Made in China: The cost of living

This past weekend I drove down to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to tour apartments. The idea of moving in six weeks and starting a career in broadcasting is insane to me. It feels like just yesterday I was deciding where I want to attend college. After touring six very different apartments, one thing remained constant: how much this was all going to cost. 

As someone who has had roommates ever since I moved out of my parent’s house, I’ve realized that living alone is going to be more expensive than I anticipated. Not only is location a factor but so are the amenities and the environment while also analyzing what is the most cost-effective place to live at. Recently, I learned about inflation and how the banks and the Fed influence our economy. Researching furthermore, I found out how and why everything costs so much more these days.

As someone who highly values the type of environment they live in I really have to decide what is most important to me. Do I want to live closer to downtown? Or do I want to live in “Julia Land” far far away from the hustle and bustle? When I was down there, I also realized how much bigger it was than Mankato. With a population of roughly 200,000, this growing city was bigger than I had initially thought. 

Besides the dilemma I face regarding my living situation, other topics have been on my mind lately. One thing is the fact that I will be living on my own for the very first time. You may be thinking ‘haven’t you been doing that?’ And yes I have, but this time I am truly on my own. No roommates to pick me up when I am down and a bit farther from my family. As someone who has been very independent for most of their life, I am excited but I am also anxious. 

I think one of my biggest fears is moving to a new town and not knowing anyone. I know I’ll make friends along the way but as an “introverted” extrovert, this may be challenging for me at first. However, oftentimes when you are planning your future you can forget to finish what you started in the present. Although I am still deciding where I’ll end up living, I need to remind myself that I still have to graduate first!

Write to Julia Lin at julia.barton@mnsu.edu