Dear Austin: I give up.
You have bested me at every attempt to be frugal. I now have $100 and 87 Bevo Bucks left to my name. What do I have to show for the money I’ve forked over to you? Peanut butter and jelly on wheat bread and several parking garage receipts.
Austin, I know your proud citizens will jump at the chance to defend you as an economical place to live. After all, even The Daily Texan reports that you rank 56th out 77 U.S. cities in highest occupational wages. The Austin Chamber of Commerce’s Web site assures me that living in Texas is still cheaper than living in another state and that living in Austin is cheaper than living Houston.
But I’m not from Houston or another state. I moved here from one of the numerous tiny, no-name rural towns in northeast Texas. I am accustomed to a different definition of “cheap.”
Maybe it’s not you; maybe it’s me. After all, in a recent discussion in my anthropology class, I revealed that I have never been inside an Ikea and confessed that my experience on the acquisition of inexpensive home furnishings consisted of cruising the affluent Highland Park district of Dallas on trash day. My admission was met with laughter from my city-dwelling classmates. Apparently, I need a course in urban economics.
But aside from my obvious unfamiliarity with city life, Austin, you still manage to wreak havoc on my budget. I don’t appreciate incurring some fee or another every time I turn around. Stubb’s Bar-B-Q lured me out Friday night for the screening of the greatest comedy of all time, “The Big Lebowski.” This was easy because the $20 tickets advertised were not out of my price range for a worthy distraction from midterms. But alas, I was met with a $12 “convenience” charge for each of my two tickets. Effectively, I paid $60 to sit outside in the cold to watch a movie I’ve seen before. This was on top of the parking fee I paid a wild-eyed, twitchy attendant to park my car in 6 feet of mud and broken asphalt. My dismay at being forced into the poorhouse couldn’t even be lifted by two hours of Jeff Bridges in a bathrobe.
Parking here is the bane of my existence. Basically, anywhere you go, you must rent a space for a sizeable chunk of change. Of course, I realize this can be alleviated by taking the bus for free, but my need to arrive at appointments across town punctually rather than in the next century often makes driving a better alternative. At least, it seems that way until I get the bill.
And while CityData assures me that your apartments cost well below the national average, I can’t contain my sticker shock. Many an apartment locator representative has fanned me back from unconsciousness once I hear that 520 square feet of space costs $700 a month if I don’t wish to be robbed or live in a dumpster. One of my professors explained that while you still have the attitude of an inexpensive place to live, dear Austin, Dell’s settling in the city drove up the cost of living for your citizens. This may be a natural economic effect, but it does make it very difficult for a newcomer like me to afford a place to sleep.
I’m not mad at you, Austin; I’m just frustrated. I feel like, when it comes to money, we just aren’t communicating. You think that Wal-Mart is the epitome of frugal, and I happen to be acquainted with flea markets. You think living on the interstate is cheaper, and I’m not even really used to living on a paved road.
Austin, it seems like you have champagne tastes while I only have a
beer pocketbook.
Shew is a psychology junior.
The trouble with affording Austin
Published: Thursday, November 5, 2009
Updated: Thursday, November 5, 2009
What a headache.
Seriously, stop using realtors and apartment locators. Stop now. Never go back. You can get a fair-sized studio in Austin, near campus for under $550 a month, and they probably know about these places, and won't show them to you because they get a proportional commission off of their rentals. If they can con you into dropping $800/month on an apartment, they'll do it in a heartbeat. It's worth the time and effort to dump the locating service and scour craigslist, put out feelers with your friends, or drive around the neighborhood you want to live in looking for rental signs. That's how I found my last place, and it's adorable and affordable.
ftagn
Living frugally requires sacrifice. Obviously it is easier cheaper to live in a town than a city, but thats because there are so many benefits of living in a city. You don't get to talk up your flea-market, beer drinkin'*, furniture scavenging, unpaved road** lifestyle when there is a cheaper, albeit less convenient, alternative for every example. Column: It isn't that Austin is too expensive, you just want to enjoy the benefits of living in a city without paying for them. *Column: If you can't find cheap drink specials in Austin you just aren't trying hard enough
**Column: unpaved roads vs. interstate highways? What does that even mean? I don't really think highways are considered an urban extravagance.
It's clear you aren't from around here. It is cheaper to live in Houston and the occupational wages are generally higher. Your so-called city dwelling classmates are apparently from a higher economic class than you are, most Austinites would get arrested for dumpster diving in Highland Park. I lived in Austin for years and rarely had any trouble finding parking or getting to appointments by riding the bus until I moved to Cedar Park, which isn't in the CapMetro District. If you're from a small town, you should be able to find comparable living quarters in Austin for less than $700 a month by getting a roommate or three. There are at least two flea markets in Austin, one of which is on the bus route. Don't criticize the city because of your own spend thrift habits.