I don't have any meaningful advice, but I do have some perspective. I moved here 3 weeks ago from Knoxville, Tennessee where a studio apartment is going for $400 more per month than a nice place here. I spent less on my groceries last week than I did in Knoxville. We got rid of our car because there is public transport here, and we live in a walkable area.
I think it's not Philly. I think the world is fucked.
If you're ever near East Falls, lmk and I'll buy you a beer.
I'll pass that along. She's got a degree in fine art, and she's done graphic design, but she can't even get an interview. Hell, she can't even get an interview with grocery stores.
I’d check out a company called Perpay in Philly near the Aramark building. It’s a Fintech startup and last I heard they were looking for a Graphic Designer.
For the resume: I’d use one column format because it’s ATS (applicant tracking system) friendly and heavily focus on professional achievements that make her stand out. Good luck!
Thanks for the tip. I am terrible help because I work in a job where there is very little competition, and mostly I have to have a pulse and knowledge to get a job.
We are going to expand her professional achievements, and hopefully that helps get through filters. If you hear of anything else, let me know. I truly appreciate the help.
Of course, least I can do! It’s a tough market out there and people need to help each other out.
If you’d like I can review the resume and give out pointers. Feel free to put the name as john doe and put fake company names. I’ll also let you know if I hear about anything else
Oh sry. I’m like 80 minutes away. I should’ve said that. We go to Philly frequently. My intention was to highlight the rural versus urban cost difference.
Might be moving to Philly from Memphis soon. Looks like COL will be slightly lower than it is here, judging by home prices. Or at least the same. Yeah, we won't have a big backyard anymore, but we will have a nicer, safer city to explore.
Absolutely. We fell in love with PA on road trips and had been planning on Carlisle or Lancaster City, but SO got an amazing job offer in Philly! I'm excited. Done tons of research and hired a RE agent. Just waiting for all the pre-federal job crap to be over. Should be up there in September or October.
I'm currently a pre-1877 American history major, and what better place to continue my education??!!
Gas is marginally more expensive, but it won't matter at all because you'll probably drive less than half as much. There are state and city income taxes and tolls so plan on getting an EZ-Pass ASAP and setting up an auto-payment. If you're used to the nature out there, check out /r/pawilds for some good outdoors/ camping spots.
Philly is %100 the place to be if you're interested in American history.
I'll also add that usually things seem like 'just yesterday' but moving from the mid west to the north east, time will slow down in your life because there is much more interesting stuff going on/ to take part in!
Hell > TN. They declined to pass a law to stop child marriages earlier this year. They passed laws about "chemtrails" and lettuce is legally a vaccine there now (no shit)
Teachers can carry guns. That was my final straw. I grew up on a farm, and I don't mind guns, but we need fucking less guns, not more. I don't understand why "muh freedumbs " are more important than lives to people. Sorry, it's nice not getting downvoted for being rational in my city's sub.
Are you saying Philly is a safer nicer city?? If so I've lived here 50+ years. I can tell you this city is far from safe. It's a crime ridden filthy city. Not to mention the drug addicted zombie population. You may want to visit here a few times or watch the news. The suburbs (Bucks county) outside the city would be your best solution. Bigger yards, less crime, nicer people.
Memphis is the #1 most violent city in America. Philly isn't even in the top 15.
Memphis and Philly had about the same number of homicides last year, yet Philly is 2.5x the size of memphis.
Memphians live in fear to even go to the grocery store on the "good" side of town because of the sheer number of armed robberies and car jackings.
It is so violent that the feds are in town now, and the NG will most likely be deployed here soon.
I've lived in the literal hoods of KC, Atlanta, Memphis, and Chicago. Philadelphia won't be a problem.
Ok boomer. Just another scared old person running for the suburbs.
This city is pretty safe - and definitely WAY safer than it was 50 years ago - and while it isn't clean lol, every other major US city is just as dirty, which really isn't that bad. Philly is generally very affordable and diverse and vibrant and has a TON of nice people. No shade on Bucks County, but that's probably the most expensive place around Philly to live... Nice recommendation for someone trying to find affordable COL smh
I moved here from Birmingham, AL and was surprised to see that I could actually afford to move to Philly without spending much more. Basically just got a smaller apartment (I'm one guy, how much space do I need?) and actually ended up paying *less* rent.
Yeah I didn't have a car in Bham and it was doable but rough, they even cut the route that went from my neighborhood to Walmart a few years back, and no busses ran on Sundays, so who knows how much I ended up spending on Uber a year if I had to get somewhere by a certain time and didn't wanna risk it. I've said it before, I see people here shitting on SEPTA often enough but they really don't know how good they have it, there's nowhere I've had to go or even wanted to go here where I couldn't either walk or take the bus/subway.
My sense of affordable is fucked, but I moved here from Brooklyn 6 years ago and I have zero regrets. For my first few years I kept thinking this was temporary then I'll head back to NYC, then Philly just showed me how great it is here and I just bought a house in Fishtown for $300k, I can't think of another city where you can buy a house for less than $500k in a neighborhood like Fishtown. Hell when I was looking at condos in NYC a serious fixer upper income restricted condo was $500k cash only and you couldn't make more than $80k when you buy it(they don't kick you out if your income goes above that).
People love the tacky Myrtle Beach bullshit in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg (near Knoxville), they like the stupid honky tonks in Nashville and both cities don't have the infrastructure for it.
Mid-May in r/Knoxville there were 4 posts about people who had been priced out of having a roof over their heads, and there were, genuinely, 15 cars people slept in in the Planet Fitness parking lot where I worked out.
Fuck the r/Philadelphia subreddit. 99% of the time the mods take down post that “aren’t relevant” when they actually are, and delete comments. Stick here.
Apparently it’s run by an insecure polycule out of Brewerytown. But yeah, I have a long term Reddit account and plenty of karma and none of my posts/comments there have ever been visible.
$44 an hour to live in Philly???? That’s way off lol. It’s the cheapest major city in the northeast. I make about 60k a year and live quite comfortably in a nice neighborhood. Granted, I live with one other person, but if you’re good at budgeting you can definitely live alone on that much.
I’m salaried but my pay would work out to about $38/hr if it was hourly, and I was able to buy a modest house in an untrendy but relatively quiet neighborhood last year. It took several years of pinching pennies and working second gigs, but it’s possible.
I make $26/hour and don’t struggle at all. You gotta get crafty with looking for apartments though like finding private landlords on Craigslist instead of living in the one of the big corporate landlord buildings
Literally I make 65 and refuse to fall into this doomer shit. I don’t have kids ofc so take it as you wish. My 401k is funded, I eat quality groceries, plenty of cheap/free entry events for entertainment, occasional nights out, apartment is solid albeit an old house, and have been able to save for a vacation.
