Making it in NYC: when your apartment ceiling caves in

A rent & salary profile on an account executive making $85,000 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

In this series, I profile people living in NYC (including their rent and salary history) in an effort to make the city feel a little less daunting, empower us to negotiate our salaries (and rent!), and showcase some of the best things about New York.

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Today’s edition is from an account executive in fashion/tech living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It’s a crazy one—today’s feature sent in photos from her current and previous apartments (including where the ceiling caved in!). If you’re reading in email, this post might be too long and get cut off, so click the read in app button above to read on Substack.

How long have you lived in NYC? If you moved here, where did you move from? Why did you move here?

I’ve been in New York since I was 18, when I started attending college here. I did 3 years of living in the dorms/on campus housing, 1 year in an off-campus apartment, and am now going on year 5 of living here post-grad. 

What was your job history like before moving? How did your salary before compare since moving to NYC?

Prior to moving here for college, I babysat and worked in food service. At the time (granted this was about 10 years ago now), I made about $10 an hour babysitting and about $8-11 an hour as time went on at my food service job.

I’m originally from Pennsylvania, where I was paid “well” for these jobs, considering the minimum wage was $7.25 hourly, but both would have been paid at least $15/hr in New York. 

While in college, I babysat through a babysitting agency, where they paid about $18/hr (which I thought was so good at the time). When the agency shut down, families I met through the agency would contact me to babysit directly, and they typically paid me the full fee they paid to the agency (about $25/hr). I highly recommend babysitting for anyone with experience as a college student in New York, since it’s incredibly flexible and clearly lucrative. 

Did you attend college? If so, what did you study and did it set you up for your career path?

I have a Bachelors in Business Administration and a minor in Digital Media. I honestly don’t think I learned anything revolutionary while obtaining my degree, but I also do acknowledge that ‘having the piece of paper’ gives you credibility and is an unfortunately necessary accolade in some sense. I credit most of my learning to being in NYC and being able to take advantage of lots of internships and other opportunities while in college. 

Salary History:

Pre-Graduation: I babysat and worked internships that paid $15-20+/hour. Depending on my school schedule, I worked anywhere from 0-20 hours a week during the school year and 40 hours in the summer. 

Job #1: Brand Partnerships at E-commerce Platform

Dates: February 2020-June 2022

Salary: Prior to graduating, I started working at this company as an intern (for $15/hr) in February 2020. As we all recall, 3 weeks later, COVID hit. I was lucky that the company kept me on as a remote intern, and I worked 3-4 days a week remotely until officially transitioning into the full-time version of the job in July 2020. 

In July 2020, I was bumped from intern to associate and paid $40,000. 

In January 2021, I was bumped to the next level and received a $5,000 increase, so I was making a $45,000 base salary. 

In August 2021, I received a competing job offer for $60,000. Due to a variety of reasons, I decided not to take the job, but I was able to negotiate my salary to $52,000. 

Did you receive any additional compensation? We received commission as a part of our compensation. It ranged, but about $5,000 extra per year. 

Other notes: Looking back, I do believe this role was underpaid, but I graduated during the height of COVID. Most of my friends did not have a job, so I figured some money was better than no money. I learned a ton, really enjoyed the job, and made great friends. It also set me up for my future roles where I was able to make more money. 

Job #2: Brand Partnerships at different E-Commerce Platform

Dates: June 2022- January 2024

Salary: $63,000 base salary + approx. $20,000 commission/bonus

Did you negotiate for the starting salary or a raise? When interviewing for the role, I gave a range for total compensation, and they met me in the middle. 

Other notes: Though this role overall was compensated fairly, it was frustrating that so much of the compensation was dependent on performance (not even necessarily my performance, but the company performance). However, the job was easy, and I also had great coworkers. 

Job #3: Account Executive at Fashion-Tech Company

Dates: January 2024-Present

Salary: $85,000 + commission (on track for $10–15k extra this year)

Did you negotiate for the starting salary or a raise? The range listed for the job was $75,000-85,000 base, and they offered me the top of the range. 

Other notes: I do feel I’m relatively well-compensated for this role. I am personally fine with the money I earn and feel very comfortable, but I believe my pay is on the lower end for similar roles.

Rent History:

During college, August 2016-May 2019, I lived in dorms/on campus housing at college.

