Hi everybody! It’s Cormac and Trevor!
So as many of you may know, Cormac was accepted into the MS Museums & Digital Culture program at Pratt Institute’s School of Information (YEEEEEEEES!!!!), which means we will both be moving to New York by the end of July. Cormac is so excited and Trevor is so proud, but we both share something in common: we are poor. While we are both currently working in an attempt to save money for the move (Cormac 50+ hours a week between two food service jobs, and Trevor working 40 hours a week at a desk job) it turns out they were right; there’s no money in art history (what Cormac’s BA is in) nor in poetry (what Trevor’s MFA is in). They were also right about New York being impossibly expensive. This is where you come in.
Why this much?
While Minneapolis is one of the most affordable big cities in which to live in the US, New York is one of the most expensive. The transition from the former to the latter will be very difficult for us financially, especially because even now our budget is stretched pretty thin by the perfectly reasonable cost of living in Minneapolis.
The money we raise here will potentially go to a number of things:
1) Broker Fee
While we are trying our hardest to find a place to live in New York without a broker, the likelihood that we will need one, and therefore will need to pay one, is pretty high. On average in the areas we would need to live, a broker fee is about 15%-17% of the annual rent. Our budget is around $1600 for monthly rent meaning:
$1600 x 12 (months) = $19,200 x .17 = $3264
That means that approximately $3000 would be due up front at the signing of our lease (like a down payment) on top of the standard deposit, first, and possibly last months’ rent amount. You can see by now how quickly the costs become unmanageable.
2) Deposit, First & Last Month’s Rent
Even if we should be so lucky as to find a place without a broker, the upfront expense of paying a deposit, first and last month’s rent will be well over $3000, money that, though we are trying to save, simply would put us on the ramen-and-no-running-water-train pretty fast and for a while.
3) Other Moving Expenses
While we are hoping to get some assistance from people to move large items like furniture, other items (books, non-seasonal clothing etc.) will need to be shipped and this money could help defray some of those costs.
4) Time to Job Hunt
As of right now Trevor doesn’t have a job lined up in New York. While we are sure he’ll be able to find something eventually, the ability to have the smallest cushion (even just a month) to hit the pavement and find a great job as opposed to just a job will set us up for greater success during our time in New York.
5) Food and Other Essentials
A boy’s got to eat and when there are two boys it means they eat more.
6) The Great Unknown
As anyone who has made a big move knows there are a million little things you completely forget about that eventually start to accumulate as a serious expense. This money would safeguard against some of those hidden costs.
You all are the best!
We realize of course that most of you, our dear friends and loved ones, also don’t have a lot right now. So many of Trevor’s friends just got out of grad school and are scrambling similar to the way we are; frankly, the same goes for Cormac’s undergrad art history friends. That said we would be eternally grateful for any support you can provide. $10 can buy a lot of rice and beans. Also you will have a couch/small corner of our bed to sleep on should you visit New York while we are there.
We love and adore all of you and hope to see some of our Minneapolis humans before we go! As a reminder, Cormac will be moving July 16th and Trevor will follow him up a couple of weeks later after teaching his class at the Loft Literary Center on July 23rd.
All our hugs and kisses and gratitude! Xoxo
C&T