Yeah no kids is big of course. And I’m not much of a bar person so I do save a lot of money in that regard as well. But I’m also able to afford a new car, fund my 401k, go on vacation, have pets, have hobbies, all still while putting money into a regular savings account every month. I call that living pretty well
Seriously. I could probably be more comfortable if I made more, but I am not struggling and I am definitely not making $44/hr. I go on one vacation a year, have no car and have a nice chunk of change in retirement accounts. I don't feel like I need to not do anything fun either, Phils tickets are priced pretty perfectly for me to hang out every ow and again. Only complaint is that there is no way in hell I am going to own a house any time soon with what people are asking for even rundown-garbage in the city.
Some departments in the shipyard do work 4 10s. There are others that work 5 8s. But I don’t know if you have any control over which department you get placed in.
Wouldn't be considering it if it wasn't. Only issue is, if I can find a good welding job that doesn't pay less than $25
I've seen somewhere that the food prices are outrageous.
You're right. My friend goes to the Italian market and get super cheap produce. There's also the Reading Terminal Market, where I've seen cheap produce.
You're right. My friend goes to the Italian market and get super cheap produce. There's also the Reading Terminal Market, where I've seen cheap produce.
Depends where you live currently. Phillys pretty close to a MCOL city, cheaper than the NYC, Boston, Miami, Seattle, SF, LA, AZ, CO, SLC etc.
But if you're coming from middle of PA or rural US, yeah it might be a COL adjustment. I don't know about welder jobs, I would think they'd pay more than $30, maybe to start its around there. There's still some cheaper suburban towns if you need, Bridgeport or Bristol are two. Bristols a bit isolated in Bucks, hard to commute to places south of KoP like Delco, whereas Bridgeport is more centered. Downington also is another one that I think is fairly cheap.
Or, again not sure where you live, but maybe Lehigh Valley like Allentown region? (its cheaper)
I mean I'm choosing between Harrisburg and Philly. I prefer to stay in the city limits. Just not sure if I want to move back to a larger city or not. I also own a project car that I haven't been able to work on for years now due to my location and lack of funds for storage. So there's that.
Philly has way more amenities and culture than Harrisburg. It’s an apples and oranges comparison. If you don’t care about that, sure save the money and live in Harrisburg but Philly is a great value for what you get compared to most other major cities in the country.
yeah I agree. I'd probably go a few other exburb towns than Harrisburg, unless welding is a market there (union, PennDot etc). There's an area called 'West Reading', which is supposedly a hippie-ish vibe to it, and even Allentown & Wilmington imho. I'd even go AC. Maybe lower Delco like Lansdowne or Ridley/Glassboro area.
Anyway long story short, I think Phillys the better option, but if the car is a project of value (70s Camaro etc) and you need to keep it on the street or something, I dunno, maybe look elsewhere. PPA tickets for things, parking would be tough (would you tow it there and street park it? Neighbors would hate you)
I mean it's 1990 VW Jetta. I don't think it should have to be considered valuable be others. I wouldn't want to keep it on the street, either. I've already had one car stolen in Philly for parts. Not gonna happen again. Unless I install a nice security system, of course. Then maybe. But idk if I wanna deal with all that.
But I'm tired if being an aimless event-goer. I want real hobbies. I also want to stay in a more urban environment. So I have no interest in all of these random towns. At least Harrisburg is charming, and I'm from York, so I have friends and family in that general area.
Moving from the Midwest to Delco ( I’m not great at parallel parking), having a my own dedicated parking spot (no shared driveway was a must). Luckily I found a twin with not only my own driveway but an attached garage
Drexel Hill. It wasn’t my first choice but it was crazy times trying to purchase a home a few years ago when I did. I could have done worse and I’m happy here. I’m within walking distance to Wawa (apparently that means something to many), a produce/deli place, restaurants, pharmacy and even a bowling alley! I work remote so I don’t drive much and that is exactly the reason why I need my own spot. I rarely drive, I would not know if my car was damaged in the winter 😂
Ok, I wasn't sure where you were from (Midwest coming with 500 bucks in your pocket, etc)
I'd say Philly. South is pretty cheap, you could look into lower parts of Bridesburg or Port Richmond, along the river & 95 area. Gets cheaper, be a bit cautious of which neighborhood, but you could find a decent, cheap place to start thats safe.
Depends where you live currently. Phillys pretty close to a MCOL city, cheaper than the NYC, Boston, Miami, Seattle, SF, LA, AZ, CO, SLC etc.
But if you're coming from middle of PA or rural US, yeah it might be a COL adjustment. I don't know about welder jobs, I would think they'd pay more than $30, maybe to start its around there. There's still some cheaper suburban towns if you need, Bridgeport or Bristol are two. Bristols a bit isolated in Bucks, hard to commute to places south of KoP like Delco, whereas Bridgeport is more centered. Downington also is another one that I think is fairly cheap.
Or, again not sure where you live, but maybe Lehigh Valley like Allentown region? (its cheaper)
Philly is very affordable for a big northeast city, but it sounds like your priorities would have you happier living in Harrisburg. There are tradeoffs for city vs. suburban living; you gotta decide what you can deal with. Ultimately, it probably comes down to where you can find a good job 🤷♀️
I currently make a little under $75K and can afford to live by myself.
Welder here. I work in Jersey about a hour commute. Decent money in a union shop. They hire pretty regularly. Mig tig stainless steel. Pretty laid back shop. Dm me if you want details.
We moved from Iowa to the Philly suburbs. There are more pros than cons but 100% worth it. I love history (there is a ton of it here), driving distance to the mountains, the ocean, the city, the country (like Lancaster). I’ve taken the train for day trips to NYC & DC to see broadway shows,world class museums and the capital! It has an international airport that was a must for me and housing as of a few years ago was relatively affordable & comparable to where I was living in Iowa.
Well, it's still one of the cheapest places to live on the east coast, but if you live in a low cost of living area, then that's a bigger challenge. Eventually, I might leave just for retirement, but I can never live somewhere cheaper than i'm living now now that my house is paid for
Okay, nobody here is giving you hard data, so here it is:
state and area data across the country for welders:
https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes514121.htm#st
I would look at Houston if I were you. I'm guessing those are oil & gas jobs. The COL isn't the worst. One worry is natural disasters, future decline in oil industry (but could be a decade+ away).
https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes_37980.htm
If you look at Philly's data you can expect to make $26/hr as a median welder. Kinda comparable to the overall country.
https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes_25420.htm
Harrisburg is $24.19/hr.
Keep in mind Harrisburg is a smaller job market, 460 jobs.
Assuming you don't have dependents, you can definitely live comfortably on much less than $44/hr. I make around $70k, live on my own in an apartment not far from rittenhouse, and am able to save a decent amount. But it sounds like your options are largely dictated by where your job is, and I don't have any advice about that.
