsing Craig's List or Ebay or Amazon. I have enough stuff so I don't need to buy anything, but I miss shopping for bargains. It's fun and sort of a hobby.
But the big question regarding moving would be where would I go and what would I do when I got there. I have no answers. And, taking out the financial hardship aside, I kind of like LA. As mentioned, the weather is nice, there's lots to do (though entertainment and cultural dollars don't exit in my budget at the moment), and I have friends that I'd miss if I left. So really, I actually don't want to quit LA. I want to quit work and stay in LA. But how?
That is the question I am pondering. And hopefully I'll figure it out soon.
Don't get me wrong. I do not have an extravagent lifestyle. I live in a modest 3 bedroom house with a yard and a garage converted to a cozy studio. It's not a palace, but it's nice & I've done my best to make it look good. Big enough for all my stuff but small enough to use one plug to vacuum the entire house. A bigger place means more to clean. This is just enough for me.
Yes, I like it alright, but still costs a bunch to keep it up. Combined I make enough money with my live-in partner to cover our expenses, so we get by. We cover the rent and the utilities. We gas up our cars. We splurge on cable. I love that the third bedroom is also my office. I really like where I live and I don't want to move.
But, to cover the cost of my share of everything, I have to work. My last several employment gigs haven't worked out as planned, so now only I'm working part time. I've had to cut all of my expenses to the bone, but that's not a big deal. I can give up Starbucks, no prob. Shouldn't buy their over priced coffee anyway. I can skip going to the movies, even the $5 matinee theatre down the street. We have an amazing TV and all of the movies will eventually be on cable, the one extravagance that we do indulge at least until our contract expires next March. Plus the theatre's projection quality is pretty crappy - our TV and the surround sound stereo actually looks and sounds better. I'm not shopping, even at discount stores like Target or Big Lots. I'm not even browsing Craig's List or Ebay or Amazon. I have enough stuff so I don't need to buy anything, but I miss shopping for bargains. It's fun and sort of a hobby.
But the big question regarding moving would be where would I go and what would I do when I got there. I have no answers. And, taking out the financial hardship aside, I kind of like LA. As mentioned, the weather is nice, there's lots to do (though entertainment and cultural dollars don't exit in my budget at the moment), and I have friends that I'd miss if I left. So really, I actually don't want to quit LA. I want to quit work and stay in LA. But how?
That is the question I am pondering. And hopefully I'll figure it out soon.
