You Live Where? Why?

That is the most frequently asked question when anyone hears that I live in the Poconos and work in New York City. I sometimes don’t even say the truth, to avoid answering the same string of questions and explaining my life decisons to strangers.

Here’s the thing. When I had Caleb I wanted to be as hands-on with him as possible and to lessen the financial burden, we decided to give up our apartment and move in with Ade’s parents. This would save us from paying rent and some bills and provide a support system for young Mom Karese.

No shade to my in-laws, but after a while living there was no good for me. I wanted my own space. We wanted our own space. Now a family of four, we had outgrown the space we were in. A New York City two bedroom apartment was not something we wanted. New York rental prices are kind of ridiculous, for the price of that kind of apartment we could pay mortgage somewhere else.

Knowing my parents were already in the Pocono area made the decision to move there easier than expected. Couple that with the insanely affordable prices on houses, we purchased our first home in 2013. I say first home because I would like to move into a bigger house by 2021. Sometimes you have to make huge sacrifices to build the life you want, and live how you desire. At the end of the day, the selling points were: affordability, space, the backyard, proximity to schools and family. Also, still being able to commute easily to New York City for work.

When purchasing a house you need to make sure your credit is in good standing. Every deposit made into your bank account must be documented legally, there were times I would deposit cash into my account and I had to explain those transactions. Good advice I was told was to always have 2-3 months of your mortgage payment in a savings account, in case of emergency. It is not easy, owning a home comes with huge responsibility. Every leak, crack, repair is on you. There isn’t a landlord or super to call when you have a problem. Often times, shit will start falling apart when you don’t have the cash on hand, that’s where good credit will come in handy again.

Coming from humble beginnings, I have never been one to live beyond my means. I do not regret the decision to move two hours away from the city, because I know the kids have a better quality of life here. The winters are for sure a thing to deal with, but could I afford this in New York or New Jersey? We prob could if we were reallllllly strategic with our money, but would there be enough to add to savings? Property taxes are also a thing you have to factor in, compared to New Jersey, our property taxes in Pennsylvania are pretty affordable.

You never know what the future holds and sometimes you have to sacrifice at the moment for the bigger picture. My home is mine! If I had to do it all over again, I would! What decision(s) have you made in your life that you have to constantly justify to others? Thanks so much for reading, stay chic!