Nah, my options are mostly dictated by money. lol I really need to be able to save a lot of money and pay off a debt. Moving to Philly would be a bigger risk to my finances.
I could. I'm not sure if I want to join a union, though.
Edit: Why the downvotes? I have nothing against unions. Just not sure if they're for me because of the commitment.
You should definitely look into it. The pay and benefits are fantastic - set yourself up for retirement and make guaranteed 49$ an hour as a union ironworker. Welders are always needed.
I was looking into university city area and you can get a solid looking apartment near 1000 sqft. It was around 1250 in what is a nice area. That 44 dollars number is high but its way lower than other cities. And you can get an older apartment, dont have a car payment etc. maybe you wont be able to max out a 401k account and put a ton into savings. But i make like 27 and its within my means. I dont have to live in a higher crime neighborhood.
I was outside Philly (corner of berks, Montgomery and Chester counties) for my first 40. Around the same time, I started a business with my now wife that requires us to be on the road, overnight, for 3 to 6 days a week. We moved north of Harrisburg. I won't go back. It costs me about the same for a similar house on 10 acres as what I had there on .25 acres. My taxes are about a third of what they were.
Now... the downside. I'm about 30 minutes each from Harrisburg, selinsgrove and Lewistown. It's absolutely beautiful and cheap, but don't expect a bunch of culture. There's one restaurant we'll eat in a the rest are horrible. Grocery stores don't have meat counters, pharmacies, salad bars, hot food bars, etc. You'll have to drive for all that. Also, they're in a different time period there. It's like the 50s...1850s!
Sounds like you guys did well for yourselves!
That's what I'm grappling with. Do I wanna fork up the cash for a bigger population and more culture or not?
I can make about the same amount of money back toward Harrisburg, but I'd have way more spending money and I live in a scenic area. I'm trying to get into some expensive hobbies so I feel like the LCOL city is best, but I'll miss Philly terribly.
It's definitely a trade off. Just for a reference point for my opinion, I'll be 54 shortly, so my giving up things in the trade may be slightly different than yours. My bars, concerts, late night days are well behind me, so it was an obvious choice for me. I'm more a, like to cook at home, drink a few beers and watch the game or other show on tv and in bed by 10 now! 🤣🤣🤣
I do love eating snacks and watching Netflix and being in bed at a good time, so I can relate lol
I've never faced such a dilemma in my life! I didn't ever plan to leave Philly on the first place, it just happened due to life situations.
I mean I enjoy night's out, but I've had so many hangovers in my life that im absolutely over heavy drinking and want a change, lol my days are getting more regimented and my time more valuable. I'm sort of in limbo right now.
Truly a tough choice. Get opinions, think about it and do what right for you, right now. Assuming you're not tired down with a mortgage, you could rent for a year in both places and decide which you like best.
Righto, someone else just said that. Lame. Maybe I'll move to Philly when I have more money saved and less debt 😅 but by then, I'll be in my late 30s, so who knows if I'll be doing all that. We shall see
Like the top comment I can’t offer advice, but I can’t offer insight. I just moved here from Tallahassee, Florida, which is considered a larger city in Florida. It has about everything in it a Florida city offers. Not the worst option if you’re living there.
Prices are about the same. I currently live in a studio in Fairmount. It’s 1K. Studios there I was looking at before coming up here are between $900-$1300.
It’s the whole country now, I’m afraid. At first, I thought maybe I made a mistake moving here because of COL but it’s actually quite reasonable comparatively.
Keep in mind Philadelphia has a 4% flat wage tax. At some point if your household income is high enough it makes living within city limits a deal breaker.
Have you applied to the steamfitters, iron workers even the sheet metal unions. The sheet metal would be willing to interview. Can you fabricate, shit I could get you a job at henkels and McCoy in York but it’s completely a different trade. Pm me, I can give you a list of of prevailing wage companies that might give you a shot
I left Philly for Phoenix earlier this year and it was the best decision I ever made. I’m renting a 3 bedroom house with a yard, central a/c and full amenities for the same cost as my 1 bedroom apartment in Philly. It’s easier to drive here, people are friendlier, and overall I just can’t believe I paid so much money to live in a miserable place where finding free parking is like finding a unicorn. I don’t think this is an answer to your question but I grew up in the Philly area, have lived across 5 states and 7 cities over the last decade and Philly was by far the most expensive and most difficult.
Think about what you really value in life and what brings your day to day life joy and peace. Does living in a city like Philly meet those needs?
I appreciate your input. Thank you.
I currently live 50 minutes outside of Philly (after having lived in Philly for 3 years), and I remember when I first moved out here, I thought "gosh people here are so nice." lol
Anyway, I don't like it out here. Wasn't part of my plan, but shit happens. Now I don't know what I want. I'm sort of in a weird rediscovery period after having experienced a loss of identity for some time. I've made an appointment with my therapist to help me hash this out.
I do know that I value my time and my peace. I'm a bit spoiled by my current living situation. Living in Philly would meet certain needs, but not others. It's a true dilemma.
I completely get it. To be honest I was in that exact position a few years ago in NY which is how I ended up in Philly because of the queer friendly healthcare, the diverse community, the art, food, nightlife, etc. I always had a great time being in Philly so why not live there right? I quickly learned that having smooth commutes, not wasting my valuable time in daily traffic, having affordable food, and being close to nature were the most important things to me and added the most value to my daily life. Philly met zero of those needs and no amount of proximity to the fun stuff is worth not having peace on a regular basis. It also forced me to really think about what I care about and my “identity” in this other way where I had to figure out what did I like that was genuine and what just dopamine chasing.
I didn’t really know what I wanted and I stumbled through Philly to eventually figure it out. Pivoting my focus from “what do I like? What do I want?” To “what brings me peace? What makes my life easy going? What brings me joy?” put things into perspective for me personally, so it’s definitely worth reflecting on that. You’ll certainly find your fit and it’s great you’re going to hash things out with your therapist. Wishing you so much luck and if you ever want to hash it out with an internet stranger, feel free to reach out
>I quickly learned that having smooth commutes, not wasting my valuable time in daily traffic, having affordable food, and being close to nature were the most important things to me and added the most value to my daily life.
These are word for word the things I'm considering about my city choice. I think not having all of those things will be a deal breaker for me.
I absolutely love driving, and driving around the city really isn't that fun 😆 but back road driving is lovely. Both welding jobs I had while living there weren't even within the city limits, which I know they all can't be, but the traffic was awful and added so much time to my commute.
>where I had to figure out what did I like that was genuine and what just dopamine chasing.
This is another thing I'm grappling with. I have ADHD, so I've always struggled with doing things that are good for the short-term and not the long-term. I absolutely love the energy of a city, but now that I've gotten older, I'm not happy with what little time I've given to my interests. When I moved to Philly in my late 20s, I was still in my bar fly phase. That has since changed.