Apartment #1:

Time frame: May 2019-May 2020 (senior year of college, off campus apartment)

Rent: $3400 total, I paid $800 for my share

Apartment setup: 4 bedroom split with me and three roommates

Neighborhood: Bronx

Broker fees? No—we knew the people who lived here before, so since we did all the work of “finding the apartment”, we negotiated with the management company to remove the fee. 

Apartment #2:

Time frame: July 2020- August 2021

Rent: $2500 pro-rated (we got 2 months free)

I paid $950 for my share with two months free, so approximately $850 pro-rated

Apartment setup: 3 bedroom split with me and two roommates

Neighborhood: Harlem

Broker fees? No—COVID deal :) Perks of moving in July 2020!

Other Notes: This apartment was very affordable and honestly nice, but we had some major issues with the management company—our room legitimately caved in one day!! We also had a mice problem that took way too long to get resolved. As you can imagine, for that (and other reasons), one of my roommates and I from that apartment moved to a new space.  

I don’t have that many photos of this space, but of course I have a few from when our ceiling caved in:

Apartment #3:

Time frame: September 2021-Present

Rent: $3600 total when I moved in, has increased to $3770 monthly

I paid $1250 monthly until the beginning of 2024. Since the beginning of this year, I pay $1250-$2200 monthly.

It’s a bit of a unique situation, but the rate fluctuates, as I now pay for 2 out of our 3 rooms in our apartment, but I have friends/friends of friends stay in the extra room for short-term periods. We’ve had the third room filled about ⅓ of this year, so pro-rated, my rent is about $2,000.

Apartment setup: 3 bedroom, shared with me and two roommates until 2024

Since this year, our 3 bedroom apartment is shared with me and one other roommate (75% of the time) from 2024 on. I have friends and friends of friends stay in the third room for short term periods, which has supplemented the rent, as I pay for 2 rooms.  

Neighborhood: Williamsburg/East Williamsburg border

Broker fees? Yes—one month (so about $1250 for me). 

Other Notes: This is the first apartment that truly feels like home, and I’m going on year 4. It’s rent-stabilized, has washer/dryer (I know!!), and in a great area. I may move out to move on my own (or perhaps with a partner some day), but I definitely don’t have any plans to move anytime soon. 

Other Questions:

How do you budget (if you do)?

I have a rough budget at the moment. I’m paid twice a month, so my paycheck on the first of the month goes to rent, utilities, and savings. My second paycheck goes towards any expenses (split primarily between two credit cards), as well as some savings. I also get a quarterly commission check that goes mostly to savings, though I usually allow myself a fun purchase (like getting my hair done or buying a more expensive clothing/home item). 

I set up automatic money transfers as much as possible. I automatically have rent deduced, money sent to a 401k offered through my work, to my two investment accounts, and to a money market “emergency” account. 

I try to keep my main credit card under $1500 per month (includes food, groceries, eating out, clothes, etc.) and keep my other credit card under $300 per month (includes utilities/subscriptions, such as a Chewy order for my cats, internet, Spotify, etc. Some of these things are split with my roommate, who venmos me for her share). 

Do you have other large expenses outside of rent (ex. car payment, student loans, family support)?

No. I was lucky to get a scholarship that covered about 35% of my college tuition, and my parents covered the rest. My dad had been saving for my sister and I’s college pretty much since the day we were born. He claimed it was “fun” to save for. 

Do you receive any financial support from your family? Did you in the past?

I am very grateful that my parents were able to pay for the entirety of my college, including helping me with housing while I lived on and off campus during that time. 

After graduating, I stayed on my mom’s healthcare plan for 2 years, as she was able to keep me on for about $20/month (she paid), and the healthcare offered through my company at the time would have been much more, especially compared to my salary. I had one healthcare scare during this time where I needed to stay in a hospital for a day (I was drinking so much water that my sodium levels were dangerously low!!!), and my mom covered the $1,000 deductible that that incurred. 

Besides that instance, I don’t receive any help from my parents. 

What’s something that’s way too expensive in NYC?

Rent is insane, particularly if you’d like to live alone or have children. That said, I think that there are ways to keep costs lower—it’s pretty much expected to have roommates in the city, while in other parts of the country, it would be not-the-norm/hard to find roommates, leaving you no choice but to pay for a full apartment or house. I also save so much on transportation expenses. I’m also so close to quite literally everything—including the many free or low cost things there are to do here. Besides, most things cost about the same as any city—if you seek out affordable options. New York truly has the most expensive and the most affordable options for everything, but you do need to sometimes seek them out. 

