Baby LRC helping me with the blog.
Since I took Thursdays and Fridays off for the next couple of weeks to watch Baby LRC, I thought that I’d have plenty of time to work on the blog and read other people’s blogs. I thought wrong. Once he woke up, I didn’t get much done. He doesn’t really nap for too long…unless you’re holding him! I dropped him off with my parents today, hopefully he will be a good boy for his grandparents. It’s tough having to drop him off as it looks so peaceful sleeping and I have to get him up. On my way to drop Baby LRC off, I got stuck behind a garbage truck. Why are the garbage trucks out right in the mist of rush hour traffic? Here in NYC, the streets are narrow and I got stuck behind one. I also got stuck behind a school bus, but at least I understand why they need to be out at that time. And, there was also road work being done closing off some lanes. Once again, why during rush hour traffic?! Sorry for the rant!
I did finally go on Fiverr to get a new header. I want to play around a little bit more with how the site looks, but at least it’s one step in making it less plain looking.
Roundup
One of the main motivations for me when starting this blog was that I felt most blogs I read had bloggers who lived in a low cost of living area. While I enjoyed the tips, many times our financial situations seemed very different because the cost of housing was so much lower than the cost of housing in NYC. Of course, we could always move to a low cost of living area, and that has crossed our mind, but ultimately, with so much family and friends in the area I don’t think we could do it. I have now found many bloggers who have the same dilemma and write about living in high cost of living areas.
Mr. Utopia from Personal Finance Utopia posted Relocate to Improve Personal Finance.
He writes about the reasons for and against relocating to a lower cost of living area.
E.M. from Journey to Saving posted Why We Want to Move.
We both live in the same region where the cost of living is very high. She writes about the reasons why she has already decided to move.
Kim from Eyes on the Dollar posted Does a Million Dollars Make You Rich?.
Whenever I hear whether a million dollars makes you rich, I think of Dr. Evil from Austin Powers asking for a Million Dollars for ransom thinking it’s a shocking amount of money, even though it supposedly isn’t anymore. Well, I still think a million dollars is a lot of money, and even in the high cost of living area of NYC, it is life changing money. I think it would make me “rich,” but I have a different definition of rich.
Charles from Getting a Rich Life posts Tales of a 77 Year Old Burger Flipper and Not Being Able to Live on $100,000 A Year. Just as many people say $1 million is not a lot of money anymore, I have read many articles saying that $100,000 a year is not enough to live on in NYC. While, $100,000 doesn’t go as far in a high cost of living area, it is still a very good salary and it annoys me when people say that it’s not possible.
Hayley from A Disease Called Debt posts I Will Not Give In: the Debt Cycle Has Been Broken. She write about breaking the cycle of debt, and I particularly like when she talks about changing her mindset as I think that is the key to getting out of debt or reaching financial freedom.
Laurie from the Frugal Farmer posts Paying off Debt: Preparing Yourself for the Journey. I think this is a great post as many people start on this journey unprepared for what to expect and are shocked at the hard work and sacrifice it takes.
Thanks so much for including my post Andrew, I really appreciate it! 🙂 I thought Laurie’s post was excellent and will check out the others shortly. P.S. My daughter helps me with my blog too!
Hayley @ A Disease Called Debt recently posted…September 2013 Debt Repayment Update
No problem! How old is your daughter?
I started blogging for similar reason. It’s expensive to live in NYC but I don’t think I ever want to move. I love it here and have so many friends and family in the area. Thanks for introducing me to some new bloggers!
Connie @ Savvy With Saving recently posted…Why I Decided Not to Go Back To School
Same here…but there has been times where I wonder what life would be life if I lived somewhere more affordable.
Great roundup and glad you got some time to spend with your kid. I don’t know how people who have kids ever find time to blog!
DC @ Young Adult Money recently posted…5 Ways to Make Money Blogging
Yea I wonder the same thing. There are bloggers with young kids who post frequently and have a set schedule…I’m kind of inconsistent.
Great new header! Can’t beat that for $5…
We made the incredibly tough decision eight years ago to move away from Long Island and all our family and friends, and it turned out to be a fantastic decision.
We knew we could never get ahead financially on LI and we’d always have to sacrifice something (or many somethings…), so for us we felt it was a necessity to get off that island before it sucked us in like it seems to do for everyone else. We just couldn’t see being slaves to our jobs for 40 years just to own a home in some ridiculous overpriced area with $10k+ taxes a year, and then not be able to save for retirement fully or travel or do anything else really. Just own that dopey home. Not worth it…
Brad @ RichmondSavers.com recently posted…Saving Money with Amazon Prime and Subscribe & Save
Thanks Brad! I could imagine that being a tough decision, especially since your family and friends are here. I’m glad the decision has worked out for you guys! How often do you visit?
We used to come up 3-5 times a year, but now we’re down to about twice a year. My parents and my wife’s parents visit quite often (only grandchildren on either side), so we see our family a lot, which is great.
Brad @ RichmondSavers.com recently posted…The Miracle of Compound Interest
Well that’s good that you guys get to see family pretty often.
Whenever i travel to other states I forget how cheap things are. Even in expensive states like San Diego homes seemed more “reasonable” than Hawaii. It’s just that we’re very expensive.
charles@gettingarichlife recently posted…Tales Of A 77 Year Old Burger Flipper And Not Being Able To Live On $100,000 A Year
Yea, Hawaii is very expensive…but what a lovely place to live! Same with NYC, such a fun and exciting place to live, but so expensive. I guess there are always tradeoffs in life.
What neighborhood are you in? I used to live over in West New York, NJ and thought it would be a great place if I had a baby. So many parks, easy to DRIVE to the Trader Joes and Whole Foods (with NO lines), free tennis courts across the street from my building! I was in a duplex and our landlord even let us use his little pool in the backyard. Plus a 15 minute commute to midtown (provided there’s no traffic). 8 minutes on the ferry. Anyway, I loved it there.
Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life recently posted…Groupon: Good or Bad?
I’m in Queens…but can get to Manhattan pretty quickly on the subway. I don’t really like New Jersey…plus it wouldn’t work for my commute. Queens isn’t too bad…there is a Trader Joes not too far away, parks and also probably around 20 min to midtown. Why did you move?
My daughter wakes up very early and she doesn’t want to take a nap in the afternoon. But whenever she saw me working she just gave me a hug and kissed me. She understands that I need to work and oh sometime when I’m working she wants me to cuddle her just like your picture above. 🙂
Clarrise @ Make Money Your Way recently posted…How to Identify the Short Term Market Peak
That’s sweet. My son is just about 3 months…he just loves to be held.
I don’t think I could have gotten much blogging done when my daughter was small. My concentration was pretty minimal at that point too. Thanks for including me. I always love to hear how other people find ways to save in different environments. It’s pretty cheap to live where we do, but you have to like quiet or you’d hate it.
Kim@Eyesonthedollar recently posted…When Is It OK To Buy Cheap Glasses?
Yea, I had a conversation with my sister who also lives in NYC and she said she wouldn’t be able to live in a small town/city. I’m not sure about me…I’ve never tried. The low cost of housing is definitely very tempting.
Muchas gracias for including me in your roundup, Andrew! I can completely relate about unanticipated inconveniences getting away in the way of “blogging time.” Happens to me all the time. I just do my best to rationalize that as part of the whole process.
Mr. Utopia @ Personal Finance Utopia recently posted…Advance Your Career: Customer Service Skills
De Nada. There really doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day.
I personally really enjoy hearing about frugality in a place like NYC. It’s like the major leagues of personal finance, making Arizona something like, I don’t know, double A ball or, perhaps more apt, spring training. You can live on a shoestring here without even trying…but I imagine the Big Apple as a place that has real consequences for any financial missteps.
Do you find that the higher pay more or less makes up for the higher cost of living, or is it not exactly a wash?
Done by Forty recently posted…Net Worth Update & No Auto October
I think the higher pay argument can be overrated sometimes. Sure there are many high paying jobs, but not everyone has them. There probably also are more opportunities here. I work in government and if I work in a more rural part of New York I would make slightly less. They give me about $3000 as a cost-of-living increase for living in NYC metro area. $3000 extra and $600,000 plus priced houses or $3000 less and houses under $200,000. I shouldn’t complain too much because it’s my choice right. And I do love the Big Apple!
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Cute picture! I have never been able to get anything done when I’m in charge of watching our son. He’s far too active. Even when he was a newborn he constantly wanted to be moving, which of course meant being held. And no, he pretty much wouldn’t sleep unless you were holding him. It’s not great for productivity but it sounds like you guys are getting an awesome opportunity to bond.
Matt Becker recently posted…Buying a Car: Test Drive Like a Pro
Thanks Matt! Good to hear about your experience. Some people were telling us that we were spoiling him! It definitely is a wonderful opportunity to bond with him.
I couldn’t imagine why a garbage truck would be out and about at rush hour. I hear your pain when it comes to design. I spent 4 hours on the weekend redesigning suburban finance and it was quite the headache!
SuburbanFInance recently posted…Living in the Suburbs: The Commute
Good job on the redesign…I like it!
It’s great that you have help from family close by, garbage trucks and all. I’m sure his grandparents love to see him, too. Keeping websites looking fresh and functional is really difficult.
Daisy @ Prairie Eco Thrifter recently posted…Alternatives to College
Oh yes, he is the first grandchild on both sides so they love seeing him.
Hey, have fun with Baby LRC. It’s tough to work with the little people around. They are so high maintenance.
retirebyforty recently posted…2013 New Year’s Resolutions – Fall Update
Yes, they are very high maintenance. I was thinking he’d be napping a lot. But I do enjoy most of the time when he’s up so I can hang out with him.
LOL, welcome to parenthood, Andrew. 🙂 Those little sweeties take up much more of your time than you think they will, but I assure you, it’s worth every minute of stuff you don’t get done. LOVE the new header, and thanks so much for the mention. Have a great day!
Laurie @thefrugalfarmer recently posted…Are You Afraid to Be Debt Free?
Thanks Laurie…it was looking a little too plain before that. I’m trying to add more color. And yes, the little one is time consuming but definitely worth it.
Aw, what a cute picture. The banner looks good – they are pretty easy to make with Photoshop. If you ever need anything let me know! Thanks for the mention – I agree that the higher pay thing is overrated – not all jobs are high paying in the city, though they should be for what it costs to live there. I am sure I have it slightly easier by being on the island. Both of my parents hate the city so I have only been a handful of times in my life, and I couldn’t imagine living there. Too much going on! There always seems to be construction during rush hour here, too. Mind boggling. I hope you enjoy your 2 days off with the baby!
E.M. recently posted…The Path I Took to College
Thanks! I need to learn about Photoshop. Actually I was talking about the construction work around your neck of the woods. =) The 3 lane highway was turned into 1 lane…and one day the exit was closed so I had to get off the next one and come back around. I don’t know why they can’t do this a little later when there is less traffic. And about the higher pay…I think most people just assume everyone is making Wall Street wages in NYC or something! Definitely not true.
They have been doing construction on all the bridges/overpasses since early summer! There is a major overpass near my parents house that has been shut down since July now. Absolutely crazy. They’ve been posting signs about it near my exit but I’ve only seen people actually working on it twice. For some reason the traffic has been particularly bad this week! Hopefully it ends soon.
E.M. recently posted…The Path I Took to College
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