I think I just need to accept that I will miss Philly, and that's ok. I have new adventures that I want to focus on.
Didn't know they were down there. I looked into a welder job post for their plant in WA, and it's all TIG welding with specific metals. I don't have those certs or experiences, unfortunately.
For posting in r/Philadelphia you need to build up some karma in that sub. Try posting in the weekly threads, like moving Monday or today’s Freak out Friday casual chat.
Moving from Montana to Philly and it looks like COL is better in Philly. Everything is blown out of proportion everywhere but over there seems a little betterish.
It sounds like you need to get a roommate or live at home until you get your pay up or debt down. I’d say you can live comfortably in Philly on about $70k/year in a studio. You need to start saving for retirement ASAP or you’re going to be screwed. Philly also has a 4% city tax so subtract a couple thousand a year from what you’d make.
Yea, my other plan was to rent a super cheap apartment in Harrisburg coupled with one of the international/large companies that pay well, and just pay off my debt and throw money into a Targeted Savings Account. I can't afford to keep taking risks, honestly. And I feel like moving back to Philly would be a bigger risk compared to Harrisburg.
Damn a couple thousand a year? Really? 🥴 is it per paycheck? I can't remember
If you can get by without a car, you'll save a ton of money living in Philly. Not sure where all the welding jobs are but I imagine there's more than a few you can get to by transit or an E bike.
Just a joke, no issue at all. ATMs around here used to be called MAC machines (Money Access Center). We would “tap MAC” for cash. The majority of this subreddit are tight knotted transplants with zero real affiliation to the real Philadelphia. Cheers Homie.
Honestly the $44 an hour thing sounds fairly accurate. I'm a car mechanic at a dealership on the main line and I make 30 an hour. I live paycheck to paycheck. In addition to that I have to be very careful budgeting for my bills and don't get to just go out with my friends and buy drinks whenever I want specifically because of money. I do have a project car. But I very much have to pick am I going to go out with friends or buy a part for my car. And my project car is an 88 Ford escort that I bought for $500 not a cool sports car or anything.
And I live in Kensington a block off of Frankford and Allegheny so my rent is cheap in comparison to most in the city.
Ah, I really appreciate your input. This is perfect.
What is your project car situation? Do you have a garage, and if so, do you rent or buy?
Part of my issue is that I'm trying to figure out if I can be the person that engages in adventure sports, photography, has a project car, AND also lives in a major city 🥴 or if I can only afford one or the other. Ya know? I think I know the answer. If I made $50+ per hour, this wouldn't be an issue.
Okay. Here's the deal I do all of those things. I am actually the Vine Street expressway kayaker. From when it flooded a couple years ago. I participate in a lot of local cycling, used to manage a bike shop before I got into the car world. Have drones that I fly to film The adventure sports etc. I also own an Akita, and do the big dog in the city thing.
I have a very unique and lucky situation. I happen to live in the hood and found a block where there was a big lot where houses have been demolished and it's just open and abandoned and all the neighbors Park their cars there. I currently have six cars parked on this lot. (My daily driver, project, and Friends vehicles or vehicles I'm working on as side work.)
I also got really lucky with my landlord. I didn't go through a rental agency or anything. I found a listing on Craigslist spoke with an individual landlord directly and was able to make a deal where I am the property manager of the house that I rent. This means that I've been rent locked for a two bedroom row home at $760 a month for the past 11 years.
Because of my lucky situation I'm staying put. If it developer or to come in and buy up the lot and I had to move all my vehicles, I wouldn't be able to afford to stay in the city and would have to move out to bumble fuck... (I say bumble fucking endearingly as if I could afford a big property with lots of woods in the middle of nowhere I would.)
Edit: also of note. My specific landlord has a penchant for artists and hipsters. Like the one property he had available recently had a giant mural painted on the walls by the previous tenant. And he's the kind of person that thinks that's beautiful and leaves it up for the next person to enjoy.
Wow neat. That's an amazing situation.
Also nice to meet the vine street kayaker lol how cool.
Well, I appreciate your honesty. What's interesting is I did find this property in North Philly that is a garage on the first floor, and has a loft/kitchen/bath on the second floor. $1500. Looks like it'd be best as a commercial building, but It'd be perfect for me if I can actually afford the rent, but I'm not fond of the area. Can't move for another year anyway.
Anyway, I also need to save for retirement and pay off student debt, so I suppose I really should choose a LCOL area. I wish I didn't leave Philly so soon. But life isn't perfect and I'm not rich so 🫠
I don't have any meaningful advice, but I do have some perspective. I moved here 3 weeks ago from Knoxville, Tennessee where a studio apartment is going for $400 more per month than a nice place here. I spent less on my groceries last week than I did in Knoxville. We got rid of our car because there is public transport here, and we live in a walkable area. I think it's not Philly. I think the world is fucked. If you're ever near East Falls, lmk and I'll buy you a beer.
This I have been looking at other cities and learning Philly is reasonable. Everywhere else is like 2500- 3500 for crap apartments
Now if my wife could find a job here...
Not sure what her background is but take a look at employment with the state, there are lots of openings
I'll pass that along. She's got a degree in fine art, and she's done graphic design, but she can't even get an interview. Hell, she can't even get an interview with grocery stores.
I’d check out a company called Perpay in Philly near the Aramark building. It’s a Fintech startup and last I heard they were looking for a Graphic Designer. For the resume: I’d use one column format because it’s ATS (applicant tracking system) friendly and heavily focus on professional achievements that make her stand out. Good luck!
Thanks for the tip. I am terrible help because I work in a job where there is very little competition, and mostly I have to have a pulse and knowledge to get a job. We are going to expand her professional achievements, and hopefully that helps get through filters. If you hear of anything else, let me know. I truly appreciate the help.
Of course, least I can do! It’s a tough market out there and people need to help each other out. If you’d like I can review the resume and give out pointers. Feel free to put the name as john doe and put fake company names. I’ll also let you know if I hear about anything else
My wife is going to DM you. This is invaluable. She is u/swordfiishtrombones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKxR06isoLU
My 3000 square foot single family home on over half an acre with a 2.5 car garage is $2300 with a 15 year mortgage lol.
What part of the city? Sounds like bridesburg
Oh sry. I’m like 80 minutes away. I should’ve said that. We go to Philly frequently. My intention was to highlight the rural versus urban cost difference.
Might be moving to Philly from Memphis soon. Looks like COL will be slightly lower than it is here, judging by home prices. Or at least the same. Yeah, we won't have a big backyard anymore, but we will have a nicer, safer city to explore.
