Ok so, I'm apartment shopping in New Jersey and I've come to two realizations...
First, that renting an apartment in New Jersey is absurdly overpriced (the rents are higher than luxury condos in Hawaii and it's not even sunny here and there are no palm trees as far as I can tell. )
Second, the fact that I would have trouble affording an apartment says something very serious about the state of our state. Because I have a grown-up job, I make more than 78% of American's, according to salary.com and I have a college degree that cost me a fortune.
For all intents and purposes, I shoud own a boat, an apartment and a cute purse puppy that drinks only Evian (Or SmartWater is more trendy now right?)
However, this is not the case.
In reality, I have no boat, a ten-year-old car and a 95-pound puppy (aka monster dog) that does not fit in a purse. Add to that, the student loan bill that would make Paris blanche and a montly cell phone bill that makes Cingular (AT&T whatever,) stock rise montly.
So anyway, back to the main point.
So my bachlorette pad will cost me $1025 a month, which does not include the $45 trash fee, the $99 cable bill, the $25 "property maintence fee" the $150 cell phone bill, the $350 car insurance bill ( I have tons of tickets, damn those state troopers) a $750 student loan payment bill, $75 heat and water for a grand total that means that I have to take home more than $35,000 a year after taxes, which in New Jersey is really like, already up to $50,000 and face it, that's quite a lot for a recent college grad with little experience.
Fin.
Fin.