Wherever she lays her hat is her home....

Like most of America, I've had real estate on my brain for the past 12 months. Even though I have a place to live, I have real estate on my brain.

Yesterday, Julia and I were watching an episode of America's Open House. Most of the hour featured homes way beyond my means. I wondered how people afford to live in these homes. In some of the country’s more expensive cities $450k meant living in a shoebox. If the median income is around $42,000, how are people able to afford to live in any kind of house? How do I rise above living a modest existence and attain a piece of the American Dream for myself? (Stop buying Gucci Shoes would probably be a good place to start.)

Fast forward to this evening and an interesting conversation I had with one of my dearest friends. We were talking about getting out of graduate school with tons of debt and trying to figure out how to buy a house. During the course of the conversation, we talked about American Wages. I had no idea so many people made close to minimum wage. We then talked about how we perceive our material lives. How could it be possible to make more than 100k a year and not be able to provide a decent living for yourself, to not be able to buy a decent house?

I began to think about my meager existence, and I realized that meager is relative. I live like a pauper compared to an investment banker. However this year, 90% of Americans would have rather collected my paycheck than theirs. Was the plan to purchase, not to rent, upon leaving the tour? Sure, but in the Orlando market purchasing was a bigger risk than I was willing to take. However, my current financial situation is ok. I can pay my bills, I do not live paycheck to paycheck, and I have the freedom to buy designer handbags, while meeting my savings goals.

Will I be a millionaire by 30? Probably not. If I had made smarter choices, I would be on my way, however that fact is not on my list of major disappointments. Perhaps, knowing that my career would be in the performing arts from a very young age prepared me mentally for not having a big salary. I do worry about how I’m going to get my first house, but like most things I obsess about, I will figure out a way to make it happen. The first step? Remembering I will not be Philip Banks overnight. The second step? Turn off HGTV.