That said, housing is a human right, and there absolutely should be more done to make housing more affordable, particularly for families.  

The only other thing that comes to mind that doesn’t affect me at the moment, but is something I think about, is childcare. I hope to have kids in New York someday, and I know that these expenses are particularly insane here. 

What’s something expensive in NYC that you think is totally worth it?

Coffee shops! Not just a NYC thing, but a $7 latte is insane on the surface, but I do find it justifiable. When getting coffee, it’s usually an excuse to get out of my apartment and go on a walk, which is one of my favorite free activities. I also work from home 2-3 days a week, and I always work at coffee shops for at least part of the day. When you think of it like “rent”, it’s not too bad. 

What’s something you do in NYC that you couldn’t do anywhere else (whether you spend money on it or not)?

Get the best bagels!! I spend around $10 at least once a week to get a bagel and shitty coffee, and it truly makes me so happy. 

Do you think the high cost of living in NYC is worth it?

Overall, yes. As expensive as it is, there’s nowhere else in the US that offers what New York does, in my opinion. I think it’s so important to love where you live, and I’ll always figure out  a way to live somewhere that makes me happy.

Do you find it hard to “keep up” in NYC? (with friends who make more money, coworkers, influencers, etc.)

I’m human, but 99.999% of the time, I don’t feel this way. I believe a big part of this depends on who you surround yourself with. No matter who or where you are, you should never be around people who make you feel lesser, particularly when it comes to monetary things. 

When I started out and was making a lot less money, I noticed that the biggest things that my friends with more money would do is 1. uber/ride share way more, 2. get food delivery way more, and 3. spend more on rent. Those are all things within your control, and choosing not to partake in those things honestly did not make my life very different than my friends who were spending on these things. 

Do you experience financial anxiety? If so, how do you cope with it?

My dad in particular definitely has some financial anxiety, and I think a bit of it rubbed off on me. I think I have a realistic approach with it, and it’s instilled some good habits—I have no debt, spend within my means, and have significant savings. I get a bit anxious when I have particular weeks when I’m spending a lot, but I think it serves as an internal friendly reminder to reign it in.

How long do you plan to continue living in NYC? How often do you think about leaving (if ever)?

I hope to stay forever! I’ve lived here for all of my adult life, so it’s hard to think about living elsewhere. I love to be surrounded by people, all sorts of different neighborhoods, and to not need a car :) I feel like my community is here, so it would be hard to leave. 

If I had the opportunity to live in a European city—Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, really anywhere!!!—for a few months (I don’t think I could do forever), I definitely would, but again, I don’t think I could move elsewhere forever. 

The only thing that could make me second my decision to live in the city would be when I hopefully have kids. I think raising a kid in the city is amazing, but costs certainly add up, particularly with daycare and perhaps needing more space. I think if the time comes, I would move to more affordable neighborhoods in Queens or Central/South Brooklyn if need be when the time comes. 

What’s something you’re trying to cut down on spending in your budget?

Food/drinks!! I never regret going out to eat/for drinks with friends, but I try not to get food out or takeout if I’ll be eating it alone more than every once in a while. I also 99% of the time pack my lunch for work, but I’ve honestly found the grocery store price increases to be astronomical (even with shopping at the cheaper stores), and I think I’ve cut down in every way I can, but I wish I wasn’t spending as much as I am, especially knowing how much less things cost not that long ago :/

Any NYC recs (bars, restaurants, shows, parks, museums)? Cool things you’ve done recently!

So many! I love going on neighborhood walks and exploring the many parks—some of my more unique favorites are Sunset Park, Highland Park, Astoria Park, Grover Cleveland Park, the Brooklyn Promenade, the Red Hook pier, and so so many others. I love going to the beach, especially the Rockaways (the Jacob Riis section is a new fave). There’s also so many easy day trips that make for an affordable getaway—Beacon, Asbury Park, and Long Beach are all ones I’ve recently done.  

Current favorite restaurants: Kiki’s, Suzume, Patrizia’s, Win Son, Baby Blues

Current favorites bakeries/dessert places:  La Cantine, Win Son Bakery, Radio Bakery, Lady Moo Moo, Ralph’s Ices, Fan Fan Donuts

Current favorite coffee shops: Variety Coffee, Little Roy, Rita Maria, Kos Kafee, Early Yves, September, Passionfruit Coffee

Current favorite bars: Rocka Rolla. Tuffet, duck duck, Do or Dive, FourFiveSix, Coyote Club

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