Our Escape from New York
Donation protected
Hi Everybody!
So, we're asking for help to move from Brooklyn to a more affordable location. I'd like to give a little backstory and then talk about what we're looking for and why.
Backstory
In 2016, I was lucky enough to get a pretty fantastic job offer in Manhattan, and we decided to move to Brooklyn to have a reasonably easy commute and live in a reasonably sized apartment (had to have a place to put all our books, after all). We did a lot of math and calculating to determine how much it would cost to move and to live up here. Unfortunately, I am apparently horrible at this kind of math.
You'll never hear anyone tell you NYC or Brooklyn is cheap. Everyone will tell you it's expensive. They are not only correct, but they are also vastly understating the situation. NYC is not expensive. It is punishingly, excruciatingly, horrifically expensive. It cost us our entire savings and withdrawal from my retirement to even move up here, even after I received relocation assistance! So we were starting out in a bad position, but hey, I had a great job that was paying more than I'd ever made in my life.
It wasn't enough. Credit card payments, utilities, food, insurance, car payments, everything ended up costing more than we were making. In one of the more nerve-wracking experiences of 2017, early in the year I approached my director and asked for a ridiculous raise. I estimated that we'd be entirely out of money by August and would have to flee the city. After a few days of waiting, I got an update, they would give me the raise! We were now making slightly more money than we were spending every month! Awesome! Things were looking up!
The rest of the year wasn't great, we struggled with a lot, new city, new job, new everything, it wasn't easy for any of us, but we had some light at the end of the tunnel. Though we didn't know it, it was a train.
In late November, I was called into a meeting with my director and was told I'd be let go due to being a 'bad fit.' I was, and still am, completely devastated. A good job with a company I loved, doing cool, innovative stuff, and apparently, I wasn't very good at it? Ouch. Mega-Ouch.
On the upside, they gave me severance, which they probably didn't have to, and it helped us get through the end of the year, probably the worst time of the year to try and get hired. Not to mention Thanksgiving and Christmas being somewhat more somber than usual.
The severance has run out, unemployment isn't even in sight of being enough to keep us here, I've had very little luck finding either a job in my career field or even temporary lower-wage jobs to just make it through, and we're out of money. Things are dire. It's a beans-and-rice situation, and we're still not likely to make rent.
We have to move. The rent here is insane and simply not sustainable. Unfortunately, we've stayed too long, and we don't even have the money to move. It's a somewhat horrific catch-22.
So, what are we asking for?
We're asking for about $5000 to get us out of the city. That is high, and I wish it weren't so high.
What are the challenges?
We're facing some specific problems that we will need to overcome.
1) We have a lot of stuff. We've sold, donated, gifted and will continue to do so, but we have a lot of stuff and will need a large truck to get us from here to wherever we end up.
2) We don't have a destination yet. The length of time we'll need to keep the truck is currently unknown because of this.
3) We have no credit. My credit is completely wrecked at this point from the move and early few months up here. We won't likely pass a credit check and will need to be able to pay the first month, last month and security deposit.
4) We have a dog. She's adorable, but she's a pit bull. No matter how friendly and dumb she is, it's not a popular breed with many landlords.
5) I have a wrecked back, and Sandi is disabled, so moving completely by ourselves is going to take a long time and may not be doable. We're going to need help, free or paid.
Where will this money go?
* Truck Rental
* Boxes and Packing Supplies
* Moving Assistance/Helpers
* First Month's Rent, Last Month's Rent, Security and Pet Deposits
* Utility Deposits
If the costs of the move are lower than what we receive, we will be putting the donations to use in keeping ourselves fed before and after the move and attempting to pay debts and bring our monthly costs down.
What else can you do?
*Helping us find a place would also be amazing. A place at under $1000/month, which accepts dogs and has 2 bedrooms is necessary, and we're looking mostly in the mid-Atlantic region, though other options would be great.
*If you can help us move, that would also be amazing. Either here in Brooklyn or wherever we end up, it would be amazing.
*Being willing to host the animals or children while we do the move.
Who are we?
We're Michael and Sandi, a couple in their lateish thirties, with two kids (Zoe and Luna), three cats (Chewie, Conan, and Calypso), and one pitbull (Keeva). We are from West Virginia and Maryland originally, we both went to high school together and dated in our late teens and early twenties before having a very sad breakup then finding each other again in 2015. Zoe and Luna are from Sandi's first marriage and are bright, rambunctious, and super creative kids.
What's the bottom line?
Please help us, whatever you can give will be so very appreciated. I don't see another option other than asking for help here. I hate it, so much. I do. But we need the help, desperately.
