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Picked the $65 room in North Charleston over the $95 one near my job, and the longer drive was worth it
When I moved to the Charleston area two years ago I had two places to pick from, a $95 room nine minutes from my warehouse job or a $65 room out in North Charleston near the airport. Everyone at work told me to take the closer one since gas would eat up the savings, so I did the math myself instead of listening. The closer room would have run me about $100 a month in gas, so really $195, and the far room runs about $145 in gas, so $210 total. Sounds like the closer one wins by $15, right? Except the close place had a shared bathroom with three guys, no parking, and my landlord raised rent $40 after four months because demand near the port is nuts. The far place has its own bathroom, a driveway spot, and my rent has not moved since day one. Most people see a cheap room and assume it is a dump or a trap, but mine is a plain little back room off Dorchester Road and it has been the most stable part of my life here. I have put that $40 monthly difference into a savings account and I am at $960 now, which is more than I ever saved living close to work. Has anyone else picked the longer commute over the pricier spot near work, and did the gas math ever work out against you?
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gray68d ago
Learned that lesson the hard way too, rents near busy areas jump on you quick and nobody warns you. Put that $40 in savings every month and you will have a down payment before you know it, the cheap room wins long term every time.
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