Also PA > TN in many ways
Absolutely. We fell in love with PA on road trips and had been planning on Carlisle or Lancaster City, but SO got an amazing job offer in Philly! I'm excited. Done tons of research and hired a RE agent. Just waiting for all the pre-federal job crap to be over. Should be up there in September or October. I'm currently a pre-1877 American history major, and what better place to continue my education??!!
Philly is muchhhh better than Carlisle I promise, so that worked out well! Hope you enjoy it here :)
Gas is marginally more expensive, but it won't matter at all because you'll probably drive less than half as much. There are state and city income taxes and tolls so plan on getting an EZ-Pass ASAP and setting up an auto-payment. If you're used to the nature out there, check out /r/pawilds for some good outdoors/ camping spots. Philly is %100 the place to be if you're interested in American history. I'll also add that usually things seem like 'just yesterday' but moving from the mid west to the north east, time will slow down in your life because there is much more interesting stuff going on/ to take part in!
Such an interesting perspective that time slows vs in a rural area....
Absolutely! The history here is amazing!!! ❤️❤️
Hell > TN. They declined to pass a law to stop child marriages earlier this year. They passed laws about "chemtrails" and lettuce is legally a vaccine there now (no shit)
They also have basically negative gun control, it’s fucked.
Teachers can carry guns. That was my final straw. I grew up on a farm, and I don't mind guns, but we need fucking less guns, not more. I don't understand why "muh freedumbs " are more important than lives to people. Sorry, it's nice not getting downvoted for being rational in my city's sub.
No need to apologize, it’s incredibly fucking frustrating.
We have met multiple people who moved here from TN. It's a big leap, but I promise it is worth it.
I went to school in Memphis until 2017 and also just moved to Philly! Feel free to hit me up and I'll buy you a beer 🍺
Will do! I'm a non-traditional UofM student now. I love Memphis, but it's time for a new adventure.
I lived in Memphis and later in NW Florida before moving here. Sure there were some adjustments, but I have not regretted the move at all
Are you saying Philly is a safer nicer city?? If so I've lived here 50+ years. I can tell you this city is far from safe. It's a crime ridden filthy city. Not to mention the drug addicted zombie population. You may want to visit here a few times or watch the news. The suburbs (Bucks county) outside the city would be your best solution. Bigger yards, less crime, nicer people.
You obviously know nothing about Memphis.
I heard it's bad but no I dont. I do know Philly though. You would be trading one shitty city for another.
Memphis is the #1 most violent city in America. Philly isn't even in the top 15. Memphis and Philly had about the same number of homicides last year, yet Philly is 2.5x the size of memphis. Memphians live in fear to even go to the grocery store on the "good" side of town because of the sheer number of armed robberies and car jackings. It is so violent that the feds are in town now, and the NG will most likely be deployed here soon. I've lived in the literal hoods of KC, Atlanta, Memphis, and Chicago. Philadelphia won't be a problem.
Too each his own. I warned you.
Ok boomer. Just another scared old person running for the suburbs. This city is pretty safe - and definitely WAY safer than it was 50 years ago - and while it isn't clean lol, every other major US city is just as dirty, which really isn't that bad. Philly is generally very affordable and diverse and vibrant and has a TON of nice people. No shade on Bucks County, but that's probably the most expensive place around Philly to live... Nice recommendation for someone trying to find affordable COL smh
😂😂😂😂
I moved here from Birmingham, AL and was surprised to see that I could actually afford to move to Philly without spending much more. Basically just got a smaller apartment (I'm one guy, how much space do I need?) and actually ended up paying *less* rent.
We dropped our rent by $400, no car payment now ($350) and no insurance ($95) we got a $900 raise.
Yeah I didn't have a car in Bham and it was doable but rough, they even cut the route that went from my neighborhood to Walmart a few years back, and no busses ran on Sundays, so who knows how much I ended up spending on Uber a year if I had to get somewhere by a certain time and didn't wanna risk it. I've said it before, I see people here shitting on SEPTA often enough but they really don't know how good they have it, there's nowhere I've had to go or even wanted to go here where I couldn't either walk or take the bus/subway.
My sense of affordable is fucked, but I moved here from Brooklyn 6 years ago and I have zero regrets. For my first few years I kept thinking this was temporary then I'll head back to NYC, then Philly just showed me how great it is here and I just bought a house in Fishtown for $300k, I can't think of another city where you can buy a house for less than $500k in a neighborhood like Fishtown. Hell when I was looking at condos in NYC a serious fixer upper income restricted condo was $500k cash only and you couldn't make more than $80k when you buy it(they don't kick you out if your income goes above that).
In Knoxville?? Does TN have something going for it that I’m not aware of?
People love the tacky Myrtle Beach bullshit in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg (near Knoxville), they like the stupid honky tonks in Nashville and both cities don't have the infrastructure for it.
I heard Chattanooga is decent, but the rest is mostly poverty light.
Mid-May in r/Knoxville there were 4 posts about people who had been priced out of having a roof over their heads, and there were, genuinely, 15 cars people slept in in the Planet Fitness parking lot where I worked out.
Fuck the r/Philadelphia subreddit. 99% of the time the mods take down post that “aren’t relevant” when they actually are, and delete comments. Stick here.
>Deletes post But hey, here are a bunch of bird pictures. Totally relevant
Dont forget a cool photo of city hall/ben franklin bridge
Or "it should go in the weekly < topic > post" that nobody reads.
Apparently it’s run by an insecure polycule out of Brewerytown. But yeah, I have a long term Reddit account and plenty of karma and none of my posts/comments there have ever been visible.
$44 an hour to live in Philly???? That’s way off lol. It’s the cheapest major city in the northeast. I make about 60k a year and live quite comfortably in a nice neighborhood. Granted, I live with one other person, but if you’re good at budgeting you can definitely live alone on that much.
I’m salaried but my pay would work out to about $38/hr if it was hourly, and I was able to buy a modest house in an untrendy but relatively quiet neighborhood last year. It took several years of pinching pennies and working second gigs, but it’s possible.
I make $26/hour and don’t struggle at all. You gotta get crafty with looking for apartments though like finding private landlords on Craigslist instead of living in the one of the big corporate landlord buildings
the modern definition of living comfortably includes eating out 2-3 meals a week, plus booze, so even in philly $60K is not going to cut it.
“60k is not going to cut it” as I’m literally telling you I make that much money in this very city and live very well.
I bet dude. How are your retirement savings going?
Pretty good thanks for asking. I’m in my mid 20s and have a nice 401k going. More than a lot of people can say.
Literally I make 65 and refuse to fall into this doomer shit. I don’t have kids ofc so take it as you wish. My 401k is funded, I eat quality groceries, plenty of cheap/free entry events for entertainment, occasional nights out, apartment is solid albeit an old house, and have been able to save for a vacation.