So, we're asking for help to move from Brooklyn to a more affordable location. I'd like to give a little backstory and then talk about what we're looking for and why.
Backstory
In 2016, I was lucky enough to get a pretty fantastic job offer in Manhattan, and we decided to move to Brooklyn to have a reasonably easy commute and live in a reasonably sized apartment (had to have a place to put all our books, after all). We did a lot of math and calculating to determine how much it would cost to move and to live up here. Unfortunately, I am apparently horrible at this kind of math.
You'll never hear anyone tell you NYC or Brooklyn is cheap. Everyone will tell you it's expensive. They are not only correct, but they are also vastly understating the situation. NYC is not expensive. It is punishingly, excruciatingly, horrifically expensive. It cost us our entire savings and withdrawal from my retirement to even move up here, even after I received relocation assistance! So we were starting out in a bad position, but hey, I had a great job that was paying more than I'd ever made in my life.
It wasn't enough. Credit card payments, utilities, food, insurance, car payments, everything ended up costing more than we were making. In one of the more nerve-wracking experiences of 2017, early in the year I approached my director and asked for a ridiculous raise. I estimated that we'd be entirely out of money by August and would have to flee the city. After a few days of waiting, I got an update, they would give me the raise! We were now making slightly more money than we were spending every month! Awesome! Things were looking up!
The rest of the year wasn't great, we struggled with a lot, new city, new job, new everything, it wasn't easy for any of us, but we had some light at the end of the tunnel. Though we didn't know it, it was a train.
In late November, I was called into a meeting with my director and was told I'd be let go due to being a 'bad fit.' I was, and still am, completely devastated. A good job with a company I loved, doing cool, innovative stuff, and apparently, I wasn't very good at it? Ouch. Mega-Ouch.
On the upside, they gave me severance, which they probably didn't have to, and it helped us get through the end of the year, probably the worst time of the year to try and get hired. Not to mention Thanksgiving and Christmas being somewhat more somber than usual.
The severance has run out, unemployment isn't even in sight of being enough to keep us here, I've had very little luck finding either a job in my career field or even temporary lower-wage jobs to just make it through, and we're out of money. Things are dire. It's a beans-and-rice situation, and we're still not likely to make rent.
We have to move. The rent here is insane and simply not sustainable. Unfortunately, we've stayed too long, and we don't even have the money to move. It's a somewhat horrific catch-22.
So, what are we asking for?
We're asking for about $5000 to get us out of the city. That is high, and I wish it weren't so high.
What are the challenges?
We're facing some specific problems that we will need to overcome.
1) We have a lot of stuff. We've sold, donated, gifted and will continue to do so, but we have a lot of stuff and will need a large truck to get us from here to wherever we end up.
2) We don't have a destination yet. The length of time we'll need to keep the truck is currently unknown because of this.
3) We have no credit. My credit is completely wrecked at this point from the move and early few months up here. We won't likely pass a credit check and will need to be able to pay the first month, last month and security deposit.
4) We have a dog. She's adorable, but she's a pit bull. No matter how friendly and dumb she is, it's not a popular breed with many landlords.
5) I have a wrecked back, and Sandi is disabled, so moving completely by ourselves is going to take a long time and may not be doable. We're going to need help, free or paid.
Where will this money go?
* Truck Rental
* Boxes and Packing Supplies
* Moving Assistance/Helpers
* First Month's Rent, Last Month's Rent, Security and Pet Deposits
* Utility Deposits
If the costs of the move are lower than what we receive, we will be putting the donations to use in keeping ourselves fed before and after the move and attempting to pay debts and bring our monthly costs down.
What else can you do?
*Helping us find a place would also be amazing. A place at under $1000/month, which accepts dogs and has 2 bedrooms is necessary, and we're looking mostly in the mid-Atlantic region, though other options would be great.
*If you can help us move, that would also be amazing. Either here in Brooklyn or wherever we end up, it would be amazing.
*Being willing to host the animals or children while we do the move.
Who are we?
We're Michael and Sandi, a couple in their lateish thirties, with two kids (Zoe and Luna), three cats (Chewie, Conan, and Calypso), and one pitbull (Keeva). We are from West Virginia and Maryland originally, we both went to high school together and dated in our late teens and early twenties before having a very sad breakup then finding each other again in 2015. Zoe and Luna are from Sandi's first marriage and are bright, rambunctious, and super creative kids.
What's the bottom line?
Please help us, whatever you can give will be so very appreciated. I don't see another option other than asking for help here. I hate it, so much. I do. But we need the help, desperately.
Organizer
Michael Luipersbeck
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY
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