I graduated school with a tremendous amount of student loans, i was also struggling to cover a car payment, insurance and residing expenses.
- I was happy to be offered a task in my field in Fort Worth, Texas! However, the paycheck of an entry level position made it difficult to afford an apartment.
Hoping to keep expenses to a minimum, I chose residing accommodations within biking distance from my work; The apartment building was severely aged, and most of the windows in the apartment were painted shut and yet they all leaked air; Some of the electrical outlets worked, and because of the age of the wiring, I couldn’t run more than one appliance at a time. If I tried to microwave something while also enjoying TV, I’d trip the breaker. The toilet ran all the time and the dining room faucet dripped. There was only enough tepid water for a ten-minute shower and undoubtedly low water pressure. I needed to tie the door to the refrigerator shut, and whenever I baked something in the oven, the smoke detector went off. My biggest complaint with the apartment was the heating and cooling unit. In Fort Worth, the summers are absolutely brutal. Temperatures are steadily in the high nineties and often soar above a hundred degrees. The humidity is excessive. The a/c in the apartment couldn’t begin to keep up with demand. I was always warm and covered in sweat and found it impossible to sleep. I couldn’t run a fan without tripping the breaker. In the winter, when the outdoor temperature dropped into the thirties, I needed to wear a coat inside.