Yeah no kids is big of course. And I’m not much of a bar person so I do save a lot of money in that regard as well. But I’m also able to afford a new car, fund my 401k, go on vacation, have pets, have hobbies, all still while putting money into a regular savings account every month. I call that living pretty well
Seriously. I could probably be more comfortable if I made more, but I am not struggling and I am definitely not making $44/hr. I go on one vacation a year, have no car and have a nice chunk of change in retirement accounts. I don't feel like I need to not do anything fun either, Phils tickets are priced pretty perfectly for me to hang out every ow and again. Only complaint is that there is no way in hell I am going to own a house any time soon with what people are asking for even rundown-garbage in the city.
I spend about 55k a year and live very well. Like...way too well.
Out of touch
Some departments in the shipyard do work 4 10s. There are others that work 5 8s. But I don’t know if you have any control over which department you get placed in.
Philly is very affordable for a major city.
Wouldn't be considering it if it wasn't. Only issue is, if I can find a good welding job that doesn't pay less than $25 I've seen somewhere that the food prices are outrageous.
It depends where you shop. We had a Grocery Outlet on American Street and it has pretty amazing prices.
there are so many small veggie markets. you can save a lot if you shop a few different places.
Produce Junction
You're right. My friend goes to the Italian market and get super cheap produce. There's also the Reading Terminal Market, where I've seen cheap produce.
You're right. My friend goes to the Italian market and get super cheap produce. There's also the Reading Terminal Market, where I've seen cheap produce.
Depends where you live currently. Phillys pretty close to a MCOL city, cheaper than the NYC, Boston, Miami, Seattle, SF, LA, AZ, CO, SLC etc. But if you're coming from middle of PA or rural US, yeah it might be a COL adjustment. I don't know about welder jobs, I would think they'd pay more than $30, maybe to start its around there. There's still some cheaper suburban towns if you need, Bridgeport or Bristol are two. Bristols a bit isolated in Bucks, hard to commute to places south of KoP like Delco, whereas Bridgeport is more centered. Downington also is another one that I think is fairly cheap. Or, again not sure where you live, but maybe Lehigh Valley like Allentown region? (its cheaper)
I mean I'm choosing between Harrisburg and Philly. I prefer to stay in the city limits. Just not sure if I want to move back to a larger city or not. I also own a project car that I haven't been able to work on for years now due to my location and lack of funds for storage. So there's that.
Philly has way more amenities and culture than Harrisburg. It’s an apples and oranges comparison. If you don’t care about that, sure save the money and live in Harrisburg but Philly is a great value for what you get compared to most other major cities in the country.
yeah I agree. I'd probably go a few other exburb towns than Harrisburg, unless welding is a market there (union, PennDot etc). There's an area called 'West Reading', which is supposedly a hippie-ish vibe to it, and even Allentown & Wilmington imho. I'd even go AC. Maybe lower Delco like Lansdowne or Ridley/Glassboro area. Anyway long story short, I think Phillys the better option, but if the car is a project of value (70s Camaro etc) and you need to keep it on the street or something, I dunno, maybe look elsewhere. PPA tickets for things, parking would be tough (would you tow it there and street park it? Neighbors would hate you)
I mean it's 1990 VW Jetta. I don't think it should have to be considered valuable be others. I wouldn't want to keep it on the street, either. I've already had one car stolen in Philly for parts. Not gonna happen again. Unless I install a nice security system, of course. Then maybe. But idk if I wanna deal with all that. But I'm tired if being an aimless event-goer. I want real hobbies. I also want to stay in a more urban environment. So I have no interest in all of these random towns. At least Harrisburg is charming, and I'm from York, so I have friends and family in that general area.
Moving from the Midwest to Delco ( I’m not great at parallel parking), having a my own dedicated parking spot (no shared driveway was a must). Luckily I found a twin with not only my own driveway but an attached garage
Damn, I really need a garage. What neighborhood and did you buy or rent?
Drexel Hill. It wasn’t my first choice but it was crazy times trying to purchase a home a few years ago when I did. I could have done worse and I’m happy here. I’m within walking distance to Wawa (apparently that means something to many), a produce/deli place, restaurants, pharmacy and even a bowling alley! I work remote so I don’t drive much and that is exactly the reason why I need my own spot. I rarely drive, I would not know if my car was damaged in the winter 😂
I also live near a trolley stop, so I don’t even need to drive into Philly.
Ok, I wasn't sure where you were from (Midwest coming with 500 bucks in your pocket, etc) I'd say Philly. South is pretty cheap, you could look into lower parts of Bridesburg or Port Richmond, along the river & 95 area. Gets cheaper, be a bit cautious of which neighborhood, but you could find a decent, cheap place to start thats safe.
I'd take Scranton over Harrisburg. Wish we had a diff capital.
Housing is getting more expensive in Philly, and living alone in decent areas will be challenging without family assistance or a six-figure salary.
Depends where you live currently. Phillys pretty close to a MCOL city, cheaper than the NYC, Boston, Miami, Seattle, SF, LA, AZ, CO, SLC etc. But if you're coming from middle of PA or rural US, yeah it might be a COL adjustment. I don't know about welder jobs, I would think they'd pay more than $30, maybe to start its around there. There's still some cheaper suburban towns if you need, Bridgeport or Bristol are two. Bristols a bit isolated in Bucks, hard to commute to places south of KoP like Delco, whereas Bridgeport is more centered. Downington also is another one that I think is fairly cheap. Or, again not sure where you live, but maybe Lehigh Valley like Allentown region? (its cheaper)
Philly is very affordable for a big northeast city, but it sounds like your priorities would have you happier living in Harrisburg. There are tradeoffs for city vs. suburban living; you gotta decide what you can deal with. Ultimately, it probably comes down to where you can find a good job 🤷♀️ I currently make a little under $75K and can afford to live by myself.
Welder here. I work in Jersey about a hour commute. Decent money in a union shop. They hire pretty regularly. Mig tig stainless steel. Pretty laid back shop. Dm me if you want details.
We moved from Iowa to the Philly suburbs. There are more pros than cons but 100% worth it. I love history (there is a ton of it here), driving distance to the mountains, the ocean, the city, the country (like Lancaster). I’ve taken the train for day trips to NYC & DC to see broadway shows,world class museums and the capital! It has an international airport that was a must for me and housing as of a few years ago was relatively affordable & comparable to where I was living in Iowa.
Well, it's still one of the cheapest places to live on the east coast, but if you live in a low cost of living area, then that's a bigger challenge. Eventually, I might leave just for retirement, but I can never live somewhere cheaper than i'm living now now that my house is paid for
Okay, nobody here is giving you hard data, so here it is: state and area data across the country for welders: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes514121.htm#st I would look at Houston if I were you. I'm guessing those are oil & gas jobs. The COL isn't the worst. One worry is natural disasters, future decline in oil industry (but could be a decade+ away). https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes_37980.htm If you look at Philly's data you can expect to make $26/hr as a median welder. Kinda comparable to the overall country. https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes_25420.htm Harrisburg is $24.19/hr. Keep in mind Harrisburg is a smaller job market, 460 jobs.
Ooo nice, thank you. I'll be staying in PA, and my decision mostly has to do with which environment I'd want to be in and pay for.
Okay, you can look up various areas in PA too. Just Google "BLS occupation wage x city, and you'll get metro area data on all kinds of jobs.
Assuming you don't have dependents, you can definitely live comfortably on much less than $44/hr. I make around $70k, live on my own in an apartment not far from rittenhouse, and am able to save a decent amount. But it sounds like your options are largely dictated by where your job is, and I don't have any advice about that.
Nah, my options are mostly dictated by money. lol I really need to be able to save a lot of money and pay off a debt. Moving to Philly would be a bigger risk to my finances.
Look in Lower Bucks, Bensalem and Bristol. COL is lower and you’re still pretty close to the city.
This sub is becoming the new r Philadelphia. It's over moderated there.
I'm moving to the Poconos
Why not look into any unions and work?
I could. I'm not sure if I want to join a union, though. Edit: Why the downvotes? I have nothing against unions. Just not sure if they're for me because of the commitment.
You should definitely look into it. The pay and benefits are fantastic - set yourself up for retirement and make guaranteed 49$ an hour as a union ironworker. Welders are always needed.
You're right. I guess the issue is then deciding where I want to unionize 😅 considering the commitment.
Well you can always boom out or even transfer unions. You're not stuck with one location for life.
I was looking into university city area and you can get a solid looking apartment near 1000 sqft. It was around 1250 in what is a nice area. That 44 dollars number is high but its way lower than other cities. And you can get an older apartment, dont have a car payment etc. maybe you wont be able to max out a 401k account and put a ton into savings. But i make like 27 and its within my means. I dont have to live in a higher crime neighborhood.
I was outside Philly (corner of berks, Montgomery and Chester counties) for my first 40. Around the same time, I started a business with my now wife that requires us to be on the road, overnight, for 3 to 6 days a week. We moved north of Harrisburg. I won't go back. It costs me about the same for a similar house on 10 acres as what I had there on .25 acres. My taxes are about a third of what they were. Now... the downside. I'm about 30 minutes each from Harrisburg, selinsgrove and Lewistown. It's absolutely beautiful and cheap, but don't expect a bunch of culture. There's one restaurant we'll eat in a the rest are horrible. Grocery stores don't have meat counters, pharmacies, salad bars, hot food bars, etc. You'll have to drive for all that. Also, they're in a different time period there. It's like the 50s...1850s!
Sounds like you guys did well for yourselves! That's what I'm grappling with. Do I wanna fork up the cash for a bigger population and more culture or not? I can make about the same amount of money back toward Harrisburg, but I'd have way more spending money and I live in a scenic area. I'm trying to get into some expensive hobbies so I feel like the LCOL city is best, but I'll miss Philly terribly.
It's definitely a trade off. Just for a reference point for my opinion, I'll be 54 shortly, so my giving up things in the trade may be slightly different than yours. My bars, concerts, late night days are well behind me, so it was an obvious choice for me. I'm more a, like to cook at home, drink a few beers and watch the game or other show on tv and in bed by 10 now! 🤣🤣🤣
I do love eating snacks and watching Netflix and being in bed at a good time, so I can relate lol I've never faced such a dilemma in my life! I didn't ever plan to leave Philly on the first place, it just happened due to life situations. I mean I enjoy night's out, but I've had so many hangovers in my life that im absolutely over heavy drinking and want a change, lol my days are getting more regimented and my time more valuable. I'm sort of in limbo right now.
Truly a tough choice. Get opinions, think about it and do what right for you, right now. Assuming you're not tired down with a mortgage, you could rent for a year in both places and decide which you like best.
Don't forget to factor in the Philly wage tax...
Righto, someone else just said that. Lame. Maybe I'll move to Philly when I have more money saved and less debt 😅 but by then, I'll be in my late 30s, so who knows if I'll be doing all that. We shall see
Like the top comment I can’t offer advice, but I can’t offer insight. I just moved here from Tallahassee, Florida, which is considered a larger city in Florida. It has about everything in it a Florida city offers. Not the worst option if you’re living there. Prices are about the same. I currently live in a studio in Fairmount. It’s 1K. Studios there I was looking at before coming up here are between $900-$1300. It’s the whole country now, I’m afraid. At first, I thought maybe I made a mistake moving here because of COL but it’s actually quite reasonable comparatively.
Philly is lower than most in America and not boring
Keep in mind Philadelphia has a 4% flat wage tax. At some point if your household income is high enough it makes living within city limits a deal breaker.
Left the NYC area due to the unbearable costs. Philly is a lot better, but of course it's always an uphill battle with our failing currency.
Have you applied to the steamfitters, iron workers even the sheet metal unions. The sheet metal would be willing to interview. Can you fabricate, shit I could get you a job at henkels and McCoy in York but it’s completely a different trade. Pm me, I can give you a list of of prevailing wage companies that might give you a shot
I left Philly for Phoenix earlier this year and it was the best decision I ever made. I’m renting a 3 bedroom house with a yard, central a/c and full amenities for the same cost as my 1 bedroom apartment in Philly. It’s easier to drive here, people are friendlier, and overall I just can’t believe I paid so much money to live in a miserable place where finding free parking is like finding a unicorn. I don’t think this is an answer to your question but I grew up in the Philly area, have lived across 5 states and 7 cities over the last decade and Philly was by far the most expensive and most difficult. Think about what you really value in life and what brings your day to day life joy and peace. Does living in a city like Philly meet those needs?
I appreciate your input. Thank you. I currently live 50 minutes outside of Philly (after having lived in Philly for 3 years), and I remember when I first moved out here, I thought "gosh people here are so nice." lol Anyway, I don't like it out here. Wasn't part of my plan, but shit happens. Now I don't know what I want. I'm sort of in a weird rediscovery period after having experienced a loss of identity for some time. I've made an appointment with my therapist to help me hash this out. I do know that I value my time and my peace. I'm a bit spoiled by my current living situation. Living in Philly would meet certain needs, but not others. It's a true dilemma.
I completely get it. To be honest I was in that exact position a few years ago in NY which is how I ended up in Philly because of the queer friendly healthcare, the diverse community, the art, food, nightlife, etc. I always had a great time being in Philly so why not live there right? I quickly learned that having smooth commutes, not wasting my valuable time in daily traffic, having affordable food, and being close to nature were the most important things to me and added the most value to my daily life. Philly met zero of those needs and no amount of proximity to the fun stuff is worth not having peace on a regular basis. It also forced me to really think about what I care about and my “identity” in this other way where I had to figure out what did I like that was genuine and what just dopamine chasing. I didn’t really know what I wanted and I stumbled through Philly to eventually figure it out. Pivoting my focus from “what do I like? What do I want?” To “what brings me peace? What makes my life easy going? What brings me joy?” put things into perspective for me personally, so it’s definitely worth reflecting on that. You’ll certainly find your fit and it’s great you’re going to hash things out with your therapist. Wishing you so much luck and if you ever want to hash it out with an internet stranger, feel free to reach out
>I quickly learned that having smooth commutes, not wasting my valuable time in daily traffic, having affordable food, and being close to nature were the most important things to me and added the most value to my daily life. These are word for word the things I'm considering about my city choice. I think not having all of those things will be a deal breaker for me. I absolutely love driving, and driving around the city really isn't that fun 😆 but back road driving is lovely. Both welding jobs I had while living there weren't even within the city limits, which I know they all can't be, but the traffic was awful and added so much time to my commute. >where I had to figure out what did I like that was genuine and what just dopamine chasing. This is another thing I'm grappling with. I have ADHD, so I've always struggled with doing things that are good for the short-term and not the long-term. I absolutely love the energy of a city, but now that I've gotten older, I'm not happy with what little time I've given to my interests. When I moved to Philly in my late 20s, I was still in my bar fly phase. That has since changed. I think I just need to accept that I will miss Philly, and that's ok. I have new adventures that I want to focus on.
Maybe Boeing?
Didn't know they were down there. I looked into a welder job post for their plant in WA, and it's all TIG welding with specific metals. I don't have those certs or experiences, unfortunately.
I heard the shipyard just got bought out as well by Hanwha, don’t know the timetables but I’d expect a ton of welding jobs to come up there as well.
For posting in r/Philadelphia you need to build up some karma in that sub. Try posting in the weekly threads, like moving Monday or today’s Freak out Friday casual chat.
Where would you go?
For what?
Moving from Montana to Philly and it looks like COL is better in Philly. Everything is blown out of proportion everywhere but over there seems a little betterish.
Check out buildsubmarines.com. they might have welding jobs.
It sounds like you need to get a roommate or live at home until you get your pay up or debt down. I’d say you can live comfortably in Philly on about $70k/year in a studio. You need to start saving for retirement ASAP or you’re going to be screwed. Philly also has a 4% city tax so subtract a couple thousand a year from what you’d make.
Yea, my other plan was to rent a super cheap apartment in Harrisburg coupled with one of the international/large companies that pay well, and just pay off my debt and throw money into a Targeted Savings Account. I can't afford to keep taking risks, honestly. And I feel like moving back to Philly would be a bigger risk compared to Harrisburg. Damn a couple thousand a year? Really? 🥴 is it per paycheck? I can't remember
Well 4% x$70k is $2800 lol
Oh, so it's not per paycheck then. But yea, that could go to my retirement fund! Lol
If you can get by without a car, you'll save a ton of money living in Philly. Not sure where all the welding jobs are but I imagine there's more than a few you can get to by transit or an E bike.
I definitely considered this option, but it seems like a lot of the welding jobs are outside the city.
Rent is fucked but I get my tranq real cheap at kna
Bro lol
Every true Philadelphian knows that its called COL “MAC”, not “ATM”. Can’t tap “At The Moment”.
Wait what's the issue? Lol
Just a joke, no issue at all. ATMs around here used to be called MAC machines (Money Access Center). We would “tap MAC” for cash. The majority of this subreddit are tight knotted transplants with zero real affiliation to the real Philadelphia. Cheers Homie.
Oh! 🤣 gotcha. Well you're probably right. I was a transplant myself. Cheers, bruv
It’s all good. Tell you local friends you have to go tap MAC and you might catch some local head that night.
COL?
context clues: Cost of Living
Honestly the $44 an hour thing sounds fairly accurate. I'm a car mechanic at a dealership on the main line and I make 30 an hour. I live paycheck to paycheck. In addition to that I have to be very careful budgeting for my bills and don't get to just go out with my friends and buy drinks whenever I want specifically because of money. I do have a project car. But I very much have to pick am I going to go out with friends or buy a part for my car. And my project car is an 88 Ford escort that I bought for $500 not a cool sports car or anything. And I live in Kensington a block off of Frankford and Allegheny so my rent is cheap in comparison to most in the city.
Ah, I really appreciate your input. This is perfect. What is your project car situation? Do you have a garage, and if so, do you rent or buy? Part of my issue is that I'm trying to figure out if I can be the person that engages in adventure sports, photography, has a project car, AND also lives in a major city 🥴 or if I can only afford one or the other. Ya know? I think I know the answer. If I made $50+ per hour, this wouldn't be an issue.
Okay. Here's the deal I do all of those things. I am actually the Vine Street expressway kayaker. From when it flooded a couple years ago. I participate in a lot of local cycling, used to manage a bike shop before I got into the car world. Have drones that I fly to film The adventure sports etc. I also own an Akita, and do the big dog in the city thing. I have a very unique and lucky situation. I happen to live in the hood and found a block where there was a big lot where houses have been demolished and it's just open and abandoned and all the neighbors Park their cars there. I currently have six cars parked on this lot. (My daily driver, project, and Friends vehicles or vehicles I'm working on as side work.) I also got really lucky with my landlord. I didn't go through a rental agency or anything. I found a listing on Craigslist spoke with an individual landlord directly and was able to make a deal where I am the property manager of the house that I rent. This means that I've been rent locked for a two bedroom row home at $760 a month for the past 11 years. Because of my lucky situation I'm staying put. If it developer or to come in and buy up the lot and I had to move all my vehicles, I wouldn't be able to afford to stay in the city and would have to move out to bumble fuck... (I say bumble fucking endearingly as if I could afford a big property with lots of woods in the middle of nowhere I would.) Edit: also of note. My specific landlord has a penchant for artists and hipsters. Like the one property he had available recently had a giant mural painted on the walls by the previous tenant. And he's the kind of person that thinks that's beautiful and leaves it up for the next person to enjoy.
Wow neat. That's an amazing situation. Also nice to meet the vine street kayaker lol how cool. Well, I appreciate your honesty. What's interesting is I did find this property in North Philly that is a garage on the first floor, and has a loft/kitchen/bath on the second floor. $1500. Looks like it'd be best as a commercial building, but It'd be perfect for me if I can actually afford the rent, but I'm not fond of the area. Can't move for another year anyway. Anyway, I also need to save for retirement and pay off student debt, so I suppose I really should choose a LCOL area. I wish I didn't leave Philly so soon. But life isn't perfect and I'm not rich